IDAHOSA: TEN YEARS GONE, ALREADY!

>“The work, witness and outreach of CGM (Church Of God Mission Int’l) are in great shape and obviously growing at a consistent rate. When Archbishop Benson died in March 1998 CGM had one hospital, it now has four! It had one bible school, it now has six! It had 98 primary and secondary schools, it now has 104 …”

It all seems like yesterday, but believe it or not, Archbishop Benson Andrew Idahosa has been with the Lord for ten years…one decade! It sure seems like yesterday when news of the departure of the flamboyant charismatic preacher and great mentor of many of today’s great men of God, began to make the rounds on March 12 1998. He was six months shy of his sixtieth birthday and had been in ministry for about 35 years! Reports had it that he died from a heart attack while chatting with a visiting delegation from Oral Roberts University.

Of course the Pentecostal preference for celebrating life rather than death makes any fanfare unnecessary, particularly as his 70th birthday on September 11 provides ample opportunity to remember and honour the life of one of God’s generals from this part of the world. Still a little reflection won’t harm, will it?

Founder and Presiding Bishop of Church of God Mission International, Idahosa was unapologetically flamboyant. His long flowing robes made of the best fabrics and his sharp suits, whenever he found it necessary to wear one, made him the butt of many attacks from the secular press. His appearance ran against the church rat characterisation of men of God, you see, and so many liked to see him as a con-man who cajoles his congregation for money. To all such critics, Idahosa’s answer was simple and direct: “My God is not poor!”

So, you’ll be right to describe Idahosa as the first of the so-called prosperity preachers. He was however much more than that. He was a bold demon chaser, if ever there was one. Many Nigerians would recall how a group which called itself the World Council of Witches announced they were planning to hold their conference in Benin, which houses Idahosa’s headquarters. Now, you must understand that the fetish was commonplace in that ancient city and so it seemed a natural place for witches to seek to congregate. But, Idahosa told them: “no, not in my territory”. For a while the newspapers were full of “yes we will” and “no, you won’t” reports. In the end, the conference never held! Not only was Idahosa’s God not poor, He wasn’t a weakling either.

Idahosa’s reputation as being the pioneer in local content in evangelism on radio and television in Nigeria was not earned without a fight either. It was reported that attempts were made severally to yank his programme off air for flimsy reasons which were calculated to hinder the spread of the gospel. In a particular instance, a certain producer got in the way and he paid for it dearly.

He began his ministry at age 24, having given his life to Christ as a football playing prankster in Benin City, in Edo State, south-western Nigeria. He had gone to play football at a pitch near a Salvation Army church on a Sunday afternoon when he succumbed to the temptation to aim his shot at the head of the pastor through one of the open windows. Five attempts to hit his target had failed, then he made what proved to be his sixth and last effort. It wasn’t clear what the ball hit, but it came ricocheting back to hit him on the chest and knock him flat on his back. He was in such pain that a crowd soon gathered round him. This drew the pastor’s attention; he came out, prayed for him and his chest that was rapidly swelling returned to normal. It was the hand of God and young Benson realised it. He followed Pastor Ogolo back to church and later answered the altar call. He thus became the very first Bini, as Benin sons and daughters are called, to join that largely Igbo congregation.

Idahosa hit the ground running, as it were. Listen to him as he testified to one of his earliest exploits for God as recorded by a chronicler, Elijah Akinwunmi:

“As a young Christian, I once heard my pastor say during a morning service that Christians could raise the dead in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I believed it with all my heart. And flying around on my bicycle in those days, I went through the city of Benin in search of a dead person to raise to life. After about five hours of hard searching I found a compound where a little girl had died a few hours before. The corpse had been cleaned and prepared for burial. I walked boldly up to the father of the dead child. "The God whom I serve can bring your baby back to life," I told him. "Will you permit me to pray for the child and bring her back to life?" The man was startled, but he agreed. With great enthusiasm, I walked into the room and up to the bed. The child was cold and dead. With strong faith in the Lord, I called on the Lord to restore the child back to life. I turned to the corpse and called it by name, "Arise in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ." Oh Glory to God! The corpse sneezed, heavily, alas. The child had come back to life!”

It was also recorded that it was a similar death and life issue that won the heart of the young lady who was to become his wife, become his partner and take over the running of Church of God Mission after his departure. One report stated it like this:
“…Margaret was the daughter of a princess of juju, steeped in witchcraft and black magic. At first the relationship was purely platonic but things changed one remarkable day. A young cousin of Margaret’s had fallen sick and died despite the family sacrifices at their juju shrine. Benson arrived in the grieving household, “Will you permit me to pray for her?” he asked, “The God I serve can bring your baby back to life.” Emptying the room of all but his Christian companion, Benson prayed for the baby and suddenly, the relatives heard the little girl sneeze.”
Raising the dead was to become one of the hallmarks of his ministry. In all, it was recorded that he raised 28 persons from the dead at different locations including his meetings and crusades.
Other statistics were no less impressive. According to a piece on the website of the USA branch of his church, he pioneered the establishment of over 5,000 churches in Nigeria and parts of Africa; took the gospel to 143 nations; pastored the fifth largest church in the world in his time; hosted his daily and weekly "Idahosa and You" television and radio programmes for 20 years; through the programmes he reached millions of people in Africa and impacted lives in the Muslim territories, garnered four degrees, including two doctorates from four different institutions; authored many books and produced thousands of audio tapes and videos of his messages.
If you are wondering what has become of the church he left behind, the answer, in the words of a 2006 report by Bishop Harry Westcott, an Australian pastor and associate of the late Idahosa is this: “the work, witness and outreach of CGM (Church Of God Mission Int’l) are in great shape and obviously growing at a consistent rate. When Archbishop Benson died in March 1998 CGM had one hospital, it now has four! It had one bible school, it now has six! It had 98 primary and secondary schools, it now has 104…” Rest in peace, Nigeria’s own God’s General.