The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, yesterday extolled the exemplary Christian life lived by the founder of the Church of God Mission International, (CGMi), the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa.
Speaking at the church’s 50th anniversary in Benin, Osinbajo described the late Archbishop as a game changer in the country’s path to Christianity, noting that his legacies would live on.
Osinbajo, who spoke on a title, “The Christian, Politics and Nation Building” at the anniversary said the late archbishop was a role model to many Christians and church founders within and outside the country.
He equally commended the Christian virtues of the church’s current overseer, Mrs. Margaret Idahosa, saying she “is a woman of history, destiny and the future, who has been able to crack the glass ceiling in the gospel world that is dominated by male preachers and whose messages have changed the destinies of many.”
Also speaking at the anniversary, Obaseki said late Idahosa revolutionised the pentecostal movement in Nigeria, and did not relent in his missionary work despite opposition from many people.
“We have every reason to celebrate the legacies of our Papa, as we fondly called him. He introduced television evangelism, which is now popular among Christian preachers across the country.
“We thought his passing would lead to the collapse of the Church but we are here celebrating the vibrancy of the Church in the past 50 years,” the governor said.
He praised the leadership qualities of the present archbishop, describing her as a steadfast preacher of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He noted that the preaching and prayers of Mrs. Idahosa have continued to mend broken hearts and homes of people of the state and beyond.
He also commended Idahosa for leading the affairs of the church and wished her divine strength to do much more in the body of Christ.
In her address, Idahosa expressed her appreciation to the vice president for gracing the occasion and said that the mercy of God had kept the church thus far.
She said the church “is living the legacies of the founder which include, evangelism, greater works and risk-taking. God is not gender specific as he has chosen her to preach the gospel in a world full of male preachers.
She listed the achievements of the Church to include establishing over 100 chapters of the Word of Faith schools, three branches of Faith Mediplex Hospitals and Golden Age Centre for old people amongst others.
