Church of God Mission Remembers Idahosa, Donates Classrooms to Edo Community

Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

The Church of God Mission International (CGMI) has donated a block of six classrooms to Olinlin Primary School in Uzea, Edo State in memory of its founder, late Archbishop Benson Idahosa.

The General Overseer of the church, Archbishop Margret Benson- Idahosa handed over the blocks of classrooms to the people of Uzea, a community in Esan North East Local Government Area of the state on Friday.

Benson-Idahosa, who was represented by Bishop Matthew Okowebholo to hand over the facility, disclosed that the donation was in honour of the late archbishop who was once a pupil of the school founded in 1947.

The presiding archbishop said the entire idea of immortalising her husband came up when the Church he left behind celebrated 50th anniversary of evangelising the world.

While the church was doing a background check on where her late husband began his educational career, Idahosa disclosed that they found out that it was in Olinlin Primary School, Uzea.

As a result, according to the cleric, the church leadership thought it wise to erect a block of six classrooms in his name in the same premises.

She observed that the late archbishop was a blessing to his generation and beyond having taken the gospel of Christ around the globe.

Benson-Idahosa added that the children, who are going to make use of the facility, would be proud to say in the nearest future that they attended the same primary school that the late archbishop Benson Idahosa attended.

She said: “We are going to clean the present write up and replace it with Archbishop Benson Idahosa Legacy Project as a pupil in this school, we are going to put it there so that whoever is passing by can see Idahosa.

“We will immortalise his name that he was a pupil of this school. That means, if a child leaves this school, he will be proud that I attended the same school with the archbishop.”

Commending the church for erecting the facility, Secretary to the Palace of Uzea Kingdom, Chief Iseghohi Francis, said it was a welcome development.

He added that other well meaning Nigerians should emulate the wife of the late archbishop who remembered where her late husband began his early education.

Also at the handover, Mr. Ebhohimhen Abraham who represented the Chief Inspectorate of Education and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Education, said the facility would go a long way to improve learning in the community.

Ebhohimhen, therefore, appealed to the donor to also build same structure in the secondary school section of the community.

Idahosa was born on September 11, 1938 in Benin City to an Edo family, the Idahosa – Ezomo family. He was the fourth of nine children of Late Pa John Idahosa. He was only a few months old, when on the order of his father, he was dumped on a rubbish heap because he was a sickly child.

However, because of the unfading love of his mother, the Spirit of God stirred her up to rescue him. As a toddler, he often experienced fainting spells. This re-occurring phenomenon, in the thinking of his father had brought disgrace and dishonour to the family.

This forced him to resolve that the infant Idahosa be dumped on a refuse heap just behind their little house and left to his own fate. His father gave a stern warning that he should not be rescued from the garbage but because he was destined for greatness he lived to become one of the kingdom of God’s greatest men.

As the years rolled by, the sickly lad noted for fainting spells grew in strength and wisdom. He chose to change. Like the plant Saxifrage, often noted for its rock breaking abilities, Archbishop Idahosa surmounted the many obstacles that lay precariously on the road to success.

Idahosa had a penchant for education and a great desire to study. At the age of eight, he was enrolled into primary school. Through thick and thin, he managed to scale through an initial western education in the Salvation Army School, Benin City and the Methodist School, Owo, Ondo State.

However, this only whetted his appetite for more knowledge. Accordingly, through a correspondence programme with the London Benneth College, he obtained a Diploma in Business Administration, and a Higher Diploma in Office Management, while he worked in the Bata Shoe Company as a salesman.

As a result of his desire to excel and through hard work, coupled with God’s favour upon his life, he soon ascended to a supervisory position at the company. Little did he know that his experience as a supervisor was part of God’s way of preparing him for leadership in the ministry.

Idahosa was ready to be an instrument in God’s hand and in 1962, at the relatively young age of 24, he launched into the ministry. He had great zeal for the work of God and his uttermost desire was to carry out the command of the Lord to finish the work, which God had assigned to him.