Archbishop
Benson Idahosa
3rd President of PFN
In office
1995–1998
Preceded byEnoch Adeboye
Succeeded byMike Okonkwo
Personal details
Born
Benson Andrew Idahosa

(1938-09-11)11 September 1938
Benin City, Edo, Nigeria
Died12 March 1998(1998-03-12) (aged 59)
Benin City, Nigeria
Resting placeBenin City, Nigeria
NationalityNigerian
SpouseArchbishop Margaret Idahosa
Children1 son, 3 daughters
OccupationTelevangelist, author, pastor

Benson Andrew Idahosa (11 September 1938 – 12 March 1998), was a Charismatic Pentecostal preacher. He is the founder of Church of God Mission International. Archbishop Benson Idahosa was popularly referred to as the father of Pentecostalism in Nigeria.[1] Idahosa was the founder of Benson Idahosa University (BIU) in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.[2] His only son, Bishop F.E.B. Idahosa, is now the president of BIU, founder and president of Big Ben's Children Hospital, and vice-president of All Nations for Christ Bible Institute International, among other positions.[1]

Biography

In October 1968, Idahosa officially inaugurated the Church of God Mission International, which had started previously, as a "small prayer group".[3] A claim made by Idahosa that he had raised eight people from the dead was dropped when challenged by the Advertising Standards Authority, who sought evidence that the individuals concerned had been dead.[4] He was commissioned into ministry in 1971 by Pa Elton and James Gordon Lindsey.[5] He was ordained a Bishop in 1981,[6] and ordained several others, including Bishop David Oyedepo of the Living Faith Church Worldwide in 1989.[6]

Idahosa died on 12 March 1998.[7] He was survived by his wife, Margaret Idahosa and four children.[8] His wife subsequently took over as the Archbishop of the Church of God Mission International (CGMI), the Christian ministry he founded, she is also the Chancellor of Benson Idahosa University.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "God told me it is impossible to fill my father's shoes —Bishop Idahosa " Tribune Online". 9 October 2016.
  2. ↑ "About Benson Idahosa University". Benson Idahosa University. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  3. ↑ "Nigeria - Church of God Mission including whether there is a chapter in Kaduna". 26 September 200.
  4. ↑ John Sweeney (31 December 2000). "Sects, power and miracles in the Bible belt of Essex". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 September 2011.
  5. ↑ israelolofinjana (12 March 2012). "Benson Andrew Idahosa (1938-1998): Father of Nigerian Pentecostalism". israelolofinjana. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  6. 1 2 "40 REMARKABLE SIMILARITIES BETWEEN BENSON IDAHOSA AND BISHOP DAVID OYEDEPO". www.gospelnaija.com. 30 September 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "Nigerian Archbishop Benson Idahosa dies". Tulsa World. 26 April 1998. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  8. ↑ Sam Eyoboka (20 April 2010). "How Archbishop Idahosa died – Wife". The Vanguard. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  9. ↑ "My husband was like a brother until he proposed ––Arch Benson-Idahosa". The Punch. 23 February 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.


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