Three powerful ‘spiritual sons’ of the late Benson Idahosa that you probably didn't know about

He was one of the most revered preachers in Nigeria in his time. Born September 11, 1938, Arch Bishop Benson Andrew Idahosa was regarded as the father of Pentecostalism in Nigeria.

Growing up in the streets of Benin, no one would guess that the little boy from downtown had the capacity to shake the world like he did. Despite being the only son of his father, who was also a clergyman, he founded the Church of God Mission International and Benson Idahosa University, two of the biggest institutions in the country.

Arch Bishop Idahosa’s walk with God began in 1960 after he gave his life to Christ. He began his church not to long after, starting out with a small prayer group.

He grew from strength to strength; he gained more prominence after his famous claim that he raised eight people from the dead. A claim that was later dropped when he was challenged by the Advertising Standards Authority.

A man of many firsts, Benson Idahosa was the first pastor in Nigeria to buy and use a Mercedes Benz, he was also the first pastor to start a ministry and go on evangelism from Nigeria to other countries.

According to records, Arch Bishop Idahosa grew extremely influential across the globe that he traveled to about 145 countries to preach mostly without being invited but just to preach the gospel.

While he preached across the gospel, the Arch Bishop nurtured and left his imprints on what many call “spiritual sons”. His sons have earned the name Pentecostal ‘giants’.

Following in the strides of their ‘father’, they have become the anchor holding the Christian faith in a seemingly Muslim nation.

These are the spiritual sons of the late Arch Bishop Idahosa you probably didn’t know about.

Davide Oyedepo

Bishop Oyedepo’s service to the late Arch Bishop is well known in the public space. The two preachers share striking similarities including: Being born to a no-Christian fathers, both been sickly as children, and they both recorded a miracle of raising the dead before going into ministry.

Ayo Oritsejafor

Ayo Oritsejafor is the founding and Senior Pastor or Word of Life Bible Church, located in Warri. Appointed President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) on 7 February 2005, a position he held for five years.

In July 2010, Oritsejafor was elected President of the Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN), the apex body of all Christians in the country.

Pastor Oritsejafor relationship with the Idahosa family was well known. According to Online platform, News of the people, he played a major role in protecting the well-guarded secret surrounding the Bishop’s alleged daughter born outside wedlock.

Arch Bishop Duncan Williams

Nicholas Duncan-Williams is the founder and Presiding Archbishop of Action Chapel International, headquartered in Accra, Ghana. He is recognized as the Patriarch and Father of the Charismatic Movement in Ghana and other parts of West Africa.

He was mentored by the late Archbishop Benson Idahosa and studied at the All Nations for Christ Bible Institute in Benin City, Nigeria.