At 70, Archbishop Margaret Ekhoe Benson-Idahosa, wife of the late charismatic Pentecostal preacher and founder of the Church of God Mission International with headquarters in Benin City, Nigeria, Most Rev. Benson E. Idahosa, who passed away in 1998, is still looking radiant, impacting her community and raising people that will not only serve God, but contribute to the development of the country. Born on July 29, 1943 in Benin City, to the family of Mr. and Mrs. Izevbigie, Margaret, aside from being the Chancellor of Benson-Idahosa University, Benin, and in the executive of many Christian organisations within and outside the country, is a prolific writer. Mama, as she is fondly called, who happens to be the first female Pentecostal Archbishop in Africa, was in 2002, selected by Nigeria’s Newsweek magazine as one of the 100 most influential women in the country. Recently, she spoke to AYOYINKA OLAGOKE on life at 70 and other important issues.
What are your interesting moments?
FOR somebody who is 70 years and serving God?... I have so many interesting moments to share. I am excited that I am still alive and I give all praises to God. I am also grateful to God that my children are making waves in the ministry; not because their father was a Bishop; rather, they found God by themselves. God spoke to them, individually, on what to do and they are doing them.
At 70, what’s next?
I am waiting on God for direction and whatever He asks me to do, I will do. I know that God will not speak to me to do what I cannot do. He is God; He knows my ability and inability.
What is highest point of your life?
I will never forget the day my husband passed on. We went for a crusade outside the country, and were due back home together, but because of the children’s school fees, which had not been paid he returned before me. However, two days after he left me, I was called that he is gone. I will never forget that, because it was as if my whole life, the roof over my head had been taken away.
Why did you not re-marry when your husband died?
My husband left me, when I was 55 years and, today, I am 70. I lost interest in men and marriage when my husband died. I asked God to kill the interest, never to resurrect it. And since my husband died, I have never lusted after any man; all I needed is to do what God has handed over to us. I had a husband, I enjoyed him and he is late. So, this is time for me to focus on what God wants me to do, I don’t have any interest in re-marrying.
Are you saying men have since not asked after your hand in marriage?
Not that there were no suitors, but I do not give in. I don’t give them time to come to that area. Men do tell me ‘Mama you look charming.’ And I do tell them it is the Holy Spirit that has rejuvenated me and if they believe in the God that I believed, He will also rejuvenate them. I don’t give them that room.
What do you want as a birthday gift?
One thing I want all of you to do for me is to move Benson Idahosa University from its present place to the permanent site; that’s all I want.
How has it been running a private university?
Running a university is not an easy thing. The university was not fully accredited by Federal Government when my husband died, so, we started from there; worked on our programmes and the different things that the National Universities Commission (NUC), asked for. The school was finally accredited in 2002.
How are you coping as Archbishop, Chancellor, author and ANFCBII president?
I am able to function well because I worked with a team of men and women that could identify with the vision God has given to us. We have churches, schools, university, Bible schools and hospitals. In the churches, we have different Bishops for different departments, which include finance and budgeting, administration and others. We come together maybe once every two months to rub minds on our strength and weaknesses and how to move on to the next stage. I strongly believe in teamwork. I don’t allow the work of the ministry to weigh me down. I do the right thing at the right time.
Secret of your success as Archbishop
It is nothing than God and the Holy Spirit. The first thing I do in the morning is to kneel down by my bedside and sing some love songs to God. It’s not that I don’t have problems; I don’t just allow them to control me. I dominate the problem and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I am overcoming them.
What are your challenges?
The only challenge I have is myself. Most often, I question God on why I should do some of the things He asks me to do, and the moment I succumb, He gives me the strength to do them. For the people, once I say God says this and explains to them, they will obey. However, I am still praying to overcome self.
What informed the establishment of Word of Faith group of schools?
Word of Faith group of schools belong to the church. The objective is to train children right from the cradle to high school. We have crèche, toddler, primary and secondary. Benin was not like this before the coming of our ministry; in fact, it was called the City of Blood. If a witch doctor tells you then at 2pm you will be dead, you better go and get ready because you will surely die, but when the ministry came in and we told the people the message, love and care of Jesus Christ, things changed for the better. Just as we brought in the ministry, we established the schools to bring up children that will not only serve God, but also contribute to the development of Benin City.
What is Restoration Centre all about?
God gave the Centre to us and, as I said, if God gives a vision, He brings people that will provide for the needs of the vision. When God gave us the name ‘The Christian Women Fellowship International (TCWFI)’, He didn’t tell us the troubles involved. But through the centre many women have been trained and empowered with skills in areas such as hair fixing, cosmetology, fashion designing, hat making and computer training. After training, we make sure we buy them work tools that would enable them start their small businesses while those from outside Benin are given some money in place of work tools. We have been doing this since 1975. All I am interested in is to make sure that women are educated, instead of sitting at home doing nothing.
Church’s social responsibility to the community
We give them clean drinkable water, by constructing boreholes. We also cater for the less privileged, widows and the physically challenged. We run an orphanage called My Sister’s Place; apart from this, the church is currently taking care of three others within our environs.
What’s your view on church establishment in the country?
As far as I am concern, I will like every street to have churches. It is better than having shrines, drinking centres and brothels.
What about the issue of taxation?
There is no reason for churches to pay tax, because they are not business ventures. What the church could do is to tell its members the importance of paying taxes and to encourage them to do so.
On insecurity in the country
My message is, Nigerians should hold on to God; look up to Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith. Insecurity is not only in Nigeria, it is everywhere; the only thing is that we have never experienced it like this in our history, as a country. It is new to us and that is why everybody is talking about it. However, instead of complaining, we should all join hands to pray to God to direct our leaders aright.
What’s your view on the belief that women are to be seen and not heard?
That is an old adage. We are, now, letting women to know that they must be seen and heard. I am not advocating that women should usurp their husband’s roles because God has made the men the head of the home, and if the head of the home is acting as the head in providing, in caring, educating and in doing all that God wants men to do, there is no reason for the women to usurp authority. Women should not die with the gifts and talents God has given them. They should do their bits in their homes; make sure they do whatever their husbands want them to do.
Is it Biblical for women to preach the gospel on the pulpit?
Genesis 1:28-29, says: “And God created man and woman. He gave them both authority and power. He gave them the authority to go and multiply. You can multiply by the word of God or biologically. Go and multiply, dominate and spread the word, where you go. It is religion and tradition that relegated the women to a corner and most women embraced it. The mind of God is that men and women should work together, before Him there is neither male nor female. God is not mad at women or men preaching; the issue of who does what was introduced by religion and tradition that have relegated women to play second fiddle to the men.
Advice to women
I do tell some of my mates, especially those who have lost their husbands or wives that losing a husband or wife is not the end of life, because there is more to life than what they are experiencing on the inside. Since my husband died, there are some days I don’t feel like getting out of bed, because I missed him; but when I look at the work that God has given us to do, I brace up myself and face life with full assurance.
Our women should know that God is not a respecter of person(s), what God has done for one, He can do for the other. All He wants is availability; women should be focused on God. They should not be intimidated because they are women. That was how I felt when Archbishop died and I was put in this position. I had no one to ask for direction, so, I focused on God. I said to God, ‘you know I live in a man’s world, and being made the first female Bishop, which was strange to me then, I asked Him to guide and direct me.’ For about two weeks, I didn’t hear anything from God, but I kept asking and crying for answers; yet my tears did not move God. But the moment I stopped crying and accepted the responsibilities of the office, God said to me, ‘Margaret, if I made the appointment, I will release the ability to perform.’ Since then it has been that way. Women should be focused, let them know that they are not the first to lose their husbands. Some lost their husbands yesterday, some are going to lose theirs today and some will still go tomorrow, yet life goes on. Women should focus on their strength and that which God has earmarked for them to do in their family and the community at large.
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