Nigeria is acclaimed as a deeply religious country/nation and this is evident in the local names of our people as well as the quality and quantity of Men and Women of God we have. I want to be sure that you will not be surprised if I state here that Nigeria exports Men and Women of God to other countries of the world regularly. Almighty God has really blessed this country.

However, I have desired to start up a series, where I will be "x-raying", showcasing and analyzing the Callings, Lives, Times And Ministerial Impacts of these Men and Women of God we have in Nigeria.

Now, I will want this to be for the analytic and constructive christian-minded people who wants to contribute to the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the nations of the world.
(PS: If you can post information and data about certain other Men And Women of God (Clergy) that you know, that will be welcomed and featured too)

So Lets Roll!!!

Benson Andrew Idahosa (11 September 1938 – 12 March
1998) affectionately called PAPA or BA by his followers, was
a Charismatic Pentecostal preacher, and founder of the
Church of God Mission International with headquarters in
Benin City, Nigeria. As the first Pentecostal archbishop in
Nigeria, he was renowned for his robust faith. T. L. Osborn
remarked on him as the greatest African ambassador of the
apostolic Christian faith to the world.


Personal life
Born to non-Christian parents in a predominantly non-
Christian community, he was rejected by his father, John, for
being frail and sickly. He constantly had fainting spells as a
child, and on one of his spells, his mother, Sarah, abandoned
him at a rubbish heap presuming him dead. Hours later, he
came to, and began wailing and was rescued by his mother.
He grew up in a poor household. Like most of the surrounding
houses, his family home was a mud house. This reality
denied him access to education until he was fourteen years
old, when he was able to attend a local government school.


Early ministry
As a youth, he got converted to Christianity by a certain
Pastor Okpo, and joined his fledgling congregation as one of
its first members. He was very active in proselytising and
converting many to Christianity. After experiencing a
revelation from God calling him into ministry, he began to
conduct outreaches from village to village, before
establishing his church in a store in Benin City.
By 1971, he had established churches all over Nigeria and
Ghana. Known for his boldness, power and prosperity-based
preaching , as well as an enormous faith in the supernatural,
he was instrumental to the strong wave of revival in
Christianity and marked conversions from animism that
occurred between the 1970s and 1990s in Nigeria. He is
regarded by Christians folks as the father of Pentecostalism in
Nigeria, and was the founding President of the Pentecostal
Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN). Many prominent Nigerian
pastors like Ayo Oritsejafor (current President of the Christian
Association of Nigeria (CAN)), David Oyedepo , Felix
Omobude, Fred Addo, Bishop Mike Okonkwo and Chris
Oyakhilome were his protégés.


Ministry growth
The headquarters of his ministry, Faith Miracle Center, is a
cathedral that seats up to 10,000 people. Church of God
Mission has branches the world over, from Europe to Africa to
Asia to America. With his main task being evangelism, he
launched Idahosa World Outreach television ministry (IWO
TV), which was a broadcast reaching a potential viewing
audience of 50 million people.

He is reported to have been used by God in performing many
miracles, including healing the blind, and raising up to
twenty-eight people from the dead at different times in his
ministry. 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 in fact been dead. [1]
He was known for many notable quotes including "my God is
not a poor God", "your attitude determines your altitude", "it
is more risky, not to take a risk", "I am a possibilitarian", "A
big head without a big brain is a big load to the neck", "If your
faith says yes, God cannot say no", amongst others. Many of
his messages on faith, miracles and prosperity remain a
classic among Pentecostals.
He had strong links with international gospel ministers like
Billy Graham , T. L. Osborn , Kenneth Hagin , Benny Hinn ,
Reinhard Bonnke, Morris Cerullo , Oral Roberts , amongst
others; and took the gospel to 145 nations in his lifetime. At
the time of his death in 1998, he was reputed as having
preached to more whites than any black man, and to more
blacks than any white man.
His desire to meet the needs of the total man led him to
establish several other arms of the ministry apart from the
church. They include the Faith Mediplex , All Nations for
Christ Bible Institute, Word of Faith Group of Schools and
Benson Idahosa University which is currently under the
leadership of his son, Rev. F. E. B. Idahosa. His wife,
Margaret Idahosa is the current presiding bishop of the
church.


Wikipedia.

Get more brief on the life of this Great man here; www.dacb.org/stories/nigeria/idahosa_bensona.html

Don't give up ..keep on with what you intended doing