On Thursday, the 12th March, 1998, Idahosa started the day as busy as always. In his office he asked for a cup of tea which he did not drink up. He told one of his staff members; ‘’I am going home’’. This was not strange. But when he repeated it unnecessarily, there was a reason to suspect the unusual but no notice was taken of it.
Later that afternoon, at lunch with his guests, he spoke about heaven. He asked them whether they believed it was possible for one to walk to heaven like Elijah did? He said he would prefer to be translated like Enoch and Elijah.
He told them he had a heavenly drink in his cup. He took the “pure heaven” juice on the table and drank from it, making a humorous statement about going to heaven. The drink tasted like heaven’s drink he told his guests. His high sense of humour was on parade.
On that day he had received “members of an educational foundation team from the U.S.-based Oral Roberts University” at the Christian Faith University after ministering in church. He excused himself to go to Miracle Centre, his Church office and prayed with different segments of people at the Church Office and including the Bible School students before he went back to meet his guests at home.
It was a busy period at the headquarters of CGMII, the Archbishop had just returned from one of his many tours, this time from the UK. Members of the Oral Robert University Educational Fellowship (OREF) were at the headquarters of Word of Faith Group of Schools for the yearly OREF program. They were led by Professor Don Petri, a friend of the Benson Idahosa University and a Professor of Christian Education at the Oral Robert University.
Both he and all the American participants at the conference were guests at the Archbishop’s home. It was an early afternoon and Idahosa and his guests were at the table. A characteristic humour of the Archbishop eliciting laughter and chatter punched with the lunch. It was a sumptuous meal and both local and international guests were satisfied. Then a fruit juice was passed around in packets of which were printed the brand name “pure heaven”.
The caption started another round of conversation. It was about heaven. Then suddenly, there was a hush as the archbishop broke into the good natured conversation and asked. “how many of you are ready to go to heaven right now? You see he continued; “all Christians talk about heaven and its beauty and desirability but not one is prepared to go there straight away”. I have news for you. I am prepared to go to heaven right now, anyone going with me? Everyone was silent.
The mood of the diners changed and went to their rooms. The Archbishop called for Professor Don Petri to join him in one of the mainly sitting rooms in the new Benson Idahosa University. He indicated those aspects of the master plan he had implemented and requested the professor to continue from where he was ending.
Yet Professor Don Petri did not understand the meaning of the Archbishop’s words. The Archbishop was the symbol of the university. It could not have entered the mind of anybody that he would be translated a few minutes after.
Shortly after he had spoken instructing a deaconess on what the guests should eat for dinner, he began to repeat the words ‘Thank you Jesus’ then suddenly threw his head back on the easy chair and gave up the ghost. Professor Don Petri did not immediately understand until he saw the body slumping off the chair then Don Petri rushed at him calling for help and laying him on the rug.
He tried all the resuscitation techniques that he knew but to no avail, they called for help from the Faith MediPlex but the doctors testified that from the moment he hissed that sigh of relief, he had clearly departed. His going was an air of finality which the doctors knew but could not admit.
He was not sick. He never had high blood pressure. He was never down.
Even the doctors were surprised that he died because he was not sick at all”.
“I MAY BE WITH PEOPLE AT HOME AND WHILE WE ARE TALKING, I WILL BE GONE JUST LIKE THAT. That will be a precious death”.
Archbishop Benson Idahosa, the undisputed prophet and apostle of Christendom in the twentieth century was gone.