From Tony Osauzo, Benin
President/Founder of Believers Love World, popularly known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, has recounted how he met the Esama of Benin and Chancellor, Igbinedion University,Chief Gabriel Igbinedion in Okada, Edo State for the first time on wheelchair in 2019.
The cleric spoke before a large audience at the university auditorium after Chief Igbinedion renamed the university’s teaching hospital after him as part of activities marking the school’s 20th convocation.
Chief Igbinedion christened the teaching hospital Pastor Dr. Chris Oyakhilome Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital.
He conferred the honorary doctorate degrees of science on Oyakhilome and said the naming of the teaching hospital after him was in recognition of his sterling qualities and significant contribution to the upliftment of mankind and exceptional devotion to the healing ministry.
Oyakhilome who expressed surprise at the naming of the hospital after him said he met Chief Igbinedion for the first time in 2019 on wheelchair, but left his presence on his feet.
“My heart was full of joy just to see him today; I met him for the first time in 2019. If you ever lived in Benin City, there is no way you wouldn’t have known about Chief Igbinedion. We grew up knowing his name and then in 2019, I got a message that Chief Ogbinedion wanted to see you, I was in South Africa so I thought maybe there was a miscommunication, so I asked many questions to be sure.
“We set a date, and he came, chief was in a wheel chair, he had been incapacitated. When he came, he couldn’t walk, he said my knees. I looked at him, we sat together, I sat close to him, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. I put my hands on his knees, he has faith like a child, he got up, walked out of that place to his car. I went to visit him afterwards, he has been singing praises to God in this place, he has been leading in the songs of praise, maybe you don’t know why a man like this will be thinking so much about God, he received the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues so you are looking at a man who is filled with the Holy Spirit and he speaks and prays in other tongues, that is the man you are seeing,” Oyakhilome said.