President and founder of Believers Love World popularly known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, on Saturday recounted his experience with the Esama of Benin and chancellor, Igbinedion University, Okada in Edo State, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion, when he met him on a wheelchair in 2019.
Oyakhilome spoke after Igbinedion renamed the teaching hospital of the university after him as part of activities marking the school’s 20th convocation and conferment of a honorary doctorate degree of science.
Igbinedion said the teaching hospital is now called Pastor Dr Chris Oyakhilome Igbinedion University Teaching Hospital in recognition of his sterling qualities “and significant contribution to the upliftment of mankind and your exceptional devotion to the healing ministry.”
Sharing his experience with the respected Benin chief, Oyakhilome said he met him in 2019 on his request on a wheelchair but left his presence on his feet.
He said, “From my arrival at this place, I was received by the founder of the university himself, Chief Igbinedion and I had a wonderful experience. He drove me in his car, that was a most amazing moment for me.
“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 Igbinedion wants to see you. I asked if he wants to see me? 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.”
On his perception of Igbinedion, Oyakhilome said “I went to visit him and when I left him, I discovered something that I have told others, I have spoken about him to others and today, he only further amplified my thoughts. I said I met this man, the most excellent, most elegant and most humble man that I have ever met and I am serious.
”I have never met somebody more excellent, elegant and at the same time so humble and I am praying that we looking at you and receiving so much from you will take what you have impacted the world with because I was specially touched by you and today I have been seriously impacted by you. I didn’t just receive an award. I thank you for the award but I received more, much love from you. I thank you for this school, I thank you for what you have done, I am amazed you put my name in the teaching hospital,” he said.
