We need leaders who will give direction to the Body and that was one thing that Pa Elton did back then. He was like a father, a rallying point. He was a reference point for the Church and unfortunately since he left, the blank space has not been filled. He was a great man of God, a humble man. He was a father indeed; I met him in the 70’s.

He taught us what the Kingdom is. He taught us the principles. He encouraged many of us to go to school and he came to us on Campus without asking for anything. He didn’t take money from us. He paid for his own hotel bills. He was just a different minister. His Ilesha home was open to all of us, we had meetings with him, I worked in Ife then so I was always going to Ilesha. There were meetings in his house every Thursday and I used to attend. He did a lot of recording of his messages.

Pa Elton brought in the teaching of the Holy Spirit, the Kingdom, manifestation of the Sons of God. He also wrote a lot of materials. He was prophetic in his utterances, and had mentioned most of what is happening today. He warned us about prosperity getting out of hand; he warned about American gospel, he warned of many things like denomination building, hierarchy, titles - he laid the foundation for what many of us are today and forever I’ll be indebted to a man like that. At 70 he was still driving himself; he never chanced anybody for anything. He was a rallying point for all in ministry. Many ministries in the East, here in the West, come to him for direction. He was a major backbone for Idahosa’s ministry.

His message was different yet people kept coming to him. He wasn’t a denominational person. He taught about the vision of the Church; he talked about the Kingdom. He also had a gospel that imparted society. He had a burden for establishing a righteous social order. He taught us that the gospel can change things, that we can change our society. He taught us to go to school; he told us to get higher degrees and one of the reasons I went for my Ph.D. was him. In those days you didn’t need to do that. But he said we should get the best training because we are going to need it in the future to change our society. He taught a gospel that was relevant.

He taught about integrity, righteousness. He also taught about prophetic insight, principles of the Kingdom and he supported prayers for the nation. He supported the CSSM. He was just tremendous.

He also taught on prosperity; he balanced it up properly. He taught us about what Mammon can do. He also taught on the manifestation of the Sons of God and the gifts of the Spirit, on the authority of the believer. He was perhaps the first man from whom I first heard messages like that - you know, God’s end-time move, the Gideon army etc. He was a great teacher - a simple man. He had prophetic insight to what was going to happen in the country.

He taught about coups and the troubles the nation would come into. He said a lot about the fact that the gospel was going to be promoted. In fact, all that we are witnessing now are things he said. Indeed, he was a blessing to the Church.

Elton was a man of means. He had money in foreign exchange yet you wouldn’t know it. He supported people and ministries. Idahosa was his son. He used to go to Benin every year for their convention. People came from all over the country to him for advice and counsel. The legacy of Elton should not be left to die like that. If he had laboured and died in UK or the US the way he laboured here in Nigeria, he would have been celebrated far more. For what he had done for us in Nigeria; I think we should celebrate him.