By Sodiq Yusuf
The pastor of Holy Divine Evangelical Church (Cherubim and Seraphim), Mr Victor Oshinfade named his church after the immediate past governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola.
Oshinfade while speaking with OSUN DEFENDER in a telephone interview on Tuesday said he received spiritual message to name his church after Aregbesola on April 18, 1994 years before the cathedral was built.
According to him, the message came to pass on September 2, 2006 when he named the church “Abdulrauf Aregbsola Cathedral” as approved by his church members.
Oshinfade said the decision to name the church after Aregbesola was to honour him and other people that contributed to the building of the cathedral.
He described Aregbesola as an epitome of religious tolerance who contributed his quota to the development of the society irrespective of religion or political affiliation.
“Naming the church after Aregbesola was inspirational. I got the message on 18th of April, 1994. When I told Aregbesola, he sounded skeptical and questioned how would the church be, but I told him God will fulfill the message. God fulfilled the message to name my church after Aregbesola on 2nd of September, 2006 while he was the Commissioner for Works in Lagos state”, Oshinfade explained.
He added: “When we wanted to buy the land, we did not have money. I got a man that sold me a land and told me to be paying N5000 every month. But the man died within a short period of time. His wife requested we pay N500, 000 to complete the payment, but I did not have the money.
“I went to meet Aregbesola who I fondly called De-Young, Aregbesola who asked me to see him the next day. On the next day, he instructed his Personal Assistant. Engr Lash to give me the money. I went back home and told the church members who appreciated the gesture. It was a collective decision to name the church after Aregbesola. The church wanted to appreciate those that donated and worked for its erection. We named some structures in the church after others who donated to make the building a reality.”
Pastor Oshinfade disclosed that he had maintained a long standing relationship with the Minister of Interior since the days of “Alimosho Dynamo” a socio-political group, stating that they were also together in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Alliance for Democracy.
The pastor-politician downplayed allegations of Aregbesola being a religious fanatic, noting that his recent turbanning as Amirul Waziri Muminiin of the state of Osun State is in recognition of his unprecedented achievements as the former governor of the state for eight years and contributions to Islam and humanity
