At the last 2022 Annual Thanksgiving Service & 10th Remembrance Service for his dad held in Sagamu, OGD revealed how fond he was of his late dad, His Grace The Most Rev. Abraham Adebola Daniel.
“Not many people know that 10 years after my father’s death I still have his number on my phone and I usually go back to read our messages. A few days ago, I went back to it. That shows you how much I miss him. Maybe after this 10th remembrance, I will have the strength to delete all our conversations. What sort of a man was OGD’s father? Born in the year 1916 to the family of Ojelobaye, Makun, Sagamu, he lost his father, Daniel Onabanjo in the year 1927 when he was 11 years old. He became a member of the United Nations African Church, Omu-Ijebu; a church where his father was converted and baptized with the name of Daniel which he retained till his death as his surname.
He became a keen white garment sect (Aladura) believer at the Cherubim and Seraphim Church under late Captain Abiodun at Oke Seni, Lagos when he had an experience of miraculous healing in the year 1936, there and thereafter, he received many prophetic revelations concerning his calling to serve God in His Vineyard. Within a few years, he became one of the leaders of reform sections that stressed the Biblical teachings and doctrines.
In 1945, when difficulties arose within the body of the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, he was divinely led to Ogere. That same day before he arrived at Ogere, a revelation was received by the founder and first Primate of the Church of the Lord (Aladura) at Ogere concerning his coming and later, the Primate, Late Dr. J.O. Oshitelu made a divine enquiry concerning him and came out with a prophetic revelation that says: “ I HAVE DONE IT FROM ABOVE AND SEALED IT WITH EVERLASTING SEAL. YOU, ABRAHAM ADEBOLA WAS ORDAINED A PRIEST AND MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL FOR MY GLORY. FEAR NOT AND NEVER BE AFRAID OF YOUR CALL. I AM THE LORD. Pa Daniel joined the Church of the Lord (Aladura) at Ogere that year.
After serving as a Minister for three years, he became the principal tutor of the disciples at the Seminary where many disciples were trained and raised. Many Apostles that were ordained were trained under Papa Daniel. As a tutor, Church Planter, Bishop and Apostle, he served several arms of the Church both at home and abroad.
In the year 1955, Pa Daniel was dissatisfied with the performance of the Aladura Church then to make sound Biblical teachings and beliefs as important as Prophetic visions and doctrinal rituals. He then left Ogere for Ibadan. At Ibadan, he founded the Regeneration Church of Christ at a site very close to the Nigerian Tobacco Company (NTC), Oke-Ado. Ibadan. He also started Irewolede Commercial Institute (a Western State Government recognized Institute) where Secretaries and Typists were trained. Pa Daniel as a thinker also repairs typewriters, office equipment so as not to depend on the Church for survival. He established the first Printing Press at Omu-Ijebu. By the year 1962, he had already had two other branches of his Church in Ibadan but he was interested in the union of Aladura Churches and that became an influence in the direction of intelligent Biblical reforms. Primate Ositelu later asked him to rejoin the Church to carry out the reform he reunited and amalgamated with Ositelu’s Church once again and he accepted the office of the Bishop and administrator of the organisation at the Ogere headquarters where he completely reorganized the Church.
Papa Daniel in his lifetime submitted claims that the Bible which is the supreme word of God as it contains the life and teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ is the ultimate standard of the Church. On these bases, any revelation must be tested to see if they are really of the Holy Spirit and so Christ. At the same time, he takes the word of the Ositelu’s quite seriously and also stresses the special value of Psalms. He takes a sophisticated view of the use of iron rods, candles and holy water, tolerating these as aids needed by simple folk but without any inherent significance or power of their own.
Pa Daniel was most talented in pioneering Churches from the scratch and he pioneered the Cathedral Church in Benin City and major Churches in Oke-Ado, Ibadan, Sapele, Ifo, Idogo, Port Harcourt etc. He travelled extensively across ECOWAS sub-regions with pioneering work in Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia etc. Papa died at a very ripe age accomplishing his missions as ordained.
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