- Safiu Kehinde
Popular Osun State missionary, Ruth Elton, has died at the age of 91.
This was announced in a post shared on X on Sunday by Nigerian publisher, Gbenro Adegbola.
According to the post, the British-born missionary passed away at her residence in Ilesa.
Ruth, the daughter of renowned British missionary, late Pastor Sydney Elton, arrived in Nigeria with her parents when she was three years old.
Her father, popularly known as Pa. Elton had left England to support the ministry of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) founder, Apostle Joseph Ayo Babalola, whose great revival had swept through Yorubaland from Ilesa in 1930.
Pa Elton supported Babalola, who was a fiery prophet and preacher, by offering teaching, discipleship, and continuous mentoring to new converts
While her father continued in expanding the ministry, Ruth grew up Nigerian in tongue, soil, and spirit.
She spent a few years in England at a stage in vocations schools.
In her later years, Ruth began her own mission which focused on health & stemming maternal deaths in places like Egbe, Okene, Koton-Karfe & areas.
She also taught sewing, cared for children, and gave infants a better chance at life and preaching against harmful practices like infant force feeding.
Her contributions earned her the nickname Omotere which in Ebira means “the one who does good.”
Ruth retired at her home in Ilesa having renounced her British citizenship in 1975 and naturalised as Nigerian.
However, she neither married nor bear any child until her death.