Legendary British-turned-Nigerian missionary Ruth Elton is dead, according to the Church Times.
Ruth died on August 30 in Ilesha, the Osun State capital in South West Nigeria, about seven days before her 91st birthday.
One of the those who worked closely with her, Pastor Ojueromi Omotayo, who worked closely with the deceased missionary confirmed her death.
Ruth was the only daughter of Pa Sydney Grabville Elton, a British missionary who came to Nigeria in the 1930s for missionary activities and lived in the country for about 50 years.
Pa Elton, who lived in Nigeria from 1937 to 1987, gave the famous prophetic destiny of Nigeria.
He said, “Nigeria and Nigerians will be known for corruption. Your name will stink for corruption, but after a while, a new phase will come, a phase of righteousness. People from the nations of the earth will hold to a Nigerian and say, ‘We want to follow you to your nation to go and learn righteousness.”
He was a mentor and spiritual father of several Nigerian clerics, including the late Apostle Ayo Babalola and Archbishop Benson Idahosa.
Church Times quoted Pastor Omotayo as saying that there were plans to celebrate her 91st birthday on September 7 before information came that she had passed on.
Ruth came from the UK with her mother, Hannah, to join her father, Pa Elton in 1937.
The newspaper said at the time she came to Nigeria it was not possible to maintain dual citizenship. Thus, rather than hold onto her British citizenship, she decided to naturalise as a Nigerian citizen. This was purely because of her love for Nigeria and the need to do missions in the country.
Her parents lived and were buried in Ilesha after their demise.
Ruth followed in the path of missions like her parents. She, however, chose to do missions in Kogi State and several parts of the Middle Belt of Nigeria.
