By Ayo Yusuf
The Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos has confirmed the death of its Senior Pastor, Taiwo Odukoya, in a United States hospital.
The church which confirmed this in its official Facebook page said Mr. Odukoya, 67, died on Monday August 7.
The church wrote: “The Fountain of Life Church Family, in total submission to the will of God Almighty announces the passing unto greater glory of our Father, our Teacher, a great servant of the Most High God, Pastor Daniel Taiwo Odukoya, Founding Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, who passed unto glory on the 7th of August 2023 in the USA.
We are in total submission to you LORD!!! We thank the Lord for the gift of a great leader!!!”
Twice widowed, the late pastor Odukoya was the head of The Fountain of Life Church which he grew with his first wife, Bimbo, from a membership strength of merely 20 to well over 8,000.
Pastor Taiwo and Bimbo Odukoya co-founded The Fountain of Life Church in 1992 with the stated vision of “teaching men and women the art of building successful relationships and the principles of leadership so they can be all they are created to be.”
The Church has several missions in South Africa, the United Kingdom, United States of America, Switzerland, Kenya, Central Africa Republic, Republic of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Republic of Benin and Togo.
Pastor Odukoya also set up non-denominational outreaches that reached out to hundreds of thousands of men and women annually through quarterly rallies, mentorship programs and a vocational center to equip them with technical and practical life skills.
Raised in Kaduna, Pastor Odukoya had his primary and secondary education at Baptist Primary School, Kigo Road, Kaduna and St. Paul’s College (now known as Kufena College, Wusasa) Zaria respectively, before proceeding to the University of Ibadan in 1976 where he obtained a degree in petroleum engineering in 1981.
He worked with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for more than ten years before he resigned in 1994 to pursue his call to the ministry.
In 1984, Odukoya married his wife, Bimbo with whom he had three children, Jimmy Odukoya, Tolu Odukoya Ijogun, and Tobi Odukoya.
He was devastated when Bimbo was killed on 10th December 2005 along with 102 other people in the ill fated Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145. As his co-pastor, Bimbo was the President of the Single and Married Ministry and her books and messages continued to be read and listened to by many.
Five years after Bimbo’s death Mr Odukoya married Rosemary Simangele Zulu from South Africa with whom he had two boys – Jomiloju Odukoya and Timileyin Odukoya.
In November 2021, tragedy struck again as pastor Odukoya lost his wife Rosemary to cancer. She was an educationist, life coach and Associate Senior Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church whose passion was about creating wholesome and integrated family life with focus on raising Godly (spiritual) and socially responsible children.
The late pastor Taiwo Odukoya is an accomplished author and his more famous books have gained wide readership nationally and internationally. Some of his books include: Unleash Your God-given Potential, Created for Blessings, Limitless, Home Affairs, The Proof, Get All You Want, The Portrait of a Champion, 120 Days of Victory, 121 Days of Blessings, 125 Days of Favour, Glorious Legacy: The Life and Times of ‘Bimbo Odukoya, Women Will Rule the World and Time: Where Has It Gone.
