Tinubu mourns
The Senior Pastor of Fountain of Life Church at Ilupeju in Lagos, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, has died.
The church confirmed his demise on its official Facebook page.
Odukoya was said to have died on Monday, August 7, in the United States of America (U.S.A).
He was 67.
In its Facebook post, the church said: “The Fountain of Life Church Family, in total submission to the will of God Almighty, announces the passing unto greater glory of our father, 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 August 7, 2023 in the U.S.A.
“We are in total submission to you, Lord. We thank the Lord for the gift of a greater leader.”
President Bola Tinubu yesterday expressed sadness over the demise of the preacher.
A statement last night by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, reads: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu shares in the pain of loss with the family, friends and congregants of the Fountain of Life Church, over the passing of the Senior Pastor, Taiwo Odukoya, 67.
“President Tinubu sends his heartfelt condolences to the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) and associates of the highly revered religious leader, whose teaching, outreach and good work expanded the frontiers of charitable endeavour with particular respect to the education and health sectors.
“The President notes the worthy contributions of Pastor Odukoya to the development of the country, supporting the weak and vulnerable while providing a platform for many to realise their dreams through the teaching of the word of faith.”
There were facts yesterday about how the popular preacher died.
The Nation gathered that the late Odukoya had health issues triggered mainly by personal tragedies.
A source close to the family said: “He really didn’t get over the losses he suffered. He tried to be strong but there is a limit to what a man can take.”
Odukoya, fondly called Pastor Taiwo, lost his wife, Bimbo, in the Sosoliso plane crash in 2005. He remarried and then lost his second wife, Nomthi, to cancer in 2021. In that same year, he lost his twin sister, Kehinde, at the age of 65.
Despite these tragedies, he continued to preach the gospel before his death.
Another source close to the church said: “If Pastor Bimbo’s death was shattering, Pastor Nomthi’s demise was a technical knockout. It knocked Pastor (Odukoya) down and out. He was inconsolable. He was very bothered about what people would say.
“It left him totally lifeless. There was nothing we could tell him. It took something deep out of him and some of us became afraid for him.”
When The Nation visited the church yesterday for the reactions of its members, most of the respondents said the pastor might have died of loneliness.
-Credit: Thenation
