GlenBorn on 15 June 1956 in Kaduna, Nigeria, the late Pastor Taiwo Daniel Odukoya was a Nigerian Pentecostal preacher and church leader. He dedicated his life to preaching the Gospel and building a strong Christian community. Through his ministry, he touched many lives and helped shape modern Pentecostal Christianity in Nigeria.
He founded The Fountain of Life Church in Ilupeju, Lagos. He led the church with vision, faith, and consistency. What began with about 20 members grew into a thriving congregation of over 8,000 people. His leadership focused on teaching the Word of God, building families, and raising strong believers.
Relationship & Marriage
In 1980, Odukoya met Bimbo Williams at the University of Ibadan and the two struck a relationship that led to their marriage in 1984. The marriage produced three children -Jimmy Odukoya, Tolu Odukoya Ijogun, and Tobi Odukoya. Sadly, on 10th December 2005, Bimbo Odukoya, along with 102 other people, died on the crashed Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145. Bimbo Odukoya’s messages had been well and widely received by many.
Until her death, Pastor (Mrs) Bimbo Odukoya was the Co-Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, situated in Lagos, Nigeria. She married Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, the Senior Pastor of the church, and they had three wonderful children.
She also served as President of the Single & Married ministry, which produced the international weekly television programme Single & Married. Many single and married people watched the programme because it addressed family, marriage, and relationship issues in a practical way. Her teachings emphasized holiness, character, and integrity.
Testimonies still abound from singles on how Single & Married has helped them to make right choices while married people also testify that Pastor Bimbo’s teachings on the programme healed their marriages.
Pastor Bimbo’s Ministry
Pastor Bimbo Odukoya was also the Chairperson of Discovery for Women, a ministry dedicated to challenging, motivating and empowering women in their various roles as wives, mothers and leaders. Over five thousand women attended her quarterly Discovery for Women rallies. She was a national and international conference speaker; one of the most sought-after at home and abroad. She ministered on practically every university and polytechnic campus in Nigeria before her call to glory.
A prolific writer, author and columnist, Pastor Bimbo Odukoya had regular columns in various international and national newspapers and magazines such as City People, ThisDay newspaper, Leadership and Lifestyle Magazine (UK) amongst many others. She was also the author of the book, How To Choose A Life Partner, 165 Questions To Ask.
As a sign of her acceptance, Samsung, the official sponsor of the 2004 Olympic Games, selected Pastor Bimbo Odukoya as one of three Nigerians to carry the Olympic Torch in Athens, Greece. Many people regarded Pastor Bim, as she was fondly called, as a pastor, mother, confidant, encourager, role model, and mentor. She died in a plane crash of 2005.
Pastor Taiwo’s Second Marriage
On 5th January 2010, five years later, Taiwo Odukoya got married again to Rosemary Simangele Zulu from South Africa. The marriage produced two boys – Jomiloju Odukoya and Timileyin Odukoya.
In November 2021, Pastor Odukoya lost his second wife to cancer. The pastor announced the death of his wife on 9 November, saying that the South African “battled cancer for the better part of two years.”
Until her death, Pastor (Mrs.) Nomthi Odukoya was an educationist, life coach and writer. She is the Associate Senior Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Lagos, Nigeria under the leadership of her husband, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya. Pastor Nomthi, as she is fondly called, is passionate about building wholesome and integrated family life with focus on raising Godly (spiritual) and socially responsible children.
She ministers hope and healing to women of different strata (singles, married, single parents, etc.). She is the Chairperson of Fountain Initiative for Social Development (FISD), a faith-based, non-profit organization committed to entrepreneurial development and empowerment of underprivileged individuals and communities across Nigeria.
Pastor (Mrs.) Nomthi Odukoya is the Founder and Chairman of Funda Wazi Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to providing child-friendly resources and trainings to equip children and adults with a view to ensuring children’s safety and wellbeing. She is the author of the fast-selling children books, No! Don’t Touch Me There; A Bully Is Not a Hero; Help! They Are Fighting Again and Boys and Girls Are Different but Equal. These books empower children to confront any form of abuse or social ill. She lives in Lagos, Nigeria with her husband and children.
The Birth of Fountain of Life Church
Pastor Taiwo and Bimbo Odukoya co-founded The Fountain of Life Church in 1992 with a stated vision “to teach 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 proclaims a firm belief in the role of the church in the community and expresses it through several outreach projects including a hospital, an orphanage, a school for destitute children, a farm, a water project which provides boreholes at strategic locations for people who have no access to clean and portable water and a skill acquisition and entrepreneurial institute for the less privileged. On April 19, 1997, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya set up Discovery for Men and Discovery for Women, non-denominational outreaches to men and women designed to help them maximize their potential.[10] These outreaches reach 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.
Career Life
Taiwo Odukoya is the senior pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, a ministry with a mission to provide a home for the lost; guide those in search of direction, purpose and calling; and raise a people who are committed to making a difference. Prior to going into full-time ministry, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya worked as a petroleum engineer with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for 12 years. From its humble beginning in 1992, The Fountain of Life Church is today a network of ministries within Nigeria and abroad. He is the host of Discovery for Men, Discovery for Women, The Woman Leader, and Ruth and Boaz biannual meetings that reach out to thousands of men and women from all walks of life and denominations. His messages centre on leadership development, as well as building successful relationships and enterprises.
Pastor Taiwo is an avid believer in the role of the church in the socio-economic life of the nations, and this is clearly expressed in his various social initiatives of The Fountain of Life Church. Among them are Grace Springs Rehabilitation Home, The Hope Centre and The Borehole Project. An accomplished author, his books 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 have gained a wide readership both locally and internationally.
Death, Children & Grand Children
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya died on 7th August, 2023. He was survived by children and grand children
Children:
- Caroline Toluwani Odukoya-ljogun
- Othniel Jimmy Odukoya
- Deborah Oluwatobiloba Enuha
- Timilehin Odukoya
- Jomiloju Odukoya
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Grand Children:
- Isabella Eriayo ljogun
- Olamide Oreofeoluwakitan ljogun
- Ariella Abimbola Odukoya
- Azariah Dideolu Odukoya
- Nathan Anuoluwapo ljogun
- Ava Somtochukwu Charis Enuha
Glen
