President Bola Tinubu and the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu have joined family, friends, lovers and church members to mourn the death of the Senior Pastor of Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, who died in the United States on Monday, August 7, aged 67.
The President, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, noted: “the worthy contributions of Pastor Odukoya to the development of the country, supporting the weak and vulnerable while providing a platform for many to realize their dreams through the teaching of the word of faith.”
He said he shared “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,” while sending his heartfelt condolences to “the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria 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.”
Similarly, Governor Sanwo-Olu in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Gboyega Akosile, said the death of the cleric was a great loss to the entire congregation of the Fountain of Life Church, Body of Christ, Lagos State, and Nigeria as a whole.
Sanwo-Olu urged the family, especially the deceased children, friends, clerics and the entire congregation of Fountain of Life as well as the Christians Association of Nigeria and the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria to take the death of Pastor Odukoya in good faith.”
Earlier, confirming the demise of Pastor Odukoya on its official Facebook page, 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, 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 greater leader.”
The PUNCH reports that Odukoya, a Pentecostal pastor and petroleum engineer, lost his second wife, Rosemary Odukoya, also known as Nomthi, to cancer in November 2021.
He was initially married to a popular pastor and co-founder of the Fountain of Life Church, Bimbo Odukoya, whom he lost during the Sosoliso airline crash of 2005.
He had five children, three from his marriage to Bimbo and two from his second marriage.
Meanwhile, members and followers of the Fountain of Life Church have begun to pay their respects to Pastor Taiwo Odukoya.
Reacting to the news on Twitter, some church members described the death as shocking and that their late pastor’s teachings and passion for winning souls for Christ would continue to live on.
