•It’s a great loss to Christianity — Sanwo-Olu, Odumakin

By Olasunkanmi Akoni, LAGOS

The senior pastor of Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya is dead.

He died at the age of 67. Though details of his death were not disclosed, Odukoya was said to have died in the United States of America, USA, on Monday.

Confirming his death on its official Facebook page, yesterday, 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 the 7th of August 2023 in the USA,” the message on the church’s Facebook page reads.

“We are in total submission to you LORD. We thank the Lord for the gift of a greater leader.”

It’s a great loss to Christianity —Sanwo-Olu

Also reacting to Odukoya’s death, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, yesterday, described it as a loss to the body of Christ, Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole.

Sanwo-Olu, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, said: “On behalf of my family, the government and people of Lagos State, I sympathise with the Fountain of Life Church on the demise of the founding Pastor of the Church, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya.

“The death of Pastor Odukoya, whose ministry has touched many lives within and outside his congregation, came to me as a shock.

“The death of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya is a great loss to the body of Christ. But we take solace in God that the deceased lived a good life and served the humanity.

“I commiserate with the Fountain of Life Church family as they mourn the passing of their founder, Pastor Odukoya.”

Pastor Taiwo Odukoya’s death is a rude shock — Odumakin

Reacting to Odukoya’s death, President, Centre for Change, Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin described the cleric’s death as a rude shock.

Odumakin said: “It is a rude shock, but so is the passage of great men. Only men with the confidence of the “true call” yield the resource of life to toil in the Vineyard.

Through huge losses and vicissitudes of life, he rose to glory as an end time General, led the flock towards the feet of Christ.

“This surely is our terrestrial loss but a great celestial gain.
Goodnight, till resurrection.”

The man Taiwo Odukoya was born on June 15, 1956 in Kaduna State, where he was also raised.

He was the senior pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos, with membership strength of over 8,000 people.

He 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.

He proceeded to the University of Ibadan in 1976 where he obtained a degree in petroleum engineering in 1981.

Taiwo and Bimbo Odukoya co-founded The Fountain of Life Church in 1992.

On 10 December 2005, Bimbo Odukoya, along with 102 other people, died on the crashed Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145.
On January 5, 2010, Taiwo Odukoya got married again to Rosemary Simangele Zulu from South Africa.

On November 2021, Odukoya lost his second wife to cancer.