Excerpt from a message delivered by Pastor Taiwo Odukoya to his congregation months before his demise on Monday, August 7 at the age of 67 in the US
“I concluded a long time ago that the whole of life is like a drop in the ocean. Take the ocean to mean eternity, now compare one drop of water to the ocean. Don’t mess up the sea because of one drop.
“You say, what do you mean? Life is what you have, to decide the kind of eternity you will have.
“Every man and every woman has an opportunity. Jesus lived only 33 years. Methuselah lived 969 years. And whilst we still have this breath in our nostrils and walk the face of the earth, we have the best opportunity to define our tomorrow.
“Don’t be deceived by lies, envy, and jealousy. I mean, stay focused. Run the race so that when you leave heaven will never forget.
“Heaven will be glad to receive you. Earth will never forget.
“So whether in life or death, you’re preaching, you’re teaching, you’re encouraging, you’re edifying, you’re helping people for the great beyond.”
Read also: Facts about Pastor (Mrs.) Nomthi Odukoya, late wife of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya: https://churchtimesnigeria.net/facts-about-nomthi-odukoya/#google_vignette
About Pastor Odukoya
Until his death, Pastor Odukoya was the founder of Fountain of Life Church. based in Ilupeju, Lagos. He was born on June 15, 1956 in Kaduna. He obtained a degree in Petrochemical Engineering at the University of Ibadan where he met his first wife, Pastor Bimbo Odukoya. He did his youth service at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company and subsequently worked in the organization until 1994 before he retired voluntarily to do ministry work.
His ministry work however did not start with Fountain of Life Church. He was once with the Redeemed Evangelical Mission of Bishop Mike Okonkwo and then later joined the Household of God Ministry of Rev Chris Okotie where he was head of Pastoral Care. He returned to TREM and later got the call to start his own ministry. He was quite close to Bishop Okonkwo who took him as a son
Pastor Odukoya married his first wife, Bimbo Odukoya (nee Williams) in 1984 and had three children in the marriage. Unfortunately, she died on December 10, 2005, along with 102 other people in a crashed Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145.
Odukoya however remarried on January 5 2010 to a South African, Rosemary Simangele Zulu. The marriage produced two boys. Again, he lost her to cancer on November 9, 2021. His twin sister, Kehinde Odukoya also passed on weeks after the death of his second wife.
Pastor Odukoya’s death however came to many as a rude shock to many Nigerians and particularly the church community. Social media has since been flooded with tributes to the late cleric.
He will be remembered for his simplicity and unassuming posture. Throughout his ministry life, there was no scandal traced to his name. Many described him as a contented man, who did not get involved in the ministry rat race some pastors find themselves.