Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has expressed sadness at the death of the Senior Pastor of Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya.
Pastor Odukoya died on Monday, August 7, in the United States of America.
In a statement by the governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, Governor Sanwo-Olu said the death of the cleric is a great loss to the entire congregation of the Fountain of Life Church, body of Christ, Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole.
The Governor urged the family, especially the deceased children, friends, clerics and the entire congregation of Fountain of Life as well as Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) to take death of Pastor Odukoya in good faith.
He 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.
“Pastor Odukoya, the founding Pastor of the Fountain of Life Church was a great Teacher, Preacher and Servant of the Most High God, who impacted people within and outside Nigeria positively.
“I commiserate with the Fountain of Life Church family as they mourn the passing of their founder, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya.
“May his soul find rest with God, and may the good Lord comfort his friends, family, and all members of his church. Amen.”
Taiwo Odukoya was born on June 15, 1956 in the city of Kaduna where he was also raised.
He was the senior pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos, with a 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.
As a petroleum engineer, he started work at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in April 1982 after the compulsory one-year National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) scheme, and served there until his voluntary retirement in January 1994 after his call to the ministry.
In 1980, Odukoya met Bimbo Williams at the University of Ibadan and the two struck a relationship that led to their marriage in 1984.
