News
Pastor Taiwo Odukoya: Times And Life of Fountain Of Life Church Founder
The founder of Fountain of Life Church, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, died on Monday in the United States, according to the church statement on Tuesday.
Here are key moments of the late pastor:
Taiwo Odukoya was born on 15 June 1956 in the city of Kaduna, northern Nigeria.
He graduated from the University of Ibadan, where he held a degree in petroleum engineering in 1981.
READ ALSO: BREAKING: Fountain of Life Founder Pastor Odukoya Dies In US
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.
In 1980, Odukoya met Bimbo Williams at the University of Ibadan and the two began a relationship that led to their marriage in 1984.
Taiwo and Bimbo Odukoya co-founded The Fountain of Life Church in 1992 and the marriage produced three children.
The Church has several missions in South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, Switzerland, Kenya, Equatorial Guinea, the Republic of Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, the Republic of Benin, and Togo.
On 10 December 2005, Bimbo Odukoya, along with 102 other people, died on the crashed Sosoliso Airlines Flight 1145.
On 5 January 2010, five years later, Taiwo Odukoya got married again to Rosemary Simangele Zulu from South Africa and the union produced two boys.
In 2014, nine years after the death of his first wife, Odukoya readdressed the matter of the plane crash that made him a widower. He claimed that pastors are well advised to use private jets: such aircraft better facilitate pastoral ministry and are a safer means of travel than commercial flights.
READ ALSO: NAFDAC Fears 20% Nigerians May Die From NCDs, Moves Against Solid Fats In Foods
In November 2021, Odukoya lost his second wife to cancer.
Odukoya proclaimed 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 offers 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, Taiwo Odukoya established Discovery for Men and Discovery for Women, non-denominational outreaches to men and women designed to help them maximize their potential.
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.
News
Tinubu Orders Defence Minister To Relocate To Kebbi State Over Abduction Of 25 School Girls
President Bola Tinubu has asked the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to relocate to Kebbi State over the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in the state.
This was contained in a statement signed by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Thursday.
Matawalle, who was formerly governor of Zamfara State, was asked to remain in the state to monitor security efforts to secure the release of the abducted students.
READ ALSO:One Of 25 Abducted Kebbi Schoolgirls Escapes
Gunmen abducted 24 students of Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School in Maga town, Kebbi State, around 4am on Monday.
Matawalle, who is expected to arrive in Birni-Kebbi on Friday, gained some experience in dealing with banditry and mass kidnapping during his tenure as governor of Zamfara State from 2019 to 2023.
On 26 February 2021, armed bandits abducted 279 female students aged between 10 and 17 at the Government Girls Science Secondary School, a boarding school in Jangebe, in Zamfara State. The bandits released all the hostages on 2 March 2021.
President Tinubu had postponed his scheduled trip to Johannesburg, South Africa, and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on Christ Apostolic Church worshippers in Eruku, Kwara State.
News
Nigeria Now Deadliest Place On Earth To Be Christian – Nigerian Bishop Laments
Catholic Bishop of Makurdi Diocese, Benue State, Most Rev. Wilfred Anagbe, says Nigeria has become the deadliest place on earth to be a Christian.
Bishop Anagbe made this statement on Thursday while testifying before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is investigating Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a ‘Country of Particular Concern’, CPC
Speaking before the US Congress, the Bishop said that the controversy escalated after President Trump designated Nigeria on the CPC list on 31 October 2025.
READ ALSO:Genocide: U.S. Lawmaker Alleges Tinubu Lying, Protecting Own Interest
He alleged systematic persecution of Christians in the country, saying “Attacks by Fulani militants and Boko Haram have intensified, targeting Christian communities with impunity.
“More believers are killed there annually than in the rest of the world combined, yet perpetrators face little accountability.
“Violence is spreading, displacing millions and destroying farmland, creating a humanitarian crisis worsened by food insecurity. Without urgent intervention, Christianity risks being wiped out in Northern and Middle Belt Nigeria.
“Nigeria, already designated a Country of Particular Concern, must now be met with decisive action,” he said.
News
Christian Genocide: Back Nigeria CPC Redesignation With Action, Nigerian Bishop Begs Trump
The Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, in Benue State, Wilfred Anagbe, has appealed to President Donald Trump of the United States to match its renewed designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, CPC, with concrete action.
Bishop Anagbe made this call on Thursday, while testifying before the US House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, which is investigating Trump’s redesignation of Nigeria as a CPC
He said, “On behalf of millions of Christians in Nigeria and in the diaspora, we want to thank President Donald Trump for his bold leadership in designating Nigeria as a CPC. I commend you and this subcommittee for ongoing efforts on this matter.
READ ALSO:Trump’s Military Threat To Nigeria Reckless – US Congresswoman
“It is a vital step, but must be backed by serious action. One, use the Magnitsky Act for targeted sanctions against Nigerian government officials and others tolerating or condoning Islamic violence in the country.”
The cleric also called on lawmakers to tie security and humanitarian aid to measurable improvements.
“Expand humanitarian support for IDPs. The IDPs must return to their ancestral homes, and this requires security guarantees from the Nigerian Government,” he said.
READ ALSO:FG Unveils New Counter-terrorism Strategy
Bishop Anagbe told lawmakers that many Christian victims in Benue remain traumatised, adding that one priest he knows cannot walk after surviving a terrorist attack.
‘Deborah Samuel’s murderers remain free’ – US defends designation of Nigeria as CPC
He accused the federal government of downplaying casualty figures and abandoning survivors of repeated assaults.”
Anagbe also argued that President Donald Trump’s earlier CPC designation “aimed to stabilise Nigeria” but “worsened the safety of Christians.”
-
Metro4 days agoJUST IN: Navy Officer Who Had Altercation With Wike Reportedly Escapes Assassination Attempt
-
Sports3 days agoNigeria Coach Blames ‘Voodoo’ After World Cup Hopes Crushed
-
Metro2 days agoOne Of 25 Abducted Kebbi Schoolgirls Escapes
-
Metro4 days agoDelta: Father In Police Net After Sleeping With Daughters For Seven Years
-
Metro2 days agoJUST IN: Many Injured As Terrorists Ambush Nigerian Troops On Mission To Rescue Kebbi Schoolgirl
-
News3 days agoNewswatch Co-founder, Dan Agbese, Is Dead
-
News3 days ago198 UNIBEN Students Bag First Class
-
Headline3 days agoGenocide: U.S. Lawmaker Alleges Tinubu Lying, Protecting Own Interest
-
News3 days agoLegal Practitioner Backs Conversion Of ATBU To Conventional University
-
Headline4 days agoMentally-ill Son Stabs Nigerian Father To Death In US, Injures Two Sisters
