On August 7, 2023, the world was saddened to learn of the passing of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya after a brief illness in the USA. The news came as a shock to those who were familiar with his Pastor ODUKOYA! He worked in spreading the message of salvation throughout the world. Pastor Taiwo Odukoya had founded the Fountain of Life Church in 1992 and served as its Senior Pastor until his untimely demise. Tragically, his wife, Bimbo Odukoya a renowned television host of the show ‘Single and Married,’ had lost her life in the Sosoliso plane crash in Port Harcourt, Rivers State back in 2005.
Forty-one days after Pastor Taiwo Odukoya’s passing, specifically on September 17, 2023 during their Sunday Service, Pastor Rotimi Okpaise made an announcement regarding the succession plan for the church. He revealed that the Church Board of Trustees (BOT) had unanimously chosen Jimmy Odukoya as the new Senior Pastor.
The proper documentation of Fountain of Life Church has a parallel circuit to Celestial Church of Christ, which is currently facing legal challenges regarding succession after the passing of Pastor Founder Papa SBJ Oshoffa. One of the major challenges in our administrative structure is determining the succession line for leadership. The Church is a spiritually-driven organization that seeks deep spiritual consultation before undertaking any activities.
However, we have not been able to effectively utilize our spiritual instincts to resolve our differences. Instead, the Church structure has often been hindered by individuals who claim to understand the Church better than its creator.
The emergence of Pastor Evelyn Joshua (The Synagogue Church) and the recent announcement of Pastor Jimmy Odukoya should draw our attention to the urgent need for a response in reorganizing the Church structure to accommodate the line of administrative succession, while awaiting God’s fulfillment of his promise regarding the Pastorship.
The registered Board of Trustees should be allowed to resume the assignment given to them by the Pastor Founder, which will determine the implementation of policies for a proper administration system. It is clear that Churches in Nigeria have learned valuable lessons from the crisis faced by the leadership of Celestial Church of Christ, prompting them to make adjustments to their Church laws and avoid similar mistakes.
