New details have surfaced regarding the events leading to the demise of Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, the founder of Fountain of Life Church in Lagos, who passed away in the United States on August 7.
According to The Nation, the esteemed clergyman had been grappling with health challenges primarily stemming from dealing with personal tragedies.
A source with close ties to the family was quoted as saying,
“He really didn’t get over the losses he suffered. He tried to be strong but there is a limit to what a man can take.”
Pastor Taiwo, as he was fondly called, tragically lost his beloved first wife, Pastor Bimbo, in the devastating Sosoliso plane crash back in 2005. She was just 45 years old.
The source mentioned that Pastor Taiwo and his wife, who he met during their time as undergraduates at the University of Ibadan, shared a deep connection and her untimely passing affected him greatly.
“Pastor was more devastated by what people said after Pastor Bimbo died than what actually happened. Many people said nasty things that saddened his heart. He was touched by the savagery of the comments. Well, he had no choice and decided to move on despite the heartbreak. It took a lot of talking for him to decide to remarry,” the source added.
The clergyman also suffered another heart-wrenching loss on November 9, 2021, when his second wife, Pastor Nomthi, a South African, passed away after battling cancer.
Unfortunately, Pastor Odukoya also lost his twin sister two months after the death of his second wife.
“If Pastor Bimbo’s death was shattering, Pastor Nomthi’s demise was a technical knock-out. It knocked Pastor down and out. He was inconsolable. He was very bothered about what people would say. It left him totally lifeless. There was nothing we could tell him. It took something deep out of him and some of us became afraid for him.” the source said.
