Pastor Tolu Odukoya, daughter of the late Pastors Taiwo and Bimbo Odukoya, has shared how she was ordained by her father in absentia after years of resisting the call to ministry.
Speaking during an interview with Fountain of Life’s Truth Table, Tolu said she never imagined becoming a pastor, even though her parents believed she would one day preach.
“My parents became pastors when I was seven years old,” she said. “People were calling me the pastor’s daughter. I did not get the full import of that. Did I think I would be a pastor? There were times I would stare at the mirror and look at the person I was seeing in the mirror, and I would say the person I was seeing is not me.”
She admitted that her parents often told her she would become a preacher, but she found the thought uncomfortable. “The more I realised the selflessness in being a pastor, I knew I was not cut out to be one because I realised I was too selfish to be one. I saw the selflessness that comes with being a pastor, the love for people and the sacrifice. I knew I could not fit into that billing,” she said.
Despite her hesitation, Tolu recalled moments from her childhood that hinted at a divine pull. “My mum used to tell us stories about how she prayed that God would use her. I remember going to pray as well at the gallery of the church that God would use me. Looking back, I think I was just saying those words. I did not understand the gravity of what I was praying for,” she said.
As she grew older, her faith deepened, and she began to take ownership of her relationship with God. “I had to decide what I wanted for myself. I am not a Christian because my parents were pastors. I must be convicted. I am not a bandwagon person. If I am doing something, I have to believe in what I am doing,” she explained.
She said she pleaded with her father not to make her a pastor. “I told my dad not to make me a pastor. I pleaded with him and said I was ready to serve God, but I don’t want the weight of being a pastor. And my dad said ok,” she recalled.
But in 2017, her father decided without informing her. “I was not in church for the first service. I was on my way to the church for the second service, and I got a message from someone saying, ‘Congratulations, Pastor Tolu.’ I thought it was a message sent to the wrong person,” she said.
When she arrived at church, she realised it was true. “People were congratulating me. They told me my dad ordained me as a pastor. That was unheard of. How could he have ordained me in absentia?”
She said she later confronted her father, who explained that he believed the time was right. “He said he concluded that it was time for me to be ordained,” she said.
Tolu accepted the responsibility with humility. “Being the first child, I felt that once you are given something to do, I had a responsibility to do it. As soon as I accepted in my heart to take up the challenge, something changed. I was not the same again after that day,” she said.
Away from ministry, Tolu Odukoya spoke about her personal life, including the collapse of her marriage to Olumide Ijogun. The two met as high school students at Greensprings Secondary School in Lagos. Their relationship blossomed into marriage at The Fountain of Life Church, Ilupeju, Lagos, on November 3, 2012. The reception was held at Haven Events Centre in GRA, Ikeja.
They welcomed their first child, a baby girl, in September 2013. Another daughter followed in July 2018, and a son arrived in June 2020.
Without delving into details, she admitted that her broken marriage tested her faith and resilience but strengthened her understanding of God’s grace.
Reflecting on the end of her marriage, she described it as one of the hardest periods of her life. “Sometimes you do not get into marriage to leave a marriage. When your marriage is over, it’s a death in a way,” she said.
Despite the pain, she said she still believes in the institution. “Marriage is good. It is amazing. And that is why the devil is attacking marriages. Marriage is beautiful, and it is God’s idea,” she added.
