27/09/2026
As We Celebrate Bishop Oyedepo At 72, Here Are 72 Facts About You May Need To Know About Him
Which Of These Resonate With You The Most?
1. Sept 27, 1954 – Born in Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria.
2. 1950s–60s (childhood) – Raised in a multi-religious home by his father, Ibrahim (a Muslim) and mother, Dorcas (a C&S member).
3. 1950s–60s (childhood) – Primarily raised by his grandmother, Rachel Adeyiola Odetundun Abegunde, who drilled him in tithing and morning prayers.
4. Feb 19, 1969 – Became born again at age 15, led to Christ by his high school teacher, Betty Lasher.
5. 1973 (age 19) – Built a local village mud church structure entirely by himself while on holiday.
6. Early 1970s – Studied Architecture at Kwara State Polytechnic, Ilorin, graduating with a professional diploma.
7. Mid-1970s – Worked briefly with the Federal Ministry of Housing in Ilorin before resigning for full-time ministry.
8. 1976 – Met his future wife, Florence Abiola Akano (now Pastor Faith), at a motor park in Ilorin.
9. 1976 – Signed a covenant, "Sailing Under Sealed Orders," with his fiancée, swearing total surrender to God.
10. May 1–2, 1981 – Received the "Liberation Mandate" during an 18-hour supernatural vision.
11. 1981 – In that vision, God said: "The hour has come to liberate the world from all oppressions of the devil... and I am sending you."
12. 1981 – Began operations under Liberation Faith Ministries in Kaduna State.
13. Aug 30, 1982 – Formally married Pastor Faith Abiola Oyedepo.
14. 1980s onward – Blessed with four children (David Jr., Isaac, Love and Joyce). All active in Christian ministry.
15. Sept 17, 1983 – Ordained as a pastor by Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the RCCG.
16. Sept 17, 1983 – The laying of hands by Pastor Adeboye triggered a supernatural catalyst for the ministry.
17. 1984 – Expanded the ministry out of Kaduna down to Ilorin, before moving further south.
18. 1980s (ongoing) – Leveraged his architecture background to guide the blueprints of global ministry structures.
19. Late 1980s – Published and released his first books.
20. 1988 – Consecrated as a Bishop by Archbishop Benson Idahosa, pioneer of African Pentecostalism.
21. 1988 – Regards Archbishop Idahosa as his primary spiritual father in ministry.
22. July 1989 – Moved church headquarters to Lagos following a directive to "make My people rich."
23. 1989 – The Kaduna-born church grew into Living Faith Church Worldwide, known globally as Winners' Chapel.
24. 1980s–90s – Cites literary faith mentors Kenneth E. Hagin, Kenneth Copeland and T.L. Osborn.
25. From the late 1980s/90s onward – Globally recognized for his iconic white suits, worn for decades as a spiritual symbol of joy.
26. Early 1990s – Serves as founding President of David Oyedepo Ministries International (DOMI).
27. Dec 1992 – Founded Dominion Publishing House (DPH) as the official publishing arm.
28. 1990s onward – Distributed millions of printed copies of his books worldwide via DPH.
29. 1990s onward – Authored bestsellers including "Operating in the Supernatural" and "Understanding Financial Prosperity."
30. 1990s–2000s – Operates a private aviation fleet, Dominion Air, for global missionary tasks.
31. 1990s – Set up the Faith Academy and Kingdom Heritage Model Schools networks across Nigeria.
32. Ongoing – Has survived multiple near-fatal aviation crises mid-air, testifying of angelic delivery.
33. 1998 – Acquired a 565-acre expanse of land in Ota, Ogun State, divinely naming it Canaanland.
34. 1998 – Personally designed and supervised construction of the 50,000-seat Faith Tabernacle.
35. Earned a Ph.D. in Human Development from Honolulu University in the United States.
36. 1998–1999 – Completed the entire Faith Tabernacle sanctuary within about 12 months.
37. 1998–1999 – Built Faith Tabernacle completely debt-free, without bank loans or foreign overdrafts.
38. Since 1999 – Hosts the annual Shiloh global prophetic gathering every December at Canaanland.
39. From 1999 onward – Broadcasts Shiloh live to thousands of viewing centers in 150+ nations.
40. Post-1998 – Runs an independent power plant, water grid, and road network inside Canaanland.
41. 2002 – Founded and serves as Chancellor of Covenant University, Ota.
42. 2002 – Implemented the "Total Man Concept" across his universities.
43. Has written and published over 100 faith-building and doctrinal books.
44. Translates his major books into French, Spanish, German, Portuguese, and others.
45. Formulated his management strategy in "The Winning Wisdom."
46. 2008 – Officially listed by Guinness World Records as the largest church auditorium in the world.
47. 2000s–2010s – Founded the David Oyedepo Foundation (DOF), giving scholarships to indigent students.
48. 2000s–2010s – Operates 24/7 media networks including DOMI Radio and internet TV channels.
49. Lives by the rule: "Any faith that cannot be documented cannot be propagated."
50. 2011 – Founded Landmark University in Omu-Aran, focused on an agricultural revolution in Africa.
51. His pulpit command "Shut up!" to silence demons and poverty mentalities is legendary.
52. 2010s – Established Crown University in Calabar, expanding higher-education reach.
53. 2010s – Built these universities from scratch with zero debt or bank loans.
54. Canaanland has expanded into a mega-city spanning over 5,000 acres.
55. 2010s–present – Covenant University consistently ranks as Nigeria's No. 1 private university.
56. 2020 – Opened over 10,000 new local church branches in a single year.
57. 2021 – Broke ground on "The Ark," a 100,000-seat sanctuary in Canaanland.
58. 2021 onward – The Ark project includes a 12-story Twin Mission Tower as global HQ.
59. Funded thousands of educational careers for youth across Africa via DOF.
60. Sends humanitarian aid, relief food, and medical supplies to disaster zones.
61. Created employment for tens of thousands across education, medicine, and engineering.
62. Grades public roads and gifts transformers to towns.
63. Built a network of over 21,000 local Living Faith Church branches in Nigeria.
64. Active church plants in over 65 nations across 5 continents.
65. Funds free distribution of millions of gospel tracts and salvation booklets annually.
66. Maintains a morning routine, waking 2:00–4:00 AM for prayer and study.
67. Lives a private, consecrated lifestyle with regular fasting and meditation.
68. Maintains strict personal debt-freedom, never taking a loan or buying on credit.
69. Teaches tithing and sacrificial giving as the root of wealth.
70. Lifelong anchor – Holds Haggai 2:8 as his anchor scripture for executing projects.
71. Delivers altar messages with physical stamina despite his age.
72. Sept 27, 2026 – Celebrates his 72nd birthday, still carrying the "Liberation" mandate.
