Encomium
Bishop David Oyedepo is surely set to be the leading owner of private schools in Nigeria as he completes a massive Faith Academy Secondary School in Ibadan, Oyo state. ENCOMIUM Weekly’s check on Sunday, June 15, 2014, revealed that the school touted to be the biggest among the Faith Academy Secondary Schools in his kitty is worth about N300 million.
We reliably gathered that the school sits on about three acres of land (an acres comprises of six plots, thus, three acres total 18 plots of land). According to our source, work began on the site about three years ago. The academic complex is oval in shape and has three buildings with marble as the wall.
Aside that, there are other structures scattered inside the plots of lands which serves as administrative block, hall, hostels and staff quarters. The buildings have been completed and painted light yellow and cream. And the school signpost boldly displayed at the entrance.
David Olaniyan Oyedepo was born on September 27, 1954 in Osogbo, Osun State to Ibrahim Oyedepo, a Muslim healer and native of Omu-Aran and Dorcas, a member of the Eternal Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement (C&S) also from Kwara State.
Dr. Oyedepo is the President of Living Faith Church Worldwide Inc. Living Faith Church has network all over Nigeria and most nations of Africa.
He is the founder and Chancellor of Covenant University, Landmark University, Faith Academy and Kingdom Heritage Schools. David Oyedepo is the Chairman/Publisher of the Dominion Publishing House.
David Oyedepo is the Senior Pastor of the 50,000 capacity Faith Tabernacle, Canaan Land, Ota, Ogun State reputed to be the largest church auditorium in the world by the Guinness Book of Records.
He grew in Osogbo with his grandmother who taught him the virtues of Christian life. And he became born-again in 1969 through the influence of his teacher, Betty Lasher. He later obtained a Ph.D. in Human Development from Honolulu University, Hawaii, United States.
David Oyedepo studied Architecture at the Kwara State Polytechnic and later worked with the Federal Ministry of Housing before he resigned to concentrate on missionary work.
He founded Living Faith Church in 1981. The church was first called Liberation Faith Hour Ministries. Following a vision that lasted 18 hours where the mission of Living Faith Church was revealed to him, with the message, To liberate the world from all oppression of the devil through the preaching of the word of faith.
In 1982, he married Florence Abiola Akano (Faith Oyedepo). They have four children – David Jr. ordained along with his brother Isaac Oyedepo as pastors in May 2007, by Kenneth Copeland. David pastors the London branch of Living Faith Church while Isaac Oyedepo is the resident pastor of Winner’s Chapel International in South Africa. His other children are Love and Joy.
On 17 September 1983, Pastor Enoch Adeboye ordained David Oyedepo and his wife, Florence Abiola Akano as pastors. Five years after, Oyedepo was ordained a bishop.
He started the Living Faith Church in Kaduna but moved to Lagos in 1989. He has written over 70 books.
He is worth N50 billion. He owns four private jets and buildings all around the world, including London and the United States.
-FEMI OYEWALE
