The Associate Senior Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, Toluwani Odukoya, has opened up about how her separation from her husband and a series of painful personal losses reshaped her faith and strengthened her calling into ministry.
Speaking in an interview on Truthtable, a video shared on her personal YouTube channel on Thursday, Odukoya revealed that her separation was the result of circumstances beyond her control.
She said, “I’ll say I’m separated. Most of you don’t know I’m separated and that’s actually defined or has shaped my life. It was circumstances beyond my control.”
The 40-year-old described the end of her marriage as akin to “a death,” explaining that between 2021 and 2023, she also suffered the loss of her stepmother, her father’s twin sister, and her father, the late Pastor Taiwo Odukoya.
Speaking further on her marriage, she emphasized that separation does not necessarily make either party a bad person.
“My ex-husband is a great man… but if God doesn’t ordain you guys to be together and you force-fit yourselves, the likelihood of staying together is very low,” she explained.
Despite the emotional toll, Odukoya said she chose to accept her pastoral calling, even when she felt undeserving of it.
“When the call came, I told God, ‘You know all the baggage I’m trying to navigate. But if you call me to serve, then maybe you’ve put something in me.’ I just decided to keep my eyes on Jesus.”
She also credited her family for standing by her through those challenging times, highlighting their role in helping her rebuild confidence and self-worth.
“My dad fought for me. My family encouraged me. That embrace added to my self-esteem and self-worth,” she noted.
Her father, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, the late Senior Pastor of The Fountain of Life Church, passed away on August 7, 2023, in the United States.
His son, Jimmy Odukoya, has since taken over as the church’s Senior Pastor, serving alongside his sister, Toluwani.
