THE LIFE AND LEGACIES OF STEPHEN OLUWOLE AKINOLA

The tides of time flow and ebb in the lives of men by the dictates of the God who dwells in eternity but rules over time. For Stephen Oluwole Akinola, the tide began to flow on 4th March, 1953, a Wednesday, in Tamale, capital city of the Northern Region of the Gold Coast, now Ghana.

A CRADLE IN THE GOLD COAST

The man who later in life built an enviable international pedigree in ministry, was Ghanaian at birth and Nigerian by origin. His family had a heritage of crossing borders and building cross-cultural relationships – a feature that later defined Stephen Akinola’s modus operandi. Akinola’s parents migrated to Ghana on foot, from Igboho, in search of greener pastures. They travelled through countless towns and villages until they arrived Tamale where they settled and started trading, farming, and overseeing the “Corner Bar” business. They prospered by dint of discipline and diligent business acumen, raising their children on the enduring values of enterprise, sincerity and integrity. Stephen Akinola was born into the family of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Otunla Akinola, the ninth of ten children. His father was from Igboho in Oyo State, and his mother hailed from Abeokuta in Ogun State. His birth was as miraculous as his call as a pastor was supernatural. He was born in the twelfth month of conception, instead of the ninth month. The seeming delay in his birth led to an inquiry about what manner of child he would be. It was accordingly predicted that the name of the child would be heard around the corners of the earth.

THE CLASSROOMS OF THE CREATIVE

There were early signs that the prophecy about his life would be fulfilled. Stephen Akinola was only four years old when his parents took him to be enrolled in the primary school at Damango, in the Savannah Belt of Ghana’s Northern Region. His intelligence quotient belied his age and size. He did not look like one who should be enrolled to start primary school. The school authorities, nevertheless, interviewed the four-year-old to test his intelligence. Stephen Akinola performed excellently, to the amazement of the headmaster and teachers who concluded that it would be a disservice to send the smart and ebullient would-be pupil back home because he had not attained the statutory age and height...

AT CROSSROADS WITH EARLY COUNTER-CURRENTS

Stephen hit his first major crossroad in life while in Middle School. He lost his loving and enterprising father in an accident in 1966. That was traumatic and career-threatening for the young and brilliant Stephen...

THE CALL TO BE CONVERTED AND CONSECRATED

Personal advancements could not fill the spiritual void in Stephen. Indeed, no skill or learning can fill the hole in the one without God...

THE CANDLELIGHT OF A HIGHER CALLING

Stephen Akinola was noted for cultivating the candlelight of God’s presence and power through Scriptures enflamed by the Holy Spirit...

A CHAMPION OF CHURCH GROWTH

Stephen Akinola was a proponent of Church growth. He defended and deepened the knowledge of the principles of growing a church spiritually in holiness and righteousness...

COMMISSIONED TO PIONEER A NEW CHURCH

Stephen Akinola’s experience from pioneering the Deeper Life Bible Church in Port Harcourt was indispensable to pioneering Redemption Ministries in January 1987. He began the fresh commission with a few brethren during the first prayer meeting at the Shiloh Hills Academy, at the Rumuibekwe Housing Estate in Port Harcourt. The founding membership of Redemption Ministries included Willy Bunting, Chinedu Dickson, Cletus Desmond, T.A. George, Donatus Livinus, Pere Ajuwa, Prince Uche Secondus, Josephine Emenike, and others too numerous to mention. It was with those men and women that Rev. Stephen Akinola again exhibited such wonderful leadership skills as have taken the church to enviable heights.

With Apostolic grace, Stephen Akinola established spiritual and administrative structures of the ministry, which became the pillars of church growth and development. They included the Board of Trustees, the Elders’ Forum, the Board of Deacons, the Regional Assemblies and Satellite Churches in Port Harcourt. The Church expanded to other cities within and outside Nigeria. Daniel’s International was established to attend to elites, Men Ablaze Fellowship reached out to men, Divine Daughters of Destiny was a trans-denominational Women’s ministry, Pneuma Youths was the youth wing of the Church, and Campus Daniels served as the campus fellowship of Redemption Ministries.

Greatly endowed by God with tremendous creative and organizational skills, Rev. Stephen Akinola provided excellent leadership to his team of faithfuls. There were trying times, especially the repeated relocations of the worship centre, until the miraculous provision of the land at Sekeni Ama, Eastern Bypass, Port Harcourt, popularly called “Omega Beach,” where Redemption Ministries permanent headquarters now stands. From its earliest days, Redemption Ministries was poised for exploits. Bringing his knack for excellence to bear, Rev. Stephen Akinola and his faithful team undertook several initiatives that define the success story of Redemption Ministries. Some of those outreaches were Thunderbolt Gospel Crusades (the evangelistic arm of the Church), Conference on Power Evangelism (COPE), which organizes leadership conferences for church leaders and workers, and Redemption Bible College (RBC), which trains pastors and church leaders.

CHURCH GROWTH CONFERENCES

Redemption Ministries, under the apostleship of Rev. Stephen Akinola, organized several effective power-packed evangelistic and Church growth programmes. His ministry saw uncommon miracles, souls being saved, backsliders restored, Christians sanctified, believers baptized in the Holy Ghost, the sick healed, the oppressed delivered, and the needy replenished. Some of those memorable programmes included the momentous inaugural worship service on Sunday, 7th of June, 1987, in which the Lord manifested His presence so mightily that many souls were won; the Power House Pavilion outreach events at the Port Harcourt Chamber of Commerce Trade Fair grounds, the follow-up Rhema Rally in 1987, as well as the annual Holy Spirit Seminar that started in December 1987, to its ninth edition in December 1996, all at Stella Maris College, Port Harcourt.

Consequently, the initial Holy Spirit Seminars metamorphosed into the annual Wind and Fire Conference with participants in their thousands. The year 1988 witnessed the great outpouring of God’s power at the first Conference of the Cross, an annual seminal retreat programme. Like a Mighty Wind was the flagship women’s annual conference, its debut in November 1989 with the theme, “Woman Be Free.” In 1994, Men Ablaze fellowship had its “Suya Night.” The “Church on the Road” programme was also organized by the men’s fellowship. The youths had their annual camp, “Kabash,” which began in the early 1990s. All were amazing programmes that impacted lives for the Kingdom of God. Rev. Stephen Akinola was also an evangelist, with achievements in the many outreaches of the evangelistic arm of the ministry, especially the Thunderbolt Gospel Crusades. By his initiative, Thunderbolt Crusades were held in such towns as Abonnema, Buguma, Bori, Nembe, Igboho, Ojoto, etc., attended by thousands. The phenomenal results from those meetings led to the exponential growth of the ministry. Skills Acquisition training sessions were also a significant part of the crusades.

THE COMMITMENT TO MARRIAGE AND FAMILY

Stephen Akinola was deeply committed to marriage and family life. He married Sister Ayebatonye Matilda on the 12th of September, 1981, a union that would have clocked 40 years by the 12th of September, 2021, but for the departure. Rev. Stephen Akinola was Mummy Matilda’s pastor, teacher, counsellor and confidant. Theirs was a union of no secrets; everything was discussed amicably. They had six biological children with grandchildren and took care of a countless number of other people’s children. He called her “Hepzibah” and she called him “Jedidiah” – “The Beloved of the Lord”.

He was more of an extrovert, and she, more an introvert. No doubt, their marriage was a union of two opposites in temperaments, who beautifully understood and complemented each other. Mummy Matilda described her husband as charitable, sacrificial, loving and kind-hearted. His heart was as large as his hands were generous. Stephen Akinola was gentle and considerate. He never lifted his finger against his wife or indeed any other person. His wife for four decades described him as a man who easily said, “I am sorry”, even when he was not really at fault.

He was stable in character and consistent in conduct; a man that never changed his message to please anyone. Stephen Akinola was the iroko of his immediate and extended family. He was a perfectionist; a man of precision and power, who wanted the best for everyone – his wife, children, brothers, sisters, colleagues, friends, and those who served him. He treated drivers, cooks and cleaners with dignity. He loved and cared for them the way Jesus loved and cared for His followers. Stephen Akinola never looked down on anybody. He brought himself to the level of children who were drawn by his humility and simplicity. He manifested the virtues of the Golden Rule – “Do to others what you want others to do to you”.

Rev. Stephen Akinola was a teacher of teachers. That aspect of him manifested in the family as well as in the Church. As Pastor Matilda Akinola testified, “My husband taught me how to read the Bible, which he interpreted in a unique and unusual way.” His prayer was, “God’s Word in God’s mouth must be the same as God’s Word in my own mouth.”

CLASSICAL LEGACIES OF A CREATIVE AND CHRIST-LIKE LIFE

Rev. Stephen Akinola worked assiduously towards the propagation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. His legacies were a beautiful mixture of the classical and the contemporary. He embraced long-established systems of the traditional, without opposing the creative and innovative systems of modernity in line with doctrinal purity. He combined the ancient and modern with symphonic dexterity and symmetrical elegance. Through his 44 years in ministry, he left a corpus of sterling legacies.

At the personal level, he was a happy man with an affectionate smile, a hearty laughter and winsome personality. He was an epitome of decorum, kindness and candour. His lifestyle and message of holiness, sincerity and integrity which he preached tirelessly via television, radio and online, visibly reflected in his well-groomed virtuous wife and perfect helpmeet of forty years, with whom he crossed every ocean and climbed every mountain. A heritage of disciplined children was bred in the Christian faith. The children are in various fields of professional endeavours: Captain Shiloh Akinola, a pilot and product designer; Mr. Shalom Akinola, a multimedia communications and advertising expert; Ms. Roxandra Akinola, a lawyer; Mr. Leslie Akinola, a computer scientist; Ms. Yolanda Akinola, an accountant; Mr. Daniel Akinola, an economist; Mr. Segun Akinola, a businessman; and Mr. Osaki Opuoyibo, a business administrator.

COMMUNITY CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE CHARITABLE

One of the major hallmarks of Stephen Akinola’s ministry was his charitable nature, to individuals, families and communities. He paid health-bills, helped families, built houses, extended a helping hand to communities through medical outreaches and skills acquisition programmes. The communities that enjoyed Stephen Akinola’s apostolic grace and generosity included Igboho, his hometown, Nembe, the homestead of his wife, Buguma, Abonemma, Degema and Ojoto in Anambra State.

Akinola continued to minister to individuals, families and communities even in ill-health. He preached on the first night of the Ojoto Crusade, returned to keep a dialysis appointment in Port Harcourt, and returned to Ojoto to preach on the last night of the crusade. He continued to counsel individuals, reconcile dysfunctional families, and fulfilled his apostolic commitment to cities in and around Rivers State under difficult personal circumstances. He was selfless, sacrificial and completely submitted to the God who called and commissioned him to fulfil the Great Commission.

His life was a reflection of the Biblical injunctions of 2 Timothy 4:2: “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” Stephen Akinola had several wonderful partnerships and collaborations with an array of senior ministers of the gospel in Nigeria and around the world. Very significant was his relationship with Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai, who has been mightily used as the instrument of God’s blessings upon thousands, especially in the flagship non-denominational women’s annual conference, “Like a Mighty Wind,” organized by Redemption Ministries.

Beyond Nigeria, Rev. Akinola maintained a robust personal and ministry relationship with Evangelist Reinhard Bonnke and the Christ for All Nations Organization (CFAN). He was instrumental to the organization’s return to Nigeria after a ban following the anti-gospel 1999 riots in Kano, in the wake of a crusade in which Evangelist Bonnke was scheduled to preach. Rev. Stephen Akinola approached President Olusegun Obasanjo, with whom he had acquaintance, and the ban was lifted and the evangelist eventually returned to Nigeria to preach. His farewell crusade in Nigeria was in 2017, in Lagos.

THE CREATIVITY OF THE PSALMIST AND COMPOSER

Stephen Akinola’s creative ingenuity was enflamed by his passion for cultivating the presence of God through prayer. That was the heartbeat of every aspect of ministry. Intimate relationship with the Holy Spirit birthed the prayer units tagged Commando 1 and 2. It inspired the creation of the music ministries: the Pneuma Voices, the Trinity Voices, the Blazing Voices, and the Redemption Orchestra. Stephen Akinola composed wonderful songs to express his love for God. Some of the songs are: “Give me my Childhood,” “You are my Bethesda,” “Send now Your Prosperity,” and “Good Morning Holy Spirit.” Indeed, his lifetime messages and books have positively impacted the Church of God.

THE CALL BACK TO HIS CREATOR

The triumphant tide that began to flow on Wednesday the 4th of March, 1953, ebbed on Sunday, the 6th of June, 2021.“The Disciple Jesus Loves” was translated to rest in the bosom of the Lord who loved him. Stephen Oluwole Akinola was an articulate artist that painted beautiful pictures with the brush and the Bible; a preacher whose words gripped hearts to grapple with the reality of sin and the need for salvation. He was an apostle with a prophetic unction, a teacher with pastoral grace, a lover of the Holy Spirit. He was a good husband whose wife called him “The Beloved of the Lord”, a loving father who nurtured trail blazers, a diligent and devoted disciple whom Jesus still loves, missed dearly by all.