‘Aspiring to get an education meant a death sentence in my family, but I broke the jinx’

‘Aspiring to get an education meant a death sentence in my family, but I broke the jinx’

By Prince Benson Davies

“Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you, and before you came forth out of the womb, I sanctified you and ordained you a prophet unto the nations. Therefore, gird up your loins, arise, and speak unto them all that I command you. Be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound you before them, for behold, I have made you this day a defense city with an iron pillar and brass walls against the whole land, against the kings of the world and princes, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against you, but I am with you to deliver you,” said the Lord.

Much like Prophet Jeremiah of Bible times, the above was God’s command to the General Overseer of Global Light Heritage International Church, Prophet (Dr.) Temitayo Oluwole Ogbundolapo. So he knew what he was doing when he answered God’s call to leave the Baptist Church, even in the face of rejection, verbal attacks, criticisms, and name-calling. Looking back to those years, Ogbundolapo expressed gratitude to God for His grace upon his life and calling into full-time ministry.
In an exclusive interview with the New Experience Newspaper, he narrated his experience growing up and in the ministry about 14 years ago.
“I have been in the ministry for 14 years now. I started the ministry in the Baptist Church. I was born in the North. I loved the earliest part of my life in the North, in Kaduna and Zaria precisely. I was born in Zaria, and I was there for 13 years, where I went to school, and I can speak Hausa to a very large extent. So, having grown up in Zaria, I later came to Lagos due to the crisis in the north.
“I have been a Baptist for a long time, even as I was in the North. So, we came to Lagos because of the crisis of 1991–1993. All the problems of June 12, 1993, led us to come back to Lagos, where we started our lives over again.
“I did my earliest school in the North and my secondary school at Ahmadu Bello University Demonstration Secondary School in Zaria. I left after a while to Lagos and continued my studies in Awori College, Ojo, close to Ojo LGA. Thereafter, I attended the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, where I did my OND and HND. I studied Electronics, Telecommunications and Engineering. When I finished, I served in Zamfara State and proceeded to Usman Danfodio University, where I did my Post-Graduate Diploma (PGD) in Education.”
The erudite scholar further highlighted his academic depth, explaining that after acquiring his PGD, he came to Lagos and answered God’s call upon his life.
“I received a Bachelor of Theology for four years from the Baptist College of Theology. Thereafter, I went to Olabisi Onabanjo University and from there to Ajayi Crowther University, where I obtained another B.A. degree and finally got a PhD.
“In all, I have obtained about seven or eight certificates, which I have given up to do only God’s work. So, I am wholly dedicated to the calling of God in my life. It’s a calling to liberate souls, to deliver souls from demonic wickedness, from evil and especially from hell. That’s the calling God has given to me, and God has been faithful. He has never left us; he has been tremendously faithful. God can be trusted. All these last years of my life, when I left normal regular employment because at one point, I was working and I rose to the position of manager in a financial institution before God asked me to resign,” he said.
Narrating some challenges he faced in his ministerial journey and how God guided him through it all, he said: “For about 10 years, God has been speaking to me about the ministry, which I didn’t think fit. I don’t see myself fit for ministry, but the challenge came in 2013 when God forced me to resign. The resignation was not easy for me, but when God came for me, I ran into serious problems.

“I disbursed $139,000 to a client, and he ran away with the money, and I got into trouble. I was in the EFCC’s custody for a while. Everything turned bad for me. Everything turned around. I prayed to God, and I told God I didn’t steal the money. How come this happened to me? And God spoke to me, saying that this thing happened because I was running away from His call. He directed me to go and answer his call, or else I would never find it easy. And God gave me options. He said it’s either I preach as a prisoner; they need a pastor there, or I preach as a free man, and that I should choose. And the choice is that I should either resign or go to prison.

“I chose to fulfill God’s mandate. I accepted to resign, and after my resignation, I prayed to God, and one miracle God did that is still amazing to me is that God blindfolded the man, who ran to the Chad Republic with $139, 000, and so, having seen what happened to him, he began to look for me. His family called me and told me. They brought him back to Lagos, and I had to link him up with the EFCC. To my surprise, when we met at the EFCC in Ikoyi, he regained his sight and confessed that I do not know anything about the theft. So, I was released, and he was arrested. I went back to my office, and I resigned.

“Since then, the journey of my ministry began. So, I came to the ministry to surrender totally. I wasn’t doing any other work again, other than the work of the gospel. And God has been tremendously faithful from my Baptist Church background, where I trained, where I was given a platform, down to this Global Light Heritage International, which is a very young church. Just three years ago, December last year made it three years. So, we are in our fourth year now.”
Speaking on his family background and other personal details, including his marriage and the death of his father, he said his father hails from Osun State, while his mother is from Kwara State. He said his father died about two years ago at the age of 87, but his mother is still alive and will be at the anniversary celebration on Saturday and Sunday.
He said he got married to Mrs. Adeola Ogbundolapo (nee Adebisi), whom he met in school, and they started our relationship at 200 levels, adding, “Specifically, I wasn’t ready for a relationship at that time, but God told me that He wanted me to be in a relationship to avoid distractions because of my journey. I had not known any women in my life before then. I have never had a girlfriend. My wife was the first person I spoke to about a relationship, and she was the only person I got married to. We both married as virgins, and God has been faithful. We have two children. My first son will be 14 years old by March, and my second son will be nine years old.
Describing his academic journey, Ogbundolapo said it was a journey of 22 years, saying: “My academic pursuit started at the 100-level in engineering. A PhD is a buildup of previous degrees, so my journey is 22 years. I have been studying for the last 22 years of my life. I only stopped after obtaining my Ph.D. last year, and I thank God for journeying through the doctorate program.
He further revealed that the reason behind his decision to go through with a doctorate degree was that “in my family, nobody goes to school. The firstborn went to school; they killed him. The secondborn went to school; she was defending her project in building technology when she was rusticated. The third one also died. The fourth one went to LASU; he was sent away. He went to the University of Lagos; he was sent away. He went to Olabisi Onabanjo University, but he was also sent away. So in essence,
it was a curse, a spell on the family for anybody to go to school. So, I came as the fifth born trying to go to school and I had to fight so many battles.

“In fact, my battles brought me to Jesus. I had to contend with household wickedness and enemies at the age of 18. I was a mad prayer person at the age of 18, trying to break the jinx and the yoke in my family. It’s a death sentence to go to school in my family. My younger brother tried it, and he was rusticated too. I was the one who broke the chains by the mercies of God. While I was in school, other people would go to sleep at night, but I didn’t sleep. I was always praying, trying to destroy the family’s evil patterns, and here I am.

“As soon as I told God, I said God, I will get my terminal degree to finally disgrace every household wickedness and (you know), pave the way for my children in the future, so that they will not be under any bondage. So, God helped me to break the jinx prayerfully. I know it’s not academic excellence alone. Yes, I had some very excellent qualifications. I was the best student at Olabisi Onabanjo University in my department, where I studied social ethics.

“But I feel it’s not excellence alone; with the backing of God’s grace, I was able to reach where I am today. One of the reasons I decided to pursue my PhD was because I wanted to disgrace household wickedness. As soon as I graduated, I knew the jinx was broken. I told every other person who is still alive in my family to go back to school. Today, they’re all graduates too, to the glory of God.”
He explained that he had his first degree in engineering, his second degree in education at Usman Danfodio University, his third degree was in theology (Baptist College of Theology), his fourth degree was in social ethics (Olabisi Onabanjo University), his fifth degree was at Ajayi Crowther University, a PGD in religious studies, and also did a sixth degree (B.A.) in religious studies at Ajayi Crowther University and a PhD in social ethics at Ajayi Crowther University.
Pastor Ogbundolapo also pointed out that leaving the Baptist Church wasn’t an easy decision, adding, “It’s not easy for me, because as of the time I resigned, I didn’t know where I was going, and I didn’t tell them where I was going, and God told me not to reveal it to too many people that the vision is for an appointed time. I knew if I had revealed it, I’d have much more enemies and much more opposition.”
His wife, Adeola Ogbundolapo, who hails from Oyo State, revealed that she has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from the University of Ibadan, a national diploma (OND) from Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, and a higher national diploma (HND) from Yaba College of Technology. She is currently studying for her PhD.
She disclosed that they got married in May 2009 and that their union is blessed with two children, maintaining that she has no doubts and never had any questions about the authenticity of him starting the church, noting that he has led the family solely on God’s directives on several occasions, and she was certain that God called him to serve in this capacity, hence her steadfast support even in the face of challenges and adversity.
“At least, I know there have been several occasions when God has led him to lead the family, and he has led the family right. So, I was convinced of what he told me, and I trusted that as long as it was God who called him. God called him, and he has been in the ministry for a long time, even in our former church. He’s been working; he’s been doing the work of God. I did not have any doubt, any regrets, or any disbelief about him while he was in that church; why should I have it now when God has been using him?  And he is still serving the same God. I know he is still with this God. I know the power of God is still effective in his life.
“So I have every reason to believe that God was leading him in that direction, and as long as God was leading him the same way he was leading him, I trusted God in his life, and I prayed along with him that God should help us. We prayed together that God should help us with this new assignment he is committing to our hands, so that was the way it played out.�

Funmilayo Ogbundolapo, Dr. Ogbundolapo’s sister-in-law, described him as a wonderful person whom she has known for over ten years.
She also pointed out that Pastor Ogbundolapo is a very balanced person with both spiritual and other aspects.
“He’s up and doing. Just like someone you can always call. When you know you have someone like him, you can rest assured about something. So when you talk to him, he’s always there.
He can give; you’ll see a lot of people waiting to see him, and he will make sure that the same attention he gave to number one, he’s also going to give to the last person,”  she said.
She further termed him a religiously liberal person, saying, “He is not a religious person. I am sure if you invite him to a Cele church, he will attend. If you invite him to a Redeem church, he will attend. He believes that the body of Christ is one; there’s no segregation in the body of Christ. As long as they worship God in church and spirit, he will attend. He will always say on the pulpit that he’s not a religious person where you segregate. He is more of a spiritual person.”.
Funmilayo, who is also a chorister at Global Light Heritage Int’l Church, described her experience in the church as a tremendous one, noting that God has been faithful with the growth of the church and its members.

A member and women leader in the church, Mrs. Omodele Taiwo, who hails from Ondo State, described Pastor Ogbundolapo as a perfect man of God whom God is using.
She said she has been at the church since October 2022 and has gained a lot, adding, “God has been doing wonderful things in my family. I bless God. I bless the name of the Lord for what He has been doing in my life and the life of my family. We have been experiencing a lot of miracles and healings.
“My business is moving forward. When I ask things from God, he does them for me. Pastor, let us know it’s not every time you will sing; sometimes talk to your God. You can talk to your God as long as you have faith, and you are serving a living God too. I tell God what I want, and he always does it for me. He answers my prayers.”
Commending Pastor Ogbundolapo, she noted that Global Light Heritage International Church has been a good and spiritual church, saying he has been doing very well in the church.

“He is a good man who has the fear of God. He is very humble and relates to everybody in the Church. He carries everybody along, and I am proud to call him my pastor. God called him, and God is working with him. God is using him. He is a perfect man of God and a miracle-working pastor,” she concluded.