By Oluwaleke Beecroft
In this detailed story by Church Gist, Oluwaleke Beecroft tells us about the man Enoch Adejare Adeboye. Born on March 2, 1942 in Ifewara, Osun State, located in the South-Western part of Nigeria, Enoch Adeboye had a strong desire to attend school in spite of his poor background. Church Gist. As a child, his parents were so poor that the whole family once celebrated the purchase of an umbrella by his father. Says Adeboye.....my family was so poor that even the poorest of the poor
called us 'poor'. His poor parents had four children including Enoch An illiterate farmer, his father did not believe in educating any of his children. In fact, the family was so poor that they could not afford to pay the school fees.Enoch was however very particular about receiving a formal education and when his requests to be sent to school were dismissed by his father, he went on a hunger-strike in a bid to persuade him. His mother panicked and appealed to his Dad. Church Gist.
His father eventually gave in and sold his goat in order to pay for his son’s school fees. Thus Enoch was enrolled at the only missionary school in their village.
Even though he started school quite late, he soon realized that he loved to read. He was admitted into the Ilesha Grammar School, Ilesha, Osun State, Western Nigeria in 1956 at the age of 14.
Young Adeboye soon discovered he had an aptitude for science and in particular mathematics, which he chose to pursue at the university level. He badly wanted to pursue a higher education but the Nigerian Civil War and his family’s dire financial condition threatened to thwart his ambitions. Yet he chased his dream relentlessly He was soon admitted to a leading Nigerian university, The University of Nigeria, Nsukka, to study mathematics. Church Gist.
He was there a while but had to move to the University of Ibadan, Nigeria to continue his education, due to the Nigerian civil war which erupted at the time. Ultimately, he obtained not only a Bachelors (BSc.) degree in Mathematics from the University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria between 1964 and 1967, but also a Masters (MSc.) Degree in Hydrodynamics and a Doctorate Degree (PhD) in Applied Mathematics, both from the University of Lagos, in 1969 and 1975 respectively.
He served as a lecturer in mathematics at both the universities of Lagos and Ilorin. As a young man, his greatest ambition was to become the youngest Vice Chancellor (University Executive) of any one of the frontline Universities in Nigeria. Given his brilliant academic records, it seemed like he would achieve this dream soon.
He married Foluke Adenike Adeboye (nee Adeyokunnu) at the age of 25 in 1968. He was a fresh graduate and thus the couple had a very simple marriage. The couple faced considerable financial challenges in their initial years together even though they were very much in love. Adeboye and his wife were facing some problems in having children. They had two children through caesarean surgery and the doctors had advised them against having more. Church Gist. The couple however desperately wanted more children and thus embarked on a spiritual journey to seek a solution. They consulted herbalists and spiritual homes to seek solution. In one of those instances, the herbalist or 'babalawo' he was consulting to protect him and his car against death from accidents ended up dying. He also had 3 accidents within two weeks of using a particular charm.
Even though he had always known that God existed in heaven, it was not until he was a young man that he actually realized the truth about God. He had a revelation in 1973 and received the Lord Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour. Church Gist. As a born-again Christian he realized that the purpose of his life was to spread the teachings of Christianity and thus he eventually gave up his prestigious university position to become a full-time preacher.
After joining the RCCG in 1973 and becoming born again in the same year, 29th July, 1973, he began working to translate the sermons of its founder and then Pastor, Rev. Josiah Olufemi Akindayomi, from Yoruba into English. Pastor Adeboye was subsequently and formally ordained a pastor in 1977. Church Gist. Akindayomi acknowledged later that God had instructed that a 'young learner's man was to lead the church to the next phase after his departure.
To be continued...
Leke Beecroft is an author, historian, artist and Air Traffic Controller.
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