Jimmy Odukoya’s Remarriage Draws Criticism From pastors, Divides Church Members

• Jimmy Odukoya’s remarriage has sparked debate over divorce among pastors, with clerics and counsellors divided over biblical teachings and marital pressures.

Jimmy Odukoya’s remarriage has renewed debate over divorce among Nigerian pastors, drawing differing reactions from religious leaders, marriage counsellors and members of The Fountain of Life Church, where he serves as senior pastor.

The discussion has centred on the place of divorce and remarriage in Christian teaching, the expectations placed on church leaders and the pressures that can contribute to the breakdown of their marriages.

Some clerics maintain that marriage is a lifelong covenant and that separation should not lead to another union. Others identify adultery as a biblical ground for divorce, while marriage counsellors point to incompatibility, neglect, social expectations and the difficulty of balancing ministry with family responsibilities.

Jimmy Odukoya introduces new wife

Jimmy married his first wife, Oluwakemi Banjoko, in London in March 2013. They have two children together.

While introducing his new wife, Motunrayo Daniel, popularly known as Mo, he disclosed that his first marriage had ended before he became senior pastor in 2023 following the death of his father, Taiwo Odukoya.

The circumstances surrounding the breakdown of his first marriage have not been publicly established.

Jimmy and Mo reportedly married at a private ceremony in the United States after an introduction in Lagos. Mo, a creative entrepreneur and designer, is the daughter of Reverend Theophilus and Bolaji Daniel.

She was previously married to British-Nigerian gospel music producer and artist Mosadoluwa Adegboye, known professionally as itsMOSA.

Church members express mixed reactions

The introduction of Jimmy’s new wife to the congregation attracted different responses from church members.

One member, speaking anonymously, said some worshippers welcomed the marriage, while others felt the congregation should have been informed earlier about the changes in the pastor’s marital circumstances.

The member said people who had worked closely with Jimmy were particularly pleased about the development and spoke positively about his character.

“The truth is that when we saw it on social media, there were mixed feelings. People who have worked closely with him were really excited, and they all testified that he is not a wayward person.”

The source also cautioned against assuming that members were entitled to every detail of the pastor’s private life.

“I don’t really buy into that kind of entitlement because we don’t know what ended his first marriage. The level of excitement I expected was not what I saw. His sister also welcomed her.”

Another anonymous member alleged that Jimmy and Mo’s relationship had previously generated discussion among people familiar with the family. The member also claimed that Mo had been a close friend of Jimmy’s elder sister, Pastor Toluwani Odukoya-Ijogun.

Those claims remain unverified. The material provided contains no response from Jimmy, Mo or Toluwani addressing the alleged circumstances of the relationship.

Old marriage interviews resurface

The public discussion has also brought renewed attention to older interviews featuring Jimmy and Mo with their former spouses.

In an interview recorded to mark her tenth wedding anniversary with Adegboye, Mo spoke about marrying young and adjusting to life with her husband. Adegboye recalled that they met at a friend’s house and married when he was 23 and she was 21.

Mo said her early concern was the uncertainty of entering a new phase of life.

“I didn’t really have any fears about living with him. It was just the apprehension of not knowing what to expect. Our first year, staying alone, we had a lot of fun.”

In a separate interview, Jimmy and Banjoko discussed how they met and the challenges they experienced during the early years of their marriage.

Banjoko said living in different countries complicated their adjustment to marriage and parenthood.

“The first five years of the marriage, I would say, were unbalanced but pretty good, meaning that we had more good times than bad times. It wasn’t perfect; the first year was tough.

“I think in early marriage, you have to adjust and learn to live with somebody you have never lived with before. We had different ways of doing things. Being first-time parents was tough because of the distance. I was in London, and he was in Nigeria.”

The interviews describe experiences from the couples’ earlier marriages. They do not establish why either marriage eventually ended.

Other prominent pastors have experienced marital breakdown

The debate extends beyond Jimmy’s marriage.

Christ Embassy founder Chris Oyakhilome’s divorce from Anita was finalised in 2016. Household of God Church founder Chris Okotie separated from his second wife, Stephanie, in 2012.

Champions Royal Assembly General Overseer Joshua Iginla publicly announced the breakdown of his marriage to Yemisi, while Pastor Olumide Emmanuel has also spoken about the collapse of his first marriage.

These cases have intensified questions about how churches respond when leaders who counsel others on marriage experience similar difficulties themselves.

Abdulkareem Azeez, chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association’s Ikirun branch, said marital breakdown involving religious leaders was often underreported because some couples preferred to settle privately rather than pursue litigation.

He identified sexual incompatibility as one possible source of emotional and physical strain within marriages.

Former CAN president opposes remarriage after separation

A former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Reverend Samson Ayokunle, said his understanding of the Bible permits separation in certain circumstances but does not support divorce followed by remarriage.

He said couples could live apart where remaining together threatened their lives.

“The Bible doesn’t support divorce. What the Bible supports is separation. If it may involve their lives, they can separate, but they cannot remarry because marriage is for life. In Matthew 19, Jesus said it himself,” Ayokunle said.

The former Nigerian Baptist Convention president also identified religious differences as a possible reason for separation, particularly where a spouse who was not a Christian could no longer accept the other partner’s faith.

“Man or woman can do whatever they feel like, but the law of God does not change. God will not accept us at our own standard. We can work with God only at His own standard; otherwise, you will reap whatever you sow,” he said.

Cleric identifies adultery as ground for divorce

Evangelist Alaba Akande, founder of Christ Apostolic Church, Light of Joy, Ibadan, identified adultery as the principal biblical ground for divorce.

He said the same standard should apply to men and women.

“The major ground is adultery. When a woman is committing adultery and she is caught, she can be divorced. The same thing is applicable to the man. If there is no adultery, as a pastor, you have to live together forever and not divorce. You will just have to continue to maintain yourself,” Akande said.

His position differs from the broader opposition to divorce and remarriage expressed by some of the other clerics, reflecting the differing interpretations within the discussion.

Marriage counsellor describes divorce as rebellion

Pastor Dayo St. John, a marriage counsellor and founder of Help for the Family Ministry, argued that marriage carries spiritual responsibilities beyond the interests of the couple.

“God created marriage for Himself. He has a purpose for it. So, when you divorce and break up such a union, you are not only causing physical consequences here, but you are also causing damage to God and His purpose through such a marriage,” St. John said.

He criticised Christians, particularly pastors, who divorce and remarry, describing such decisions as contrary to his understanding of biblical teaching.

“Those Christians, particularly pastors, who are divorcing are rebelling against God. They know God’s position and what the Bible says about divorce, but they choose to do what they want.”

St. John also criticised Jimmy’s decision to marry another person who had previously been married, describing the situation as “double wahala.”

Achudume calls for greater honesty from pastors

The Lead Pastor of Victory Life Bible Church International, Apostle Lawrence Achudume, linked divorce among pastors to what he described as an inadequate understanding of sacrifice and responsibility.

“Marriage is beyond the emotional talk of ‘I love you’. It is a responsibility. It is not just for sex; it is for an enduring relationship, whether in good times or bad times.”

Achudume questioned the speed with which some pastors enter new marriages after divorce. He said leaders should be more honest about the difficulties they face instead of presenting their homes as free of disagreements.

“Pastors must come up and be real. You have a misunderstanding with your wife, let the church know how you resolved it. Don’t tell the church you never had a disagreement. You must have a disagreement,” he added.

His comments raised a wider issue about the example church leaders set through the way they acknowledge and manage marital conflict.

Counsellors point to incompatibility and social media

Marriage counsellor Ibrahim Olalere identified incompatibility, comparison and social media expectations as factors that could contribute to marital breakdown among religious leaders.

He said differences in religious commitment sometimes became apparent only after marriage.

“Divorce among religious leaders is becoming prevalent. Most religious leaders, in many cases, discover after marriage that their spouses are not as religious as they expected. This is one of the reasons some of them end up getting divorced.”

Olalere also criticised relationship advice offered online by people without marriage-counselling experience, arguing that some of the expectations promoted on social media were difficult to sustain in everyday relationships.

Ministry demands can place marriages under strain

JeNom Makama, a marriage counsellor with FamilyLife Nigeria, said some pastors struggled to balance church responsibilities with the needs of their spouses and families.

“For some men of God, the lack of balance between the time they give their marriages and the time they give to the work of God is what is causing the problem. Many have forgotten that the first ministry is their marriage.

“Because of that strain, their marriages go through turbulence. If they are not careful, the wives become disgruntled and dissatisfied, and that can lead to divorce.”

Makama also pointed to changing attitudes towards divorce and differing interpretations of Christian teaching.

“Over time, Christians have found divorce to be more acceptable than we used to in the past,” he said.

He suggested that greater economic independence had given more women the means to leave unhappy marriages. He also criticised counselling practices that placed the burden of preserving a troubled marriage on women without making comparable efforts to address their husbands’ conduct.

Attempts described in the source report to obtain a response from The Fountain of Life Church were unsuccessful. Calls to its telephone numbers did not connect or went unanswered, and an email had received no reply by 11pm on Friday.