Nigerian minister, preacher and presiding bishop of Faith Tabernacle and Living Faith Ministries, Bishop David Oyedepo, celebrates his birthday today.

Born September 27, 1954, Bishop Oyedepo turns 66 today. He is an architect, businessman and Christian author of several inspirational and spiritually lifting literature.

On September 27, 1954, David Olaniyi Oyedepo was born in Osogbo, Nigeria, but is a native of Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State. He was raised in a mixed religious family.

His father, Ibrahim, was a Muslim healer. His mother, Dorcas, was a member of the Holy Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim Movement Church (C&S), a branch of the Aladura movement in Nigeria.

He was raised by his grandmother in Osogbo, who introduced him to the virtues of Christian life via early morning prayers which she attended with him. She also taught him the importance of tithing.

Oyedepo became born again in 1969, through the influence of his teacher, Betty Lasher, who took an interest in him during his high school days.

He studied architecture at the Kwara State Polytechnic and worked briefly with the Federal Ministry of Housing in Ilorin before resigning to concentrate on missionary work.

Oyedepo received a PhD in Human Development from Honolulu University, Hawaii, US.

According to him, he received a mandate from God through an 18-hour vision in May 1981, to liberate the world from all oppression of the devil through the preaching of the word of faith.

This is the inaugural vision that led to the founding of the Living Faith Church World Wide (LFCWW), first called Liberation Faith Hour Ministries, in 1981.

Two years later, on September 17, 1983, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, ordained David and his wife, Florence Abiola Akano (known as Faith Abiola Oyedepo) to become pastors and officially commissioned the new church. Five years later, Oyedepo was ordained as Bishop.

Living Faith Church (AKA Winners Chapel International) started in Kaduna but moved to Lagos, the former capital of Nigeria in July 1989, to start a new branch of the church after Oyedepo was to have received instructions from God to reach out to the people of Lagos.

Oyedepo is the wealthiest preacher in Nigeria with a net worth of over US$150 million. The church owns four private jets and several buildings, including in London and the US.

Oyedepo is an author and publisher who has written over 70 titles apart from periodicals. He is the chairman/publisher of Dominion Publishing House (DPH), a publishing arm of the ministry.

DPH has over 4 million prints in circulation to date. Through Oyedepo; Covenant University, Faith Academy and Kingdom Heritage Model Schools have been established to equip the youth for global impact.

Oyedepo is known for his voicing out and criticism of corruption in Africa as a whole and poor leadership in government.

We join in the celebration today as Bishop Oyedepo celebrates his birthday!