RCCG General Overseer, Pastor Adeboye, Clocks 72

The General Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye, also known as Daddy G.O., will add +1 on March 2, 2014, Sunday.

The man of God, who has millions of followers, will allegedly have quite a humble celebration. The Church has not announced any big plans in this regard.

Enoch Adeboye was born on March 2, 1942, in a simple family in the village of Ifewara, Osun State. The Pastor often humorously says that his family was so poor that even the poor people called them poor.

He unashamedly tells his congregation that he had never owned shoes until he turned 18. But he was gifted with such intangibles as focus, consistency, diligence, ambition, a brilliant mind and a determination to succeed in life.

In 1956 Enoch Adeboye was admitted into Ilesha Grammar School, Ilesha, Osun State and as a youth, he discovered a passion for books, and an aptitude for science and in particular the field of Mathematics. This led to an academic journey in the field of Mathematics against incredible odds including but not limited to finances, the Nigerian Civil War and academic politics.

Adeboye had obtained not only a Bachelors (BSc.) degree in Mathematics from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 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.

One of the motivations for these academic achievements was Enoch Adeboye's passionate desire to become the youngest Vice Chancellor of any one of the frontline universities in Nigeria. It did seem that his academic ambition would be realised as his academic career flourished. However, this was not to be as a greater career awaited him in the service of the Lord. In 1967 Enoch Adeboye got married to his beloved wife Foluke Adenike Adeboye.

In 1981, Adeboye was appointed the RCCG General Overseer, taking over from the founder, Pa Akindayomi, who died the previous year.

With thousands of worshippers flocking the RCCG on daily basis, the present auditorium being occupied by the Church at the Redemption Ground, which is three kilometres long and one kilometre wide, is no longer able to contain the large number of followers.

Last year, Adeboye unveiled plan by the Church to construct one of the biggest auditoriums in the world, saying that the new auditorium would be three square kilometres. The auditorium is expected to be completed before the Church's 2014 convention in August.