Stephen Akinola Biography, Early Life, Redemption Ministries, Ministry and Legacy

Stephen Akinola

Stephen Oluwole Akinola was a Ghana-born Nigerian Pentecostal preacher, author, and evangelist best known as the founder and General Overseer of Redemption Ministries Worldwide in Port Harcourt. He was born on 4 March 1953 in Tamale, then in the Northern Gold Coast, and died on 6 June 2021.

Early Life and Background

Akinola was born to Samuel and Marian Otunla and spent his early years in northern Ghana. Public biographical accounts say he began school young, attended Government Secondary School, Tamale, and later returned to Nigeria in 1971, where he briefly worked as a teacher at Baptist Primary School, Igboho in Oyo State, his ancestral hometown.

Education

After returning to Nigeria, he furthered his studies at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, beginning in 1973. His later ministry story is often linked to this Lagos period because it was there that his spiritual life changed direction.

Spiritual Turning Point

According to his official memorial biography, Akinola’s conversion experience came during his student years after a deep personal conviction about his faith. That experience led him into serious Bible study and regular fellowship, including participation in meetings held at W. F. Kumuyi’s residence near the University of Lagos.

Role in the Early Deeper Life Movement

Akinola became one of the important early workers in what later developed into the Deeper Life Bible Church. When he was posted to Port Harcourt for national service, he helped pioneer the ministry there and combined that work with teaching at Federal Government College, Port Harcourt. His official biography says the work grew from a very small group into a major church presence, and that he later became one of its earliest state leaders and overseers in the South South and South East.

Founding of Redemption Ministries

In January 1987, after leaving Deeper Life, he started Redemption Ministries in Port Harcourt with a small group meeting first at Shiloh Hills Academy, Rumuibekwe Housing Estate. The church later grew into a large ministry with branches in Nigeria and abroad, and its official memorial biography links Akinola to programmes such as Wind and Fire Conference, Thunderbolt Gospel Crusades, Like a Mighty Wind, Men Ablaze, and the youth programme Kabash.

Ministry and Community Impact

Akinola was remembered not only for preaching but also for practical support to people and communities. His official biography says he helped with medical bills, family support, house building, medical outreaches, and skills acquisition programmes, especially in places connected to his ministry in Rivers State and beyond.

Personal Life

He was married to Matilda Ayebatonye Akinola on 12 September 1981. The official memorial biography says they had six biological children, grandchildren, and also cared for many other children beyond their immediate family.

Public Profile

I did not find a major widely documented personal scandal tied to Stephen Akinola in the sources I reviewed. Most public discussion about him centers on his move from the early Deeper Life movement to founding Redemption Ministries, his church growth work, and his influence in Port Harcourt and Rivers State. This is an inference from the available reporting and official biographical material.

Death and Legacy

Akinola died on 6 June 2021, and his passing was publicly mourned by church members, Christian leaders, and political figures. Reports said his death was confirmed by senior clerics in Rivers State, while his family memorial page states that he passed away peacefully that day. After his death, Cletus Desmond succeeded him in leadership of Redemption Ministries. He is remembered for holiness preaching, church planting, revival meetings, and his strong influence on Pentecostal Christianity in Port Harcourt.

Sources: Stephen Akinola memorial biography and tribute site, PM News report on his death, Church Times Nigeria, and public biographical records.