In This Biography

Elijah Abina Biography, Ministry, Wife, Career, Networth, Siblings

QUICK DATA

FULL NAMES – Elijah Oludele Abina
MINISTRY NAME – The Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT)
DATE OF BIRTH – June 16, 1935
PLACE OF BIRTH – Badagry
WIFE – Felicia Akinremi
OCCUPATION -Clergy Man
NETWORTH – $10M

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Early life

Elijah Oludele Abina (born June 16, 1935, in Aradagun, Badagry Lagos State, Nigeria) is a Nigerian pastor and the General Overseer of The Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT) and one of the founding fathers of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN).
Elijah Ogundele Abina was born to Pa Abraham Akowanu Abina and Madam Omoloto Abina in Aradagun, Badagry Lagos State, Nigeria. He later changed his middle name to reflect Oludele, renouncing his ties to idol worship. He is one of the founding members of The Gospel Faith Mission International (GOFAMINT), alongside Pastor Reuben George and his wife, Dupe George, David Akinremi, Meshack Akinola, Iwaku Bagere, Daniel Aluko, Olusegun George, Elkanah Obideyi, Solomon Kudoro, Richard Akapo, Dorcas Adeyemi, Mary Kudoro, Felicia Akinremi (who later became his wife), Janet Oke, Dupe Akapo. This fellowship later grew to become the movement that it is today.

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Ministerial Career

Pastor Abina became a full-time minister with the Gospel Faith Mission International in October 1962, resigning from his secular job at Arbico Limited, Apapa Lagos after a clear conviction from the Spirit of God. He was first, the pastor-in-charge of the GOFAMINT Iwaya Church in 1963, then the pastor-in-charge of the GOFAMINT Mushin church in 1966, and later promoted to become the District Overseer. Pastor Reuben George, the then General Overseer later appointed him as his deputy, a position he faithfully served until Pastor George passed on to glory in 1987.

After Pastor George passed on, Pastor Abina who was the Deputy General Overseer assumed the leadership of the church after a unanimous agreement by the members of the Church’s Executive Council. He was installed on January 8, 1988, at the GOFAMINT International Gospel Centre, Ojoo, Ibadan, Oyo State.

Under the leadership of Pastor Abina, the Gospel Faith Mission International has witnessed a tremendous increase in terms of numerical growth, geographical spread, financial strength, and organizational stability. Today, the Mission has expanded from having 50 assemblies to over 2000 assemblies in Nigeria and in many parts of the world.

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History of GOFAMINT

It all began with Brother Reuben Akinwalere George (later Pastor (Dr) R. A. George), a member of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) and a leader of the Christ Army Band of the CAC. In 1956, they started first as a small fellowship and Bible Study Group led by George at his residence. The Church began to grow, and later moved to her first building and gradually spread. George was ordained as Pastor in 1959 and he died in 1987 after which his deputy Pastor (Dr) E.O. Abina took over the mantle of leadership. Pastor Elijah Ogundele Abina resigned his appointment in the secular work at Arbico Ltd. Apapa Lagos and took up pastoral duty as Pastor i/c of G.F.M. from Saturday 29 September 1962. On 22 December 1963, Pastor E.O. Abina was ordained as Pastor. The Gospel Faith Mission International became an incorporated body in Nigeria in October 1967. The first Annual Convention was held from 4 to 7 November 1966. Attendance then was 300 and there was free feeding for participants.

Today the church has over 2000 branches under over 19 administrative regions headed by Regional Pastors. The Regions are further sub-divided into Districts and Areas which are equally headed by District and Area pastors respectively. GOFAMINT, as popularly called, currently exists in the following eight Anglophone African countries: Nigeria, Egypt, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ghana, Kenya, Botswana, and South Africa. While also exists in the following seven Francophone African countries: Benin Republic, Cote D’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, Niger, Cameroon, and Gabon.

The church had early entrance to Britain, which was established in 1983 and had since extended to the Irish Republic with a branch in Dublin, and to France and Belgium. GOFAMINT’s first branch in Washington DC commenced with only four members in 1984. The church now has several branches in the United States in well over twenty-three Assemblies, tagged ‘Houses’ with House of Hope in Maryland as the current National Headquarters. Equally, the Church in the USA has extended its frontiers to other nations such as Canada, the Dominican, Mexico, and Jamaica.

In 2007, GOFAMINT was birthed in the Philippines, an initiative of the General Overseer, Pastor (Dr) E.O. Abina. Through this initiative, GOFAMINT has launched evangelistic campaigns and established branches in four Asian countries of Northern Cyprus (Turkey), Israel, the Philippines, and Dubai (UAE). The church equally gained entrance into Australia with two branches.