Coming from Lagos, after the Gateway Hotel, the next imposing structure that will glaringly welcome you to Sango, is the magnificent Rhema Christian Church & Tower (RCC &T), Temidire, Sango-Otta, Ogun state.
Initially tucked inside the same vicinity, the now 2,000-sitting capacity RCC&T cathedral sits opulently atop wide hectares of land at a prime location along the Lagos-Abeokuta expressway few meters from the ever busy Sango market and flyover bridge.
The name of the church, Rhema Christian Church & Tower (RCC&T) founded by Bishop Dr. Taiwo Akinola, to some people, raises curiosity with its adjunct “Tower.” In an interview with Christian Benefits , the urbane Bishop Akinola from Gbongan in Osun state, cleared the seeming curiosity about the “Tower” in the name of the front line Pentecostal church thus:
“The Bible says the name of the Lord is a strong tower. The righteous runs into it and he is saved. We are talking about Rhema Christian Church as a place where people can run to for refuge. It is a place of safety and protection from the vicissitudes of life,” the amiable servant of God this way cleared the curiosity.
The Polytechnic, Ibadan electrical engineering trained-Bishop Akinola and former lecturer in the same institution described the church’s imposing structure as miles away from its global vision. Although Akinola said he is grateful to the Lord for the church’s big strides in less than 30 years of existence with vibrant branches globally, the charismatic preacher doesn’t feel the church has arrived despite its great clouts.
“His words: We don’t have the feeling of having arrived. Where we are now is by far distant from where we are going. The journey is still far! We thank God for where we are now. No man can get anything except it is given to him from above. It is not of our smartness. It is not because of our wisdom or connections. It is God taking us to the higher place by His grace and favour,” the amiable bishop expressed.
Driven by a vision to “glorify God passionately and enthroning Jesus Christ in many lives the world over,” Rhema Christian Church & Tower runs with a mission statement instructed by God “to raise with me a glorious assembly of Jesus’ people; a people of power, purity and prosperity, and in this place will I give peace,” saith the Lord. This vision and mission statement inspires the church to raise champions as the lives of the church members as well as the steady growth of the church attests.
To the keen followers and associates of the humble RCC&T Founder/President, Akinola, the laudable success and steady progress of his church and ministry is a cumulative result of his faithfulness and walk with Jesus Christ in over 46 years since the gentleman of God from Gbongan gave his life to Jesus Christ on April 4, 1977.
As a growing believer in the 1970s, the young Taiwo loved reading the Holy Bible regularly and passionately as his most cherished book, “and of course some books that interpret the mind of God or describe the revelations in the Bible. For instance, the books written by T.L Osborn in those days were very rich and helpful to me. I also had almost all the books by E.W Kenyon, which were also very refreshing to me. I was also inspired attending fellowship,” Akinola shares with Christian Benefits, what boosted his growth in the Christian faith and journey back then as a young believer.
While he was n electrical engineering student of the prestigious The Polytechnic, Ibadan, where he later also lectured, the then Bro. Taiwo was a committed member of the singing unit of the Christian Union of The Polytechnic, Ibadan that had other units like the Bible study unit, the evangelism unit, the prayer unit and thee drama unit among other units. “But one of the things we collectively did then was village evangelism. The campus fellowship prepared and trained most of us for ministry,” Akinola revealed to Christian Benefits. 
Bishop Taiwo Akinola is the President / Founding Pastor-General of Rhema Christian Church & Tower Int’l, with headquarters in Otta, Nigeria and branches worldwide. An evangelist and a teacher, he is anointed for signs and wonders and he ministers in seminars, conferences and churches across the globe.
Born over six decades ago, he found New Life in Christ on 4th April, 1977. He is a man called by God and highly anointed with an unending record of testimonies attesting to the power of God in his ministry. In early 1991, he yielded to the call of God to pioneer Rhema Christian Church.
At the early stage of his ministry, Bishop Akinola combined his Pastoral assignments with his career as Polytechnic Teacher. He taught Electrical/Electronic Engineering in two Nigerian Polytechnics for an aggregate of thirteen years. On 1st April, 1994, he gave up his distinguished career as an engineering lecturer in order to devote full attention to the work of the ministry.
An authoritative bible teacher, Bishop Taiwo Akinola carries a burden to reach the ‘unreached’ anywhere they are found through “power evangelism” by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. He is the Convener of a ministerial association called the Christ Global Network, which aims at focusing Gospel ministries and ministers for timeless impacts both now and in successive generations. He is author of many inspiring titles in Christian literature. Furthermore, his weekly television program (Freedom Across the Airwaves) has also been of tremendous blessings to many testifiers.
By the matchless grace of God, this very lovable and amiable personality is happily married to Pastor (Mrs) Ireti Akinola, a qualified estate manager, an ardent teacher of the Word, a passionate preacher and evangelist. And, their happy union is blessed with four gifted children – Opeyemi, OluwaJoba, TiwalOluwa and JayeOluwa who are evidently great assets to the Kingdom. To God be all the glory, now and forever more, Amen.
