Winners Chapel Acquires Land For Universities In Ghana, Congo
As an educationist, Bishop David Oyedepo’s mission currently pioneers the establishment of educational institutions at all levels in and outside Nigeria, including the recently established Covenant University with over 7,000 students as well as Faith Academy with 1,500 students both located in Canaanland.
Covenant university was well documented in a Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) documentary on the Nigerian 50th independence anniversary because of landmark achievements in its few years of existence.
Covenant University was adjudged the best private university in Nigeria in 2005 and one of the goals of the institution is to be among the best in the world by or before 2020.
According to Bishop Oyedepo, “Covenant University is not just an institution, it is a revolution in education”. Faith Academy also placed fourth among Nigerian secondary schools in the 2010 Senior secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE).
The second university of the church is Landmark University in Omu Aran, Kwara State. Construction at Landmark university is estimated to be in the realm of about $150 million (N48 billion).
The university was licensed in March 2011 and presently ranks among the top 20 of Nigeria’s 170 universities. Landmark University consists presently of 1,400 acres.
There are plans for 5 more universities to be constructed across Africa including Kings University, Goshen, Abuja and Crown University, Calabar in Nigeria. Others are in Accra, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo and Nairobi, Kenya. A very expansive 1,000 acres of land have already been acquired for the university in Ghana while 300 hectares (about 750 acres) have been acquired for the Congo university and this is going to be a French speaking university. Some years ago, former President Yahya Jammeh of The Gambia appealed to the World Mission Agency (WMA) of the Living Faith Church to build a university in The Gambia.
Some other projects that were announced during the initial foundation laying in Canaanland in 1999 include a towering administrative headquarters and 500 bed hospital among many other projects.
Winners’ Chapel also runs a chain of about 20 Secondary schools and over 180 Primary and nursery schools in Nigeria. The secondary schools are known as Faith Academies except those located in within the universities known as Covenant University and Landmark University Secondary Schools respectively.
The Nursery and Primary Schools are known as Kingdom heritage Model Schools (KHMS). Some of the secondary schools are located in Badagry, Benin, Warri, Ota, Iyana Ipaja, Ibadan, Lokoja, Asaba, Kaduna and Osogbo. The mission is presently working on plans to build at least a secondary school each in every country in Africa. It also has a Bible School, called The Word of Faith Bible Institute (WOFBI); this is the biggest such group in Nigeria with branches in over 50 countries worldwide including the United States of America, the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates. As at 2004, WOFBI had trained over 100,000 people all over Africa. WOFBI has 21 campuses in the Lagos Area.
Some other assets of the Church are the including a fixed wing Challenger 604 listed in the Forbes 500. The fleet includes a helicopter. The Church fleet is known as the Dominion Airlines which is used strictly for missionary work and the church has also procured an aircraft Hangar at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos. The Dominion Aviation Center, a Hangar owned by the church costed about $2.5 million.
The Church also owns Dominion Publishing House, which turns out books and other materials written by David and Faith Oyedepo and David Abioye. Bishop Oyedepo has written over 70 books apart from many also written by Bishop Abioye and Pastor (Mrs) Faith Oyedepo.