Matthew Ashimolowo was born on March 17, 1952 in Zaria, Kaduna State, to Muslim parents. He converted to Christianity in his youth and received a calling to ministry at age 21 in 1973. That personal journey — from a Muslim household in Northern Nigeria to building one of the most globally recognized black-majority churches in the United Kingdom — is not incidental to understanding the nature of his community work in Nigeria. The widows he has clothed annually in Osun State since 2006 include Muslim women. The free medical crusade he funds personally is, in his own documented words, open to everybody. His background shaped his reach.

Ashimolowo trained at a Bible school for two years before ordination in the Foursquare Gospel Church, where he pastored for eight years in Shomolu, Nigeria. In 1992, he relocated to the United Kingdom and founded Kingsway International Christian Centre, which grew from a small congregation into one of the largest churches in Europe. KICC Nigeria operates prominent branches in Maryland and Festac, Lagos, and Ashimolowo has maintained active ministry presence and personal investment in Nigeria throughout his decades of UK-based leadership.

He has authored more than 90 books on faith, personal development, finance, and marriage, and his television programme Winning Ways reaches millions globally. His wealth, which Forbes has estimated at between $6 million and $10 million, derives primarily from his media company and book sales — and it is from his business proceeds, not church tithes, that he personally funds his Nigerian community outreach programmes. He has said this explicitly in press briefings.

What distinguishes KICC’s community record in Nigeria is the sustained, personal, cross-faith character of its social investments. The widows programme began in 2006, starting with 300 widows in Ode-Omu, Osun State, and growing each successive year as the news of his charitable deeds spread. Eighteen years later, it continues. The Christ Compassion to the Rural World (CCRW) outreach programme, now running across three Nigerian cities, is funded personally from his business income and combines free surgeries, medicine distribution, and material relief on a scale that few church-run programmes in Nigeria have matched. Kings University in Odeomu, Osun State, adds an institutional educational legacy to a community record that spans welfare, healthcare, and higher education.

Documented Contributions

WIDOWS WELFARE

17,000-Plus Widows Blessed Annually Including Muslim Widows — Continuous Since 2006

In 2006, Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo began a programme donating cloth, food, money, and other items to widows in Ode-Omu, Osun State, Nigeria. He began giving to 300 widows, and each successive year, as the news of his charitable deeds spread, so did the numbers receiving the benefits increase. Latest figures in January 2018 show over 17,000 widows being blessed by this initiative. The widows range from elderly women to young women in their early twenties who lost their husbands in tragic circumstances. Several of the widows belong to the Muslim faith but this has not stopped KICC from reaching out to them. This is an 18-year sustained, uninterrupted programme — not a campaign, not an anniversary event, but an annual commitment that has grown every year since it began.

Source: KICC Official Community Initiatives — kicc.org.uk/church/community-initiatives

FREE RURAL OUTREACH — THREE EDITIONS

Christ Compassion to the Rural World (CCRW) — Ikorodu, Lagos (November 2023): ₦700M-Plus, Free Surgeries, ₦160M Medicine

Pastor Ashimolowo announced the crusade would be held between November 6 and 11, 2023, in Ikorodu, Lagos, costing between ₦700 million and one billion naira. Medical doctors were hired to provide free treatments and surgeries. ₦160M worth of medicine was purchased. Hundreds of bags of rice, garri, soaps, and vegetable oils were distributed. The outreach was funded directly from Ashimolowo’s business proceeds and partner supporters. Speaking exclusively at the press conference, Pastor Ashimolowo confirmed: “Muslims and other religious adherents will be attended to during the outreach. People who profess that I’m a Christian will be there. Also, blacks, whites, Muslims, whoever will be there… It’s for everybody.” Over 200 churches in the Ikorodu and Igwuruta area participated. He confirmed the programme would run twice yearly going forward. EverybodyWiki + 2

Source: Legit.ng, October 2023 — legit.ng/nigeria/1560829-pastor-ashimolowo-announces-crusade-poor-nigerians-advises-politicians/

Christ Compassion to the Rural World (CCRW) — Ibadan, Oyo State (2024)

The Port Harcourt outreach is the third in the CCRW series, following previous editions in Ikorodu (2023) and Ibadan (2024). The Ibadan edition was convened with the active support of the Christian Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria, the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria Oyo State, and the Christian Association of Nigeria Oyo State — representing a formal inter-denominational coalition behind the outreach. A Crusade Mobilization Team visited the President of Christ Apostolic Church in Ibadan to secure participation, and the CAC President pledged that his denomination would give whatever it takes to support the crusade.

Source: KICC Official; CAC World News, September 2024 — cacworldnews.com; The Guardian Nigeria, November 2025

Christ Compassion to the Rural World (CCRW) — Port Harcourt, Rivers State (November 2025): 1,130 Free Surgeries, ₦500M in Medications

Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo announced plans to carry out 1,130 free surgeries and distribute medications valued at over ₦500 million during a major six-day outreach in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from November 24 to 29 at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium, Igwuruta. The Port Harcourt outreach was expected to be the biggest yet, targeting over 700,000 beneficiaries. About 70,000 residents were expected to receive medical care, with 1,130 surgical procedures already screened ahead of the programme. Ashimolowo stressed that post-surgery follow-up would remain a key part of the mission, with medical teams working alongside partner hospitals to ensure patients recover safely. He emphasised that the outreach is designed to provide sustainable relief, not palliative care, noting: “Our goal is to ease burdens while preserving dignity, transforming lives spiritually, medically, and socially.”

Source: The Guardian Nigeria, November 2025 — guardian.ng · Elanhub Media, November 2025 — elanhub.net/pastor-ashimolowo-to-conduct-1130-free-surgeries-distribute-n500m-in-relief-in-port-harcourt/

EDUCATION

Kings University, Odeomu, Osun State — NUC Approved, Medical Sciences Added (2023)

KICC founded Kings University in Odeomu, Osun State, with a mission to raise quality leaders for national development. In 2023, the university received NUC approval for undergraduate programmes in Nursing Science, Public Health, and Medical Laboratory Science within its Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences — expanding the institution’s direct contribution to Nigeria’s healthcare workforce pipeline. Kings University’s establishment by a church in a historically underserved part of Osun State provides tertiary education access to communities with limited alternatives.

Source: Kings University Official — kingsuniversity.edu.ng · KICC Community Initiatives

COVID-19

₦10 Million Donated to Lagos State Coronavirus Intervention Fund; Monthly Food Distributions Throughout Lockdown

KICC Nigeria donated ₦10,000,000 to the Lagos State COVID-19 Intervention Fund during the 2020 pandemic. Monthly food distributions to needy families, which had been running before the lockdown, continued throughout the lockdown period without interruption.

Source: KICC Community Updates — kicc.org.uk/community-updates-2/