Akin Laosun was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. He is the fourth of six children. His late father was a farmer and his mother a retired teacher and proprietor of a private primary and secondary school in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Akin was brought up and educated in Ibadan where he graduated from the University of Ibadan with a degree in Agricultural Engineering.
In addition to his degree, vocational and professional studies, he has a Masters’ Degree in Business Administration and Postgraduate Diploma in Christian Thought and Practices.

His first encounter with the Lord was in 1985 whilst at the University where he gave his heart to the Lord but could not keep his new-found faith for long because he kept the same set of friends.

Akin has always been a compassionate person who was quite popular among his friends especially in his university days because he was endowed with the wisdom to proffer solutions in difficult situations and circumstances.

This earned him the nickname of “Governor”. In 1988, by divine intervention he rededicated his life to Christ; his walk with the Lord was slow but steady until he got to Lagos in 1989 when he joined Foursquare Church, Yaba, Lagos. He later moved to El-Shaddai Church, Aguda Lagos where he was baptized in water and filled with the Holy Spirit under the leadership of the late Bishop Lanre Obembe.

He married Funke in December 1991 and moved to the United Kingdom. The marriage is blessed with
children and grandchildren. He served at KICC and Grace Outreach Church respectively until 2002 when he received the call to start the Gates of Praise Ministry in Grays, Essex.

Akin is a selfless and compassionate community builder with genuine love for people. It was these attributes and his belief that he has a lot to give that compelled him to run for the gubernatorial election in Oyo State, Nigeria in 2019. He believes his home state needs a compassionate, selfless and God-fearing leader to change the fortune of the State. Akin and his wife, Funke are founders of Akin & Funke Laosun Foundation.