Bajowa, at mother-in-laws funeral, faults church’s rigid doctrine

FOR years to come, the final burial rites of Olori Modupe Omolere (nee Ojatuwase), the Alidan Apehi Woye of Osooro Kingdom, would remain a talk of the town.

  The funeral programme, which began with a wake on Thursday, February 5, at her home along Erinje Road, attracted dignitaries to Okitipupa, Ondo State.

  In fact, the ceremonial procession from the State’s General Hospital, Okitipupa to her house was grand with pallbearers carrying the golden casket in coordinated dance steps, leading a cortege that extended into Okitipupa Town.

   The service of songs, which was coordinated by the priests of Methodist Church Nigeria, Ode-Ayeka also had in attendance Bishop Steven Ogendengbe, presiding Bishop of Wisdom Chapel.

 The funeral and outing service in her honour began at 11.00 a.m. on Friday, February 6, at Methodist Church Ode-Ayeka. As expected, the auditorium of the church was filled to capacity with dignitaries from all walks of life. The processional hymn “Hark, hark my soul angelic songs” was interspersed with Bible verses.

  In his sermon, the Very Revd F. T. Makinde said the deceased, having accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Saviour, could also say with confidence that she had fought a good fight. The priest reminded the church that the book of Ecclesiastes, stressed that “the day of death is better than the day of birth”.

  He said when a child is born, there would be challenges, inequality, strife and serious human encumbrances, but when a human being dies, it is an end to all human strife, maintaining that for a Christian, death opens the door to a glorious hereafter. 

 He challenged the Christians of this contemporary time to be conscious of the Lord’s second coming. 

 He said,  ‘’Olori Modupe Omolere has gone to be with the Lord, but for us whom she left behind, how prepared are we if the end comes?”

“While Jesus has gone to prepare the paradise, it is for the saints and not for sinners,” Makinde admonished. 

 A notable highlight of the funeral of Olori Modupe Omolere Ayelomi was the significant fund-raising, which was chipped into the proceedings by the ebullient and amiable General Olu Bajowa in his characteristic generosity. 

 When he was invited to make a remark, the retired General and Jagunmolu of Ikale land was full of praise for the Methodist Church, which he noted came to his rescue when the Anglican Church, the church of the deceased, rigidly denied the deceased, a staunch member of the Anglican Communion, a Christian burial. 

‘’The rigid and inflexible dogma of Anglican Communion to deny a Christian burial to a devout and financial adherent of the church, who was dastardly murdered by evil men, is not only unsympathetic and anti-Christ but a sad commentary that will never be forgotten!’’

‘’The Bible doesn’t give instructions on how a body should be handled or buried after death, not even that of a gruesome killing still under criminal investigation! Is the church not expected to treat the body of the dead with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the resurrection?’’

 He said he was raising fund for the church and he was confident all his friends in the church would join him to raise the fund for the church development. General Olu Bajowa donated a quarter of a million naira on the spot. 

 Interestingly, over N1 million was raised within such a short notice towards the growth of Methodist Church Ode-Ayeka.

  While paying a glowing tribute to his mother-in-law, General Bajowa mourned the sudden loss of Olori Omolere Ayelomi. He said she was the best mother -in -law he could ever had and he never had a dull moment with her. He stressed that his association with Mama was very good and a most cordial one. 

 He, however, condemned the Anglican Communion for its inflexible dogma, which made the church to deny a Christian her right to burial.

  Hear him: “I never knew that I would be paying a tribute at the funeral of Mama so soon! Mama was with me in Lagos mourning the death of Tope, her last son, before she returned to Ikale and was admitted in hospital at Okitipupa. The third day after her discharge from the hospital, she was kidnapped from her house and brutally murdered on Christmas Day 2014, despite paying a huge ransom! I was devastated to see her lifeless body in the morgue at Okitipupa, on December 2014.’’

‘’Mama was my mother-in-law for 32 years and she was the best mother-in-law I could ever had. 

‘ ‘’I cannot thank Mama enough for receiving me as a son-in-law the day I married Yemi, an excellent choice, a precious Princess, with whom to share my life, a woman I am proud to say has become a Proverbs 31 wife.’’