Eminent dignitaries, including the former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (retd); former governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala; Lieutenant-General Oladipupo Diya, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, among others, on Thursday, converged on the ancient city of Ile-Ife for the one year memorial service of the late Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade.
Delivering his sermon during the service held at St. Paul Anglican Church, Ayegbaju, Ile-Ife, the former Bishop of Ife Anglican Diocese, Reverend Oluranti Odubogun, recalled that the late monarch lived an exemplary life, characterised by selfless service to humanity.
He urged Nigerians to emulate the enduring virtues and legacies left behind by Oba Sijuwade, noting that it was imperative for all and sundry, irrespective of tribe, religion and political divide to work and support the development of their immediate society and country at large.
While maintaining that the late monarch diligently served God and his people until his last days on earth, Odubogun said the late monarch, who died at a private hospital in London on July 28, 2015, lived an ideal and purposeful life.
Taking his sermon from the book of Psalm, chapter 112, the cleric tasked Nigerians, most especially relatives of the late Ooni, to imbibe his lifestyle of service to humanity and God, with a view to attaining eternal life.
According to Odubogun, “the late Ooni lived well and died well. He was a follower of Christ. I had personal relationship with him when he was alive,” just as he described the world as transient in nature, adding that death remains the only inevitable end of all mortals.