The Matriarch of the Arogunmasa, Ebajemito, and Fadipe-Aisoni Dynasties of Ogori and Magongo in Ogori-Magongo Local Government Area of Kogi State, Princess Esther Adefolakemi Arogunmasa, has finally been laid to rest amid tributes.
Mrs. Arogunmasa, who passed away at the age of 107 on September 12, 2023, in Ogori, was laid to rest on October 20, 2023, at the Cathedral of St. Peter’s Anglican Church cemetery in Ogori.
Earlier, at the well-attended church service on Friday, October 20, Ven. Edward Makafan Adegbola, taking his message from Revelation 7:9–end, admonished the gathering on the need to avoid dealings that endanger a good life and longevity in Christ.
He described the deceased centenarian as a dedicated Christian and a mother to all, whose benevolence, like that of Dorcas in the Bible, extended beyond her relatives.
The first public gathering to kick-start the burial rites of Princess Esther Adefolakemi Arogunmasa began on Wednesday evening, October 18, with a family Praise Night at the Arogunmasa Compound on Enibe Street, Ogori, Kogi State. The event was marked by an avalanche of testimonies and tributes.
The Wednesday Praise Night included a message from the Bible, praises, and worship to God for a fulfilled life well spent.
Among the dignitaries present, who were also obviously family members, were the patriarch of the Arogunmasa Dynasty and a retired civil servant from the old Kwara State, Pa Olufemi Oki; a former lecturer at Ibrahim Badamosi University Lapai (IBBUL), Dr. Akpara; and the Otaru Udeji Okeka Idu of Ogoriland, His Royal Highness (HRH), Ven. Amos Abisoye Oyedele.
Others included family members and relatives from Ogori, Magongo, Okene, Lokoja, Abuja, Akure, Ibadan, and Lagos, among others.
Children and grandchildren of the deceased, including Mr. Sunday Ezekiel Arogunmasa, Mrs Eunice Ojo, and Mrs. Joy Alao, among numerous others, were all present at the event.
The Praise Night was anchored by Rev. Canon Isaac Arogunmasa, one of the children of the late matriarch, and it began with an opening prayer by Pastor Ebenezer Adurokiya of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), in charge of House of Favour Area, Oyo Province 18, Ibadan, Oyo State.
Thereafter, a lively singing and dancing session of choruses and praises to God led by the wife of Rev. Canon Arogunmasa, Shola, followed.
A session of testimonies and tributes with an outpouring of encomiums for the good deeds of the departed centenarian ensued.
Opening the floodgates of testimonies and tributes was a senior civil servant at the Ogori-Magongo Local Government Area Secretariat, Akpafa, Mr Clement Adebija, who is a close friend of one of the sons of the late matriarch, Pastor Pharm. Osieyih Oseborega.
Mr Adebija, who praised the extreme generosity and non-discriminatory character of the late centenarian, described her as a caring mother to all.
“She gave food to people’s children she never knew from Adam. She cared for everyone, irrespective of where they came from. She was also like her husband, the late Pa David Arogunmasa. She had good children too,” Mr. Adebija, popularly known as Akpos, noted.
In his tributes, Dr Akpara, who is also an in-law of the late matriarch, was short of words to describe her.
“Mama was a mother to all. She was a family woman who cared about the extended family and even her in-laws. She constantly asked about my wife. She recognised people and acknowledged them. She loved God,” the former secondary school teacher disclosed.
Mrs Dorcas Awolumate, the wife of the former principal of Community Comprehensive High School, Ogori, LSF Jacob Awolumate, described Mama as a god-fearing woman.
“She was a good, regular tither. She moved both God and man. She asked after her family members. She was exemplary in her walk with God,” she noted.
A neighbour of the late matriarch, Mrs Esther Osagiri, presented her testimonies and tributes with immense pleasure and vivacity.
While recounting instances of her good deeds, she declared, “I pray to be like her. She ended up well. She was a wonderful mother to us all.”
Princess Arogunmasa was a double princess, with her father being a former king in Magongo and her mother a princess in Ogori. One of her nephews, Mr. Aminu Muraina, represented the Ebajemito Royal Dynasty from Magongo at the event.
According to him, “Mama was younger than my mom, with the same father from Magongo. She liked Ekpase. One thing about the Ebajemito dynasty is that they live long. They are very neat, courteous, well-mannered, respectful, and hardly fall ill. They take after their father. She didn’t lead a questionable life. I advised the children to unite,” he said.
In his tributes and exhortations, the Otaru Udeji Okeka Idu, Rev. Oyedele, said the late centenarian increased in substance and in the attitude of giving.
Describing Mama as someone who didn’t allow material wealth to impoverish her soul, the cleric and traditional ruler said she was a true lover of God and humanity, as evidenced by all the testimonials.
“The testimonials so far rendered here are all true. Mama increased in substance as well as in giving. She’s been doing that since we were small.
“I usually come to eat at her place. Mama was a giver. There were people who had more than Mama and yet did not give. The profit is that people flock around them.
“Mama left in a wonderful way. She sent signals to everyone close to her when she was about to leave.
“Mama was not sick. She cooked that day. I think Mama was more than 107. We just gave her 107. She was still sharp in her brain. Her sight and appetite were intact. Mama would see me off outside the house,” Rev. Oyedele, who received the Otaru Udeji Okeka Idu title in April this year, noted.
He urged the gathering to emulate the life of the late matriarch, especially in her love and service to God and humanity, her life of absolute decency, contentment, moderation, and dedication to God.
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