By Constaincia Uruakpa
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba (Dr.) Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III, has said that death is something humans should not be afraid of, as he urged them to accept the reality (death), which is an inevitable end. Oba Adeyemi stated this, when a delegation from the Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, and Oyo Diocese, led by Most Rev. (Dr.) Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, Bishop of Oyo Diocese, visited the monarch to commiserate with him, over the death of his brother, the Very Rev. Fr. Peter Olayiwola Adeyemi. In his tributes to his deceased brother, Oba Adeyemi noted that the fear of death and the unknown world tends to hold people back from living life as they should, as he urged them to look at death from a different perspective He said: “We all try to live a fulfilling life, but there is a great fear of death that tends to hold many people back from living the life they want to. It tends to be the unknown world that makes us be fearful of death, but when you start to look at death from a different perspective, it can clear away some of the fears.
“These quotes about life and death will remind you to live each day to the fullest and not to fear death so much. Life is such a wonderful gift; it makes me humble every single time I stop and think about it. Think about going to sleep and never waking up again.” The monarch urged people to cherish their family and friends, adding that this should be people’s first priority. In his address, Bishop Badejo described the late Fr. Adeyemi as a mentor, conscientious, awesome, and dedicated Priest, whose legacies would withstand the test of time”. Lamenting on the loss, and recalling how he benefitted from the teachings and mentoring of the deceased, the bishop prayed God to grant the family fortitude to bear the loss. Speaking on the occasion, the retired Archbishop of Methodist Church Nigeria, His Eminence, Most Reverend Lawrence Ayo Ladugbolu, said Fr. Adeyemi was caring and committed brother and minister of God, whose passion and resilience for human resources development should be source of inspiration to the younger generation.
Very Rev. Msgr. Anthony Obanla, Chancellor, Catholic Archdiocese, of Lagos, and representative of Archbishop of Lagos, Most Reverend (Dr.) Alfred Adewale Martins, and His Eminence, Anthony Cardinal Okogie, read a letter of condolence from the Lagos Archdiocese, which was presented to Oba Adeyemi. Funeral arrangements are as follows: Thursday, May, 20, 2021, 6pm, Vigil Mass at St. Joseph, Catholic Church, Elegbeta, Lagos Island, Lagos. Friday, May 21, 2021, 10am, Funeral Mass at the Holy Cross Cathedral, Lagos. Interment follows immediately after Mass at the Cathedral in Ikoyi Cemetery, Lagos.” Those in attendance included, Very Rev. Fr. Mathew Ogunyase, Chairman, Catholic Priests in Yoruba land; Very Rev. Fr. Stephen Akinsowon, Dean, Ajah Deanery, Lekki, Lagos and Secretary, Priests Welfare Committee, Lagos Archdiocese, among others. The late Fr. Adeyemi was ordained a priest on November 30, 1975
