By Ola ‘Kiya, Reporting
THE first public gathering to kick-start the funeral rites of Princess Esther Adefolakemi Arogunmasa began on Wednesday evening with a family Praise Night at Arogunmasa Compound, Enibe Street, Ogori, Kogi State, amid an avalanche of testimonies and tributes.
Otaru Udeji Okeka Idu of Ogoriland, His Royal Highness (HRH), Ven. Amos Abisoye Oyedele delivering the word
Recall that the matriarch of Arogunmasa, Ebajemito and Fadipe-Aisoni Dynasties gloriously passed on September 12, 2023 at the age of 107.
Dr Akpara
The Wednesday Praise Night was garnished with a message from the Bible, praises and worship to God for a a fulfilled life well spent.
Among dignitaries present who were also obviously family members included the patriarch of the Arogunmasa Dynasty and retired civil servant from the old Kwara State, Pa Olufemi Oki, 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.
Abuja friends
Others included family members and relatives from Ogori, Magongo, Okene, Lokoja, Abuja, Akure, Ibadan, Lagos among others.
Children and grandchildren of the deceased including Mr Sunday Ezekiel Arogunmasa, Mrs Eunice Ojo, Mrs Joy Alao among numerous others were all on ground at the event.
Mr Aminu Muraina,
The Praise Night anchored by Rev. Canon Isaac Arogunmasa, one of the foster children of the late matriarch, 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.
Mrs Osagiri
Thereafter, a frenetic singing and dancing session of choruses and praises onto God led by wife of Rev. Canon Arogunmasa followed.
A session of testimonies and tributes with an outpour of encomiums to the good deeds of the departed centenarian ensued.
Mrs Awolumate
Opening the floodgates of testimonies and tributes was a senior civil servant at 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 relieved the extreme generosity and non-discriminatory character of the late centenarian, described her as a caring mother of all.
Mr Adegbija
“She gives food to people’s children she never knew from Adam. She cared for everyone irrespective of where you’re 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’s also an in-law to the late matriach was short of words to describe her.
Dr Akpara
“Mama was a mother-of-all. She was a family woman. She cared about the extended family. She care about even in-laws. She constantly asked after my wife. She recognises people and acknowledges them. She loved God,” the former secondary school teacher disclosed.
Pastor Pharm. Osieyih Oseborega.
Wife of former principal of Community Comprehensive High School, Ogori, LSF Jacob Awolumate, Mrs Dorcas Awolumate, described Mama as a god-fearing woman of God.
“She was a good, regular tither. She moved God and man. She asked after her family members. She was exemplary in her walk with God,” she noted.
Pa Oki
A neighbour of the late matriach, Mrs Esther Osagiri, presented her testimonies and tributes with immense pleasure and vivacity.
While rolling out instances of her good works, she declared: “I pray for her kind of person. I pray to end up like her. She ended well. She was a wonderful mother to us all ”
Princess Arogunmasa was a Double Princess, her father being a former king at Magongo, and her mom a princess in Ogori. One of her nephews, Mr Aminu Muraina, was on ground to represent the Ebajemito Royal Dynasty from Magongo at the event.
According to him, “Mama was younger to my mom, same father from Magongo. She liked Ekpase. One thing about the Ebajemito dynasty was that the day you think they’d die, they don’t die. They are very neat, courteous, well-mannered, respectful and hardly go under the weather. They took after their father. She didn’t leave a dirty life. I advised the children to unite,” he averred.
In his tributes and exultation which he foregrounded with the book of Ecclesiastes 5:10&11, the Otaru Udeji Okeka Idu, Rev. Oyedele, said the late centenarian increased in substance and attitude of giving.
Describing Mama as one 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 reeled out by all testifiers.
“The testimonies so far rendered here were all true. That mama increased in substance as well as in giving. She’s been doing that from when we were small.
“I usually come to eat at her place. Mana was a giver. There were people who had more than mama and yet do not give. The profit is people flock around them.
“Mama left in a wonderful way. She sent signals to everyone close to her when she was about to live.
“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, appetite were intact. Mama would see me off outside the house,” Rev Oyedele who bagged the Otaru Udeji Okeka Idu title April this year noted.
He urged the gathering to emulate the life of the late matriach especially in her love and service to God and humanity as well as her life life of absolute decency, contentment and moderation.
Meanwhile, the remains of Princess Esther Adefolakemi Arogunmasa will be conveyed to her residence for a lying-in-state Thursday morning and will be followed by a Christian Wake and Eregba Performance in the evening and night.
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