Kunle ADELABU
Former President, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), and the Asiwaju of Ikorodu Kingdom, Chief Babatunde Olusola Benson, SAN, LLD (h.c), KJW, has paid tribute to the late Pa Samuel Abiodun Ogunwomoju (a.k.a Oluwomoju) (1915 – 2019) who had the enviable record of being the first student to pass Standard Six examination in Ikorodu in 1933.
The tribute by Asiwaju Benson is one of the tributes in the burial brochure of the deceased who died on March 5, 2019, at age 104
Chief Benson is the Chairman, Band of Hope, a Christian Society at the Patriarch Bolaji Methodist Church, Ita-Elewa, Ikorodu.
THE IMPACT has the singular honour to have gotten a copy of the tribute which was written by Chief Benson, who is a foremost lawyer, nationalist, and also community builder.
Below is the tribute:
“It is a great privilege for me to write this tribute about an ICON of a person, who was born on the 20th of June 1915.
“History has recorded about him in 1992 during the Centenary Celebration of Johnson Memorial Methodist Cathedral, lta-Elewa, Ikorodu. Pa Ogunwomoju was a student of Wesleyan School in 1933.
“The School progressed and in 1933, the Wesleyan School, as the leading Primary School in Ikorodu, fielded its first set of standard six pupils for the Government Standard Six Examination. Only one student, Master Samuel Abiodun Ogunwomoju, passed. He later left for Lagos for further studies. Mr. S.A. Ogunwomoju was one of the active members of the Church and he was also a class leader”.
“Pa. Ogunwomoju did not only remain a class leader, he nurtured a number of us to be leaders in the Church. He was the Chairman of the Band of Hope but insisted that the society remain alive as he insisted that it should not die by renaming it as -KOGBODOKU”. At an advanced age, he voluntarily stepped aside and made me the chairman of the society and insisted that we have our annual general meeting to be celebrated in his house at his expense.
“This was on COVENANT SUNDAY when he mixed with all the members and our family. By the Grace of God, the Band of hope is still existing and vibrant.
“We pray that his family will be together and continue to relate to us. In particular, we pray for his son; BOLAJI, who is our Vice Chairman, that he will be blessed by God and should be granted long life like his father and we pray that Papa’s nuclear and extended families will continue to be together. Amen.
“May His gentle Soul Rest in Perfect peace. Amen”, he prayed.
Pa Ogunwomoju until his death was the Baba Ijo, CAC (WOSEM), Igbogbo, Grand patron of Ikorodu Diocese, Methodist Church of Nigeria (MCN), Olootu (head) of Onolu, Lisaku, Egun-Aiya, and Olusarada Descendant families.
The burial arrangement for Pa Ogunwomoju will start on Tuesday, July 23, 2019, with Service of Songs at his residence at Igbe in Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area, while the Lying-in-State and Christian Wake Keep are slated for Thursday, July 25, also at his residence.
The burial service will hold at Patriarch Bolaji Methodist Church, Ita-Elewa, Ikorodu, on Friday, July 26, 2019.
The remains of late Pa Ogunwomoju will be interred at Ojokoro Cementary, along Sagamu Road, Ikorodu, immediately after church service.
