Gbenro Adesina
The remains of the late Oyo State Commissioner for Environment and former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Kehinde Ayoola was today interred at the Cemetery of the New Covenant Church, Eruwa Road, Ibadan.
In attendance at the funeral service were Governor Seyi Makinde and his cabinet members, current and serving legislators in the state, wife, Professor Kemi Ayoola and the two children of the deceased, Beeloluwawi and Folarin, family members including Mrs Taiwo Williams, Idowu Ayoola and Alaba Ehindero-Ayoola, friends and associates.
In his sermon, the Conference Pastor of the New Covenant Church, Odo-Ona, Ibadan, Reverend Kunle Balogun said that human beings need to make God their dwelling place in order to successfully soldier through life’s challenges.
He stated that human beings must always reverence God Almighty because He alone is the determinant of how far anyone goes in life, reading Psalm 90, he urged the congregation to learn from the experiences of Moses and the Israelites while in the wilderness.
Speaking on the topic “give us a heart of prayer”, Balogun said that every human being must note three things; life is brief, life is uncertain and death is certain.
The cleric said, “Life is brief, even if you have the opportunity to live a thousand years, by the eternity of God it is not up to one day. If man knows that his life is brief, he will live purposefully. Life is uncertain and there is no guarantee for tomorrow. Life is like a vapour which appears for a little while and vanishes so there is no certainty. It is God who makes tomorrow certain”.
He stated that for man to live purposeful life, he must make God his dwelling place, adding that the Israelites were able to live 40 years in the wilderness without being harmed by dangerous animals because they made God their dwelling place.
“Men must make God their dwelling place because that is why Israelites were able to live 40 years in the desert and were not destroyed”. he said.
The children of the deceased Commissioner, Beeloluwawi and Folarin read the first and second lessons of the day, while Folarin later gave the vote of thanks.
Earlier, the 9th Oyo State House of Assembly held a special valedictory legislative sitting in honour of the deceased, where the legislators took turn to shower encomium on him.
In his tribute, Speaker Debo Ogundoyin, who noted that it was hard to say goodbye to the deceased said, “But we take solace in the fact that the late patriot lived well, and committed all he had to humanity, contributing to the growth of people around him and pursuing the development of Oyo State till his last breathe”.
Ogundoyin described Ayoola as a dogged politician, stressing that the good things he did would not be forgotten, promising that the Assembly under his leadership would not abandon the nuclear family he left behind.
Other legislators including Honourable Abiodun Fadeyi, Minority Leader, Asimiu, Honourable Emmanuel Adelowo, Olagunju Ojo, and Chief of Staff, Chief Bisi Ilaka described the deceased as a strategist, kind hearted, amiable, selfless person, who was dedicated to service to humanity.
