Pa Ogunleye, father of FCT Minister’s press director laid to rest amid eulogies

FAVOUR ISHEMBER, Abuja 

The body of the late Lawrence Fele Ogunleye was laid to rest in his country home, Ijurin-Ekiti, Ijero Local Government Area, Ekiti State, on Friday, 14th April 2023.

Pa Ogunleye, the father of Anthony Akin Ogunleye, Director of Press, office of the FCT Minister, died at the age of 92 on 6th April 2023 in Abuja.

Eulogies and calls for emulation of the virtues of the deceased started pouring in from the requiem service at St. Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Wuse, Zone 2, Abuja, Tuesday 11, through the wake keep in his Ijurin-Ekiti compound, Thursday 13, to the funeral mass and a visit to the Oba of Ijurin-Ekiti.

Leading the funeral mass at St. George’s Catholic Church, Ijurin-Ekiti, Bishop of Ekiti Diocese, Felix Femi Ajakaye extolled the virtues of late Ogunleye and implored his children, relatives and congregation to emulate him. 

He stated that while death was an inescapable passage to eternal life, the time and the manner it would occur was however unknown to humans, hence the imperative for all human beings to live well.

According to him, living well was akin to “living a responsible life that shows you have a relationship with God, a life that signifies your love for your faith and for humanity.” 

He stressed: “Live the way you want to die and die the way you lived. It is not your presence in the church or mosque that tells how well you are living your life. 

“Live a life that can reflect the goodness of God anywhere, whoever you are…that is what it means to live and die in Christ.”  

Represented by the Diocese’s Vicar General, Felix Temitope Odesanmi, the Bishop said: “Baba was an excellent man. He was a man of the community. He was a Catholic to the core.”

“He wasn’t just a knight by the uniformity or emblem. He was a soldier for Christ.” 

“He lived in Christ and died in Christ, meaning he would live forever. He lived a disciplined life, a committed life, and a  responsible life; in fact, everything positive was associated with Papa Oynleye.” 

Similarly, the Ojurin of Ijurin-Ekiti, Oba Joachim Afolabi, while eulogising Pa Ogunleye, stated that Anthony Ogunleye was “a replica of his father – simple, honest, humble, down to earth and hospitable.” 

The royal father of Ijurin said this when the chief mourner, Ogunleye led members of the FCT Minister’s Press Corps and Federal Capital Territory Administration staff to pay him a courtesy visit in his residence.

Oba Afolabi, having had a self-introduction of the large delegation and seen that it was composed of almost all the states of the federation, appealed for love for one another and understanding of all Nigerians, saying it was the only way we could benefit from the country’s development. 

Urging the visitors to always live in love and peace, the royal father appealed: “Let the love continue so we can all benefit. Let there be peace among Nigerians. We brought nothing to this world and we won’t take anything away” and advised Nigerians to imbibe the spirit of forgiveness. 

In his response, Anthony Ogunleye re-echoed that his father was “an epitome of honesty, integrity, dignity and honour. He was an honourable man. He was a man who lived his life with simplicity and dignity.”

Ogunleye noted that though Papa was a civil servant who rose to a very senior level, he didn’t allow that to impact him or his children negatively.

“He was a committed Christian as well as a committed teacher,” he added. 

“He stopped teaching around 1980 and so many of his students are now emeritus professors, including the Rev. Father who preached at his wake keep. 

“He was a committed family member, a committed community member, he loved his village, he loved his people, he loved his wife.

“As his children, there is nothing we can do but live our lives the way he lived. He has not left an easy path for us to follow, but by the grace of God, we are going to be able to walk in his shoes, very big shoes.” 

Corroborating the Oba, Ogunleye said: “Just like Kabiesi said, my father was a man who preached unity and peace across every segment of the country because he worked in many parts of the country, including Kaduna, Maiduguri, Jos, Sokoto and Abuja before he retired in 1994, 29 years ago.

“Throughout these years, he has remained active in so many ways – in the community, church, in raising and playing with his grandchildren.

“He was indeed a great man and the greatest honour we can do to him is to live our lives the way he lived his own. That’s the lesson for all of us, let us emulate the kind of life Papa lived.”

Commenting on how Pa Ogunleye’s profession impacted the children and community, Anthony Ogunleye said: “My father was a civil servant of the old stock, not of the new generation.”

“A lot of things I tell my father today, he cannot comprehend. He would simply say: ‘This is not how things were done. This is not how things ought to be done, but sadly, that is how they are”. 

He disclosed that the deceased got many awards, even at the highest level, as he rose to the highest level in the Ministry of Education, where he started as a class teacher in the 1960s, teaching many in towns nearby Ijurin-Ekiti, including the father of the Vicar General who led his funeral mass.

“So you can imagine the impact he made here. The life he lived was an exemplary life and the people he impacted are so many. 

“If we imbibe his virtues and emulate him, not only our lives will be better but the country as a whole will also be better”, he said.  

Late Lawrence Fele Ogunleye left behind many loved ones, including his wife, Mrs Margaret Ogunleye, five children and 11 grandchildren.