Islamic cleric and Chief Imam of Aliiwo Central Mosque, Ibadan, Oyo State, Alhaji Moshood Giwa, has charged Nigerians to live their lives to please their Creator.
He said doing this would make them to enjoy the grace of eternal commendation by their Creator whenever the end comes, noting that the end comes unexpected in most cases.
The Islamic cleric made this the key point of the sermon at the 41-Day Fidau Prayer for the late 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Sen Lekan Balogun, Alli Okunmade II.
Oba Balogun joined his ancestors on the 14th of March after a brief illness and was buried the following day at the family’s burial site within the Aliiwo Compound.
The late 42nd Olubadan, a seasoned politician and academic, lived for 81 years and reigned for just two years as the Olubadan.
He stressed that the certainty of that assertion is incontrovertible, adding that the fact that both Aljanat and Janamah exist side-by-side is as sure as death itself.
Reading from the Holy Quran to buttress his views, the Islamic cleric said: “Both the two heavens cannot be missed by any mortal when judgment is pronounced by our maker and the owner of both heaven and earth.
“Whatever one does here determines which of the two heavens is allotted on the day of judgment which is why it is very important to live rightly to please the Almighty Allah so as to enjoy His favour at the close of the creation.”
On the late Olubadan, the Islamic cleric recalled that the family members were deeply pained that his reign was so short, but were thankful to the Almighty Allah for his life and times when peoples’ comments were taken into consideration.
“We became elated and our sorrow evaporated with the torrents of accolades that trailed his demise.
“We are very much convinced that our beloved son has gone to rest peacefully in Aljanat, going by the reports of good deeds people made and are still making about him,” the Islamic cleric added.
The eldest of the surviving wives of the late Oba Balogun, Olori Olayinka, who reacted on behalf of the immediate family, described the last 41 days without their patriarch as a nightmare.
She said the immediate family members still feel they were in a dreamland, still trying to grapple with the reality of the eternal exit of their symbol of love and oneness.
Olori Olayinka Balogun however expressed gratitude to the extended family and several others who had continued to share in their grief in the last 41 days.
“We thank God for a fulfilled life lived by our late husband, though still feel pained that he left us so suddenly.
“We are very encouraged by the outpouring of encomiums on our departed hero and ready to forge ahead, lifting aloft his legacies of service to humanity,” she added.
Olori Olufunmilayo Balogun, along with other family members, was also in attendance at the Fidau Prayer, held at the Aliiwo Central Mosque.
Three members of the Olubadan Advisory Council -Oba Tajudeen Ajibola (Ọtun Balogun), Oba Hamidu Ajibade (Ekerin Olubadan) and Oba Abiodun Azeez (Ekarun Balogun), also graced the occasion.
Also among the congregation were some of the baales and mogajis, as well as some of the executive committee members of the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII), led by the President-General, Mr Niyi Ajewole.
