Egba chief, Olumide, buried amid controversy

Apagun_OlumideAMID controversy, the remains of an Egba High Chief, Apagun Oluwole Olumide, who reportedly committed suicide at the weekend, were buried at his Ita-Eko, Abeokuta residence yesterday amidst wailings.

His remains were committed to mother earth after a funeral service conducted by Rev. Benjamin Obaselu of the Imo, Abeokuta Methodist Church where the deceased worshipped till his death.

The burial service, which was scheduled to begin at noon, did not take off until 2.55 p.m. The Guardian learnt that the delay was due to Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s insistence that an autopsy be conducted on the body to determine the cause of his death before burial.

The governor’s decision might not be unconnected with the controversy surrounding the death of the businessman, particularly the rumour that the deceased might have been murdered, contrary to report that he committed suicide. Though a faction of the deceased’s family was said to have argued that the autopsy was not necessary, it was still conducted at the Psychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, by experts. Journalists however could not get the result of the autopsy.

The cleric, in his short sermon, said death was inevitable for every human being, noting that whatever wealth one acquired in life, he would leave it when he breath his last, “therefore, it is wiser for wealthy people and those in positions of authority to use their wealth to impact on the life of the ordinary people.”

“We will all die one day. That is why it is wiser for all of us to live Godly life and also use our wealth to impact on the life of the less-privileged.

“Whatever a man sows, he will reap. No one will sow cocoyam and later reap plantain. This is why it is important that we pay attention to how we live our lives. We should always remember that one day we will sleep and we will not wake up so we should be mindful of how we live our lives,” the cleric said.

Among those who attended the funeral were Chief Alani Bankole, father of the former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole; Segun Taiwo; former governor, Gbenga Daniel; former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola; Chief Bola Kuforiji-Olubi; Chief Tunji Sarafa Ishola and the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNNAB), Prof. Olaiya Balogun.

Olumide’s body, in a motorcade, arrived at his Ita-Eko house in an ambulance marked Lagos TOS 5 at 2.55 p.m. Some of the sympathisers had been waiting at his house since 11.00 a.m. The remains of Olumide were committed to mother earth at exactly 3.35 p.m.