The remains of Pastor Michael Sobowale have been interred at Atan Cemetery, Yaba, Lagos Mainland. It was preceded by a funeral service at The Redeemed Christian Church of God (Glory Worship Centre) Yaba. OCHUKO ETABE reports.
It was a minor domestic accident to which many did not pay much attention. It was expected that in no time, he would be well, but he died, shocking his family and friends. Pastor Michael Ajani Sobowale, the shepherd of The Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Praise Palace, Oko-Oba died on February 17. He was 42.
After a funeral service at the RCCG (Glory Worship Centre), Pastor Sobowale’s remains were interred at Atan Yaba, Lagos Mainland, Cemetery.
The deceased’s business associates and close friends were there to pay their last respects. They wore a sombre look. His wife wept profusely and refused to be consoled. Her husband of 11years died at the prime of his age. They had three children.
At the church entrance, there was a banner and the portrait of the deceased. The messages on it were emotional and poetic.
They read:
Don’t grieve for me, for now I am free.
I am following the path God laid for me,
I took His hands when I heard Him call,
I turn my back and left it all.
I could not stay another day to laugh, to love, to work or play.
Task left undone must stay that way,
I found that place at the close of day.
The funeral service was attended by many RCCG Lagos Province 17 pastors. Among those who presided over the ceremony were Pastors Remi Oluboba, Seyi Adeniji, Bosun Akintobi and Iyiola Olayori. The service was coordinated by Pastor Wale Talabi.
A day earlier, a service of songs held at Praise Palace, New Oko-oba, Agege, Lagos was attended by the management and staff of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) where Pastor Sobowale held sway before his departure as the company’s West and Central African Regional Human Resource Director.
The GSK officials include Mr Sameer Goel (South Africa); Madike Seye (Ghana), Qumar Kebe (Cote D’Ivoire) Fariha Salaudeen; (Turkey) among other attendees.
The widow, Omosola was dressed in a ash colour attire. She sat with her children beside her. The wives of other clerics sat beside her as they took their seats at the front rows of the church.
As the solemn music We Shall Gather at the River crafted in the air, the remains of the deceased, placed in a brown casket, lined with silver epaulettes were brought into the church and placed on a white table before the widow and her children.
Pastor Oluboba who gave the sermon entitled; ‘it is a matter of choice‘ drew his message from the Bible. Oluboba described life as a race which must surely end, adding that the deceased had served his term, leaving the rest of the task to others.
‘’Pastor Mike has done his own part. He worked with God successfully in the ministry, and rose to the highest position of his career at 42,’’ he said.
Sobowale’s colleagues, Pastor Akin Akinwole described him as a goal getter, an embodiment of humility.
“Whatever he laid his hands on in the work of the ministry, he always achieved it,’’ he said.
Many gave their tributes of the deceased, describing him in superlative terms.
Pastor Akintunde, who read Sobowale’s profile, described him as a man who had true callings to work in God’s vineyard.
The late Sobowale was a first-class graduate of Actuarial Science from the University of Lagos. He joined Cadbury Nigeria Plc as a Management trainee; he became Human Resource Officer in 1995 till he rose to become Human Resource Service Manager.
Under his leadership, he led the first African Global Human Resorces performance benchmarking, by producing an Executives scorecard for the Cadbury Schweppes operating companies across the globe. He equally worked with Guinness Nigeria Plc before teaming up with GSK as Human Resource Director, the position he held till his death. The late Sobowale won the Young Best Manager awards. He would be remembered for being one of the highest financial contributors in his parish.
