A
large crowd came out to receive the remains of the renowned preacher and
Founder, World Soul Winning Evangelical Ministry, Prophet Timothy
Obadare, at the Asejire border of Osun State, on Thursday.
The hearse, bearing the late preacher’s
corpse, arrived the Asejire border from the Ibadan area of Oyo State
amidst singing and drumming by hundreds of relatives, admirers and WOSEM
members.
The scorching afternoon sun did not
deter the crowd, made up of the young and the old, from dancing and
singing Christian songs in celebration of the passage of Obadare.
Overwhelmed by emotion, some people in the crowd broke down in tears, even as some sang Obadare’s favourite songs.
Donning T-shirts bearing the picture and
name of the late evangelist, many people in the crowd recalled the
deeds of the late prophet.
Osun State Commissioner for Home
Affairs, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Sikiru Ayedun, who received the
corpse, said, “Osun will celebrate Prophet Obadare because he symbolises
integrity, spiritual essence and commitment.”
He said a total of N35m had been donated by the government for the burial of the late cleric.
Giving a breakdown of the sum, Ayedun
said N10m of the N35m would be spent on logistics, while another N10m
would be spent on making the burial place a befitting one.
The commissioner said a 14-member committee had also been set up for the burial, which would commence on Thursday.
He said a funeral service would hold on
Friday at Osogbo Stadium, Osogbo, before the funeral hearse would leave
for Ilesa, for a lying-in-state.
Ayedun said Obadare would be buried at Ileki in Ilesa, on Saturday.
The state Commissioner for Finance,
Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Wale Bolorunduro, said Obadare
deserved to be celebrated because he was a global religious icon, who
projected the state and people of Osun in good light.
Bolorunduro, who is a member of the
burial committee, said, “The late Obadare was not only a religion icon,
he was an institution, who was a blessing to the world. He was a link
between the present and the future.
“He was a spiritual warrior, who brought
succour to people through his biblical exploits. The burial arrangement
is part of Osun State Government’s tourism development agenda.”{Punch}
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