One of the Chiefs of the Alaafin of Oyo, in Oyo Town of Oyo State, Pa. Moses Oyedele Ogunmola, who founded the famous Ladigbolu Grammar School, Oyo, is dead.
According to Sunday Telegraph, Chief Ogunmola died Sunday afternoon, November 26 at the age of 95.
Chief Ogunmola, the Otun of Oyo and a former Nigeria’s Ambassador to Congo and some other East African countries between 1979-1983, gave up the ghost few hours after the executives of the Old Students Association of the school visited him in his Akeetan residence yesterday morning and presented him with a plaque, in commemoration of their Reunion programme which was rounded off with a Thanksgiving Service at the First Baptist Church, Isokun, Oyo yesterday.
The church service had hardly ended when news of the demise of the Proprietor of the Alma Mater was broken to them. He was said to have died shortly after he was conveyed to a private health facility in Ibadan.
Pa Ogunmola established Ladigbolu Grammar School in 1965 and built structures on it until the Military Government took over its administration in 1976. The feat of the successful establishment earned him the title of Asiwaju of Oyo from the then Alaafin Siyanbola Ladigbolu and he was later installed as Otun of Oyo by the late Alaafin Lamidi Adeyemi III.
According to one of Papa’s sons, Wale Ogunmola, a lawyer and former Chairman of Oyo West Local Government, the nonagenarian breathed his last after speaking with his children.
The Old Students Association of Ladigbolu Grammar School had in their Reunion ceremony on Saturday elected a new executive with a former Principal of the School, Mrs. Abigael Ojoawo (1975 Set), taking over from Dr. Olubisi Oke (1981 Set), as President-General Worldwide of the Association. The duo had been accompanied by another former National President, Seye Amusat, to present an award to Papa.
According to Dr. Oke, “Baba collected the alumni gift we presented to him with his hands and later prayed for us. Surprisingly, we heard few hours later that Baba has passed on. May his soul rest in perfect peace”, he prayed.
According to the family, the burial service of Pa Ogunmola will hold on Monday, the 27th, of November by 3.00 p.m. at the First Baptist Church, Isokun, Oyo.
The former Ambassador was a Chairman of the old Oyo Local Government, as well as, that of Western Nigeria Development Commission, WNDC (now Odu’a).
Early callers at Pa Ogunmola’s residence was one of the Princes of the late Alaafin of Oyo, who is currently the House of Representatives member for Oyo Federal Constituency, Hon. Akeem Adeyemo (a.k.a. Skimeh).
In his short tribute, Chief Francis Adedayo Taiwo, (93), a Civil Engineer and the Ekarun of Oyo, who is the last man standing among the seven that were installed by Late Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemo III, commiserated with the family, praying God to grant his late colleague eternal rest and fortitude for the family to bear the irreparable loss.
