IF I WERE THE PREACHER AT DARAMOLA'S FUNERAL
                                                                      By
                                                           Dr Bayo Olowolaju

Let's Pray:
ur Father and our LORD, we give you praise for the opportunity you gave us to have our son, our brother, husband, father and friend; Ayodeji Daramola. We thank you for the good life he lived. We thank you for the good work he did, for which we will continue to remember him for good. We commend the wife, the children, other family members, friends and colleagues to you this moment and ask that you comfort us all. We ask that you will be the husband of the widow and the father of the fatherless. Give us all, O LORD, the courage and fortitude to accept and bare this irreparable loss that we cannot change. We thank you that while Ayo was here, he did not live without you. You counted him worthy of being your own. By the special grace you bestowed on him, we are assured that he is now in your presence in a secured life eternal. It is this that is causing us not to mourn like the world but rejoicing in his home going. For those who have not known and accepted you, LORD, use this opportunity to bring them into your family, so that we will all meet at your feet when our own life here will be over. Amen.

Illustration:
There stood at the center of my dad's cocoa farm in those days, a huge but crooked Mahogany tree. Because of the excessive shade it provided, annually we spent extra time, money and labor in preventing or curing black pod diseases on the cocoa trees under the tree. One day, I asked my dad, why we did not cut this tree down and make some planks from it. My father replied: "Igi to ba dara ki ipe nigbo" A good tree does not last long in the bush. Much later, I realized that the tree was so crooked that no plank of value could be made out of it. This is besides many cocoa trees it will destroy if cut down. If that tree were to be tall, straight and robust, it would have long been gone, cut down and made into plants by timber merchants roaming about the bushes looking for good trees.

Yes, do you know that in the same way most good people don't last long? Like the merchants of timber, Satan, the merchant of death, roams about looking for people to devour. And I bet you, he will not touch his own people who are even more crooked than that mahogany tree in my father's farm. Remember, he comes to steal, kill and destroy. The good news is that the good tree that was cut in the forest only changes its appearance into more beautiful items like furniture that people will adore and cherish more. The same goes for the righteous that is cut down on earth that only changes appearance. He changed this sinful wretched flesh into a glorified body to live eternally where he is cared for and ministered to by the angels. I am talking about our own Dr. Ayodeji Daramola.

Bible Passage: John 21: 25 -26
Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" About two miles from Jerusalem, in a little town called Bethany; there lived about two thousand years ago Martha, Mary and their brother Lazarus. They were friends of Jesus. One day, Lazarus was serious sick and Mary and Martha sent for Jesus, presumably to come and heal Lazarus. Jesus did not get there until after Lazarus was died and buried for four days. When Jesus arrived, Martha said to him: Lord, if you had been here on time, my brother would not have died but Jesus replied, "Your brother will rise again." Martha had thought that Jesus was talking about the resurrection of the last day, which most Jews like her believed in. Jesus then spoke the great truth saying: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die." Interestingly, Jesus asked if she believed.

Brothers and sisters let us put ourselves in the shoes of Martha and Mary. What would have been our reactions to that statement and question from Jesus without a precedent? Maybe, anger, doubt and plain unbelief in our hearts? But supposed we had heard that shortly before Jesus got to our house; in another little town called Nain, he had resurrected another man from a funeral procession and gave him live to his widowed mom. Maybe some hope, faith and expectancy? Yes, of course, there is always hope if we have faith in Jesus.

Yes, Mary and Martha had hope in Jesus because they believed in Him. They had faith in Him. That was why Martha said: "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You" (John 21: 21-22) That is a statement of hope and faith in Jesus. Though they mourned and even Jesus joined in the mourning by crying but they did not mourn like people without hope. At the end, their hope was not hopeless because the Lord's power is endless. Jesus later called Lazarus out of the tomb and he walked out alive.

To the wife, children, family, friends and enemies of Dr. Ayodeji Daramola, the good news we have here today is that by the power and authority in the name of Jesus Christ, Dr. Ayodeji Daramola will rise again. I am merely echoing the affirmative statement of Jesus. Though like all us, Ayo was conceived and born in sin and lived in sin for a while but because he was predestined for salvation, he had a rebirth. He was born again; this time not of the corruptible blood of a man and woman but of the cleansing and righteous blood of the Lamb, who came to take away the sins of the world - JESUS the CHRIST. This process has nothing to do with the good work that Ayo did but because of the mercy and grace of God through faith in Jesus. Ayo was redeemed in the redeeming blood of Jesus. He believed in Jesus and His finished work on the cross for him. So, Jesus was talking to Ayodeji Daramola when about two thousand years ago, in the little town of Bethany, he said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die."

Today, we are all gathered because to us Dr. Ayodeji Daramola is dead. Is that true? But Jesus said he shall live. Do you believe, Jesus asked; two thousand years ago. I am asking today. Ayodeji is living today because he died as a believer in Jesus Christ. To die and live to die no more is part of the mysteries of a relationship with God through Christ Jesus. If you ask me where he is now and why we cannot see him, my answer simple is.

Firstly, Ayodeji is in a place where he is enjoying the rewards of his righteousness through faith in Jesus while here on earth. Because he is no longer a sinner, he has been separated from the rest of us who are still sinners. Out of about six billion people still living today, none of us is righteous; no, no one; the Bible says. The Bible says that absence from the body for believers is immediate presence with the LORD. Ayo is absent from our midst today because he is now absent from his body which lies before us. He has been translated into the presence of God where he will labor and weary no more; where he will hunger and thirst no more; where he will change his clothes and shoes no more; no more aches and pains. No more fear of guns and bullets and knives. No more pleading of please don't kill me, please don't kill me. "E joo ma pami, ejoo mapa mi", which were his last words here. No more enemies or hatred by over ambitious politicians. He will no longer need the police security protection that the powers that be here on earth denied him. He is now enjoying the protection of the heavenly host - the innumerable company of angels. Is that not awesome? Is that not wonderful and something we should rejoice about? Hallelujah. Thank God. Yes. Thank you for saying Amen.

Can any good thing come out of this horrific event that brings us here today? I will not wait for you before I say YES. As hard as it might seem, there is no pain without gain. As a counselor, I am trained to always look for the hidden good in every crisis, as there is no crisis that will not provide inherent opportunities for something good. No wonder God says; And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Roman 8: 28).

Please listen very well. God says that ALL things, not only GOOD things, work together for the good of those who love Him and to those who are called according to His purpose. All things may include what we don't want some of the times like death. No wonder the same God says that: "Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints" (Psalm 116:15), which is why it is better for the saint to die before the days of his calamity. If we believe God and His word, then, something good should come from the death of Dr. Ayodeji Daramola. Many good things came out of the death of Lazarus?


It gave Jesus another opportunity to show believers that He has conquered death for us. It was a practical demonstration of the power and purpose of the coming of Jesus; "to destroy the work of the devil" (John 3: 8). That even if we die, we shall live eternally in Him. Remember, it was not the original intention of God that we die. It is the devil who brought death when he brought sin to man.

Many of the Jews with Mary believed in Jesus and were therefore redeemed.

It gave us another chance to see the Man Jesus besides the Lord Jesus. We should remember that Jesus was human and divine for a purpose ordained by God. Part of which is that if He was not Man, He would not have been able to die and it is only in His death that those of us who believe in Him can live for ever. It is also because he was human that Jesus wept. This demonstrates the biblical injunction for empathy; to rejoice with those rejoicing and cry with those who are crying.
Now, let's directly ask ourselves the same question. Will any thing good come out of the death of Dr. Ayodeji Daramola? Yes. Thank you all for saying yes. Otherwise his death will be in vain. Only his killers and their sponsors will wish that. It is our responsibility to prove them dead wrong. I am sure they know already, that it is only their efforts that will be in vain. I will suggest some of the gains from the pains and eventual death of Ayodeji.


All those who mourn Dr. Ayodeji Daramola and who have not known the Lord should learn a lesson from his personal life and surrender their lives to God today. What he is enjoining now is not the number of mansions he built, or the cars he got or closets filled with clothes or the amount of money in his bank account. It is because he surrendered the governance of his life to Christ before it was too late. It is because he is a believer in and follower of Jesus Christ. If you are here today and you don't know God with an intimate relationship; if you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior like Ayodeji, the greatest thing you can do for yourself and for him now is to surrender your life to God by accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior. That is the only guarantee that you will meet him again. It profits you nothing to have the whole world and lose your soul. Everything minus Jesus is equal to nothing. The math formula for that is E - J =N.

To his immediate family I say rejoice and be proud that you have an example in which you can live and endear yourself to the hearts of God and people like your husband, father and brother. See this as an example of a good name being better than gold and silver. Therefore, resolve today to let the world know about your good name more than your bank account.

To his friends and associates, let the life of Ayo and the good testimonies that are following him to his grave pricks your consciousness; be challenged and resolved never to let the good work he has started in Ekiti stopped. Ayo from all accounts had a vision to remove and not just reduce the poverty of the people of Ekiti. He has passed the baton to you. Please finish the race for him. In his own word: "I want to renew the Ekiti spirit which is known for self esteem, dignity of labor, honesty, selfless service. This is because I am a product of help and therefore believe in lending a helping hand to others." This is a task that must be done but no longer by Ayo because he has rested from all his labor but by all of us who are genuine lovers of Ekiti. And not for what we can carry away either by robbery, fraud and stealing of her people's and Federal Allocations. Let us resolved to start today as we don't know when our own time will come.

We must all close ranks and our differences. Let us look for what unites us rather than those small things that divide us. Let us resolve here and now to always put the best interest of Ekiti as a land and people over and above our self aggrandizement or parochial interests. In other words, let us from now look out for what we can do for Ekiti and not what Ekiti can do for us. Therefore the cardinal manifesto of the political party and candidate that will rule Ekiti next should be, to enhance the self-esteem, dignity of labor, education, honesty and selfless service that the Ekiti people are known and respected for.

We must resolve never to allow cash and carry politics and politicians in our land again as the pains are more than the temporary gains; as it is so apparent now. We must resolve never to allow our people's vote, which is their conscience to be priced and bought again as the gains to the buyers are more than the pains of the sellers and their children

To our brother Ayodeji Daramola, I know that you can now hear and even see us; know that your death will never be in vain. You had the ambition to be the next governor of Ekiti state. I know that this was why you were killed. But may God forgive them for they know not what they have done. That I know will be your prayer for them, knowing the Christian you are. They did not know that they have made you the Governor that Ekiti state never had. They did not allow you into the Ekiti government house but they have kept you in our hearts forever, in a house not made by hand or built by inflated contracts so as to steal the people's money. I call on Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State to change the name of the Ekiti State Governor's House to Ayodeji Daramola House, as a mark of honor and respect for the fallen hero of the people. The house should be a living memorial to his honest labor to make life and living better for all the Ekiti people.

Ayodeji is a uniter and not a divider in life and death. If you look around you closely now, you will see many faces you either have not seen before or have not seen for a long time. For me personally, the separation from our brother has brought me closer to many other people or knows many more good people. Yes, that should be one of the good things that the Lord is doing with the passing of our brother. Let us use his death to build bridges across land and seas and especially across the Ekitiland so that the unity that gave our fathers Ekitiparapo will reecho through the land again. And as improvement for what our forefathers achieved, let us have EKITIPANUPO. Because it is only when our hearts, minds and spirits and not just our body are knitted and united that our detractors and enemies cannot divide us to use and rule us. 

Finally, to all who have cried like me and who may still be crying; to Kehinde, Dimeji and Afolabi - Ayo's wife and children; to the family members and friends; to the social and political associates and to all that the life of Dr. Ayodeji Daramola have touched and turned one way or the other; weep not for him. Mourn no more for Ayodeji. For like his name his joy has now become two. The first comes from the good and remarkable life he lived while with us. Secondly and most importantly, he has been welcomed into the JOY of his LORD. Let me remind you all of the character called Christian in the book, The Pilgrims Progress by John Bunyan. The heavily burdened Christian was going on the highway fenced by the wall called salvation. It was a difficult journey because of the burden on his back. When he got to the place of the Cross, his burden loosed from his shoulders and fell from his back. With joy and a merry heart, Christian said: "He has given rest by His sorrow and life by His death." Ayodeji has come to the place of the Cross where his entire burdens are gone. He has received eternal rest by the sorrow of Jesus and eternal life by His death. Like a Martyr that Ayodeji has become, he has joined those in heaven saying: "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"

Ayodeji has joined the redeemed in their song: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." Halleluiah!!!!!!

Therefore, to all who are here and to the thousands who could not because of the distance or for whatever reason, I say to you today like our Brother and our Apostle Paul:

I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words (I Thessalonians 4:13-18).

Thank you for coming.

Announcement:

For friends, admirers and well wishers of Dr. Ayodeji Daramola and others who wants to pay their tributes, condolences, write memorials, light candles, and see him in pictures and slides, please visit Ayodeji Daramola Memorial website where the light of his love for Ekiti and his good work burns eternally. This is courtesy of EKITIPANUPO Forum.

http://ayo-daramola.memory-of.com/tributes.aspx

Ekitipanupo is and an "Indigenous Think-Tank and Intellectual Round-Table, Advocating Selfless Governance of Ekiti People, by Sincere Ekiti Indigenes, for Ekiti people"