Onosode buried in Ughelli amid eulogies

The body of renowned industrialist, Gamaliel Onosode, was on Friday laid to rest at his home town in Akiugbo-Ughelli in Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State.

The interment was preceded by a lying in state at the Government College, Ughelli.

The body was later conveyed in a convoy to First Baptist Church, Ughelli, for the funeral service.

Present at the event were eminent Nigerians, including the Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa; the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; a former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who paid glowing tributes to the late elder statesman.

Family members of the late management expert, who spoke during the funeral, said the deceased would be greatly missed. One of his siblings, Deacon Andrew Onosode, who tearfully sang one of the late deceased’s favourite hymns, said he was satisfied that his departed brother lived “with eternity in view.” 

He noted that the urge to live a good life led the deceased to pioneer the growth of the Baptist Church both in his hometown and other places where he had lived. Also, the deceased’s first son, Ese, described his late father as a man who was very articulate in his thoughts. 

In his tribute, Governor Okowa described him as a role model, who marched through the business world “like a colossus” and a quintessential board master. He noted that the late elder statesman was an example of a good servant-leader, a legacy he said would be hard to match. 

“The best tribute we can give to him today is to carry on the good virtues that he has left,” Okowa said.

Anyaoku described the deceased as a patriotic Nigerian.

“An iroko of the corporate world has fallen. My entire family joins me in mourning Gamaliel. We join his children in mourning this virtuous man,” Anyaoku said.

Earlier in his sermon titled, “Responsibility: The purpose of opportunity,” the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention, Revd. Samuel Ayokunle, said the late Onosode lived a life of high sense of responsibility. Ayokunle, therefore, urged political and business leaders to use their positions for the general good of society.