Former Oyo State governorship candidate under the Advanced Allied Party (AAP) in the 2019 elections and President of the Ultimate Total Life Concept Initiative, Rev’d Adenike Victor-Tade, popularly known as Mama Empowerment, on Friday laid her father, Pa David Oluwole Olufunso Obisesan, to rest in Ibadan.
Family members, clerics, community leaders, friends and associates gathered in large numbers to honour the late patriarch, whose burial rites began on Thursday at his residence in Akobo. The programme opened with a lying-in-state, followed by a Christian wake-keep.
Preaching at the burial service on Friday, Canon Seyi Olawoye drew his sermon from Hebrews 11:4, stating that every human being leaves behind a testimony that speaks long after death.
“The Scripture tells us that although Abel is dead, his works still speak. What you are building with your life today, whether integrity or wickedness will outlive you. The same way Abel’s righteousness spoke, Cain’s wickedness also spoke. Nothing is hidden from God,” he said.
According to him, legacy is not measured by material possessions but by character, compassion and obedience to God.
“Your house may collapse, your cars may vanish, but your work the life you lived cannot die. Long after we leave this world, our name, our conduct and our relationship with God will continue to echo,” he added.
Citing the biblical Dorcas, he continued,
“Dorcas died, yet the people gathered to show the garments she made. Her handiwork defended her. Baba Obisesan is like that. His dedication, his truthfulness, his accountability and his service to God and humanity are the garments he leaves behind. These things will continue to speak louder than any monument.”
He urged the congregation to live purposefully.
“When you depart this world, what will people say about you? Will men have testimonies of your kindness? Will heaven recognise you? Those who walk rightly with God will never lack honour among men.”
Canon Olawoye described Pa Obisesan as a man whose life “preached its own sermon.”
“We are not just burying a man; we are celebrating a legend. His integrity was undiluted. His heart was clean. He lived with purpose, served with diligence and stood for truth. A man like this does not die only his body rests.”
Born on July 14, 1942, Pa David Oluwole Olufunso Obisesan, fondly known as Baba Doo, was celebrated for his intellect, diligence and unwavering integrity. Despite leaving Loyola College after Form Three due to financial constraints, he obtained an S75 Certificate that led to his first job at the Ministry of Agriculture in 1965.
He later passed his GCE O’Level and A-Level examinations and proceeded to the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce, London, where he obtained a certificate in bookkeeping in 1968.
He completed all stages of the ACCA examination before switching to ICAN, qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in 1983. He earned an MBA from the University of Ibadan in 1992 and became an ICAN Fellow in 1993.
His public service career spanned the Ministry of Agriculture, Oyo State Housing Corporation, Family Planning of Nigeria and The Polytechnic, Ibadan. He rose to Acting Bursar in 1985 and later served as Chief Internal Auditor. In 2000, he was appointed Chairman, Oyo State Board of Internal Revenue, where he earned commendation for recovering substantial unpaid taxes from federal agencies, including NEPA.
A scholar and examiner, he served WAEC and ICAN as Chief Examiner, authored academic textbooks and audited several Anglican institutions.
Pa Obisesan is survived by his wife, Mrs Taiwo Olubunmi Obisesan; his children Segun Obisesan, Rev’d Mrs Adenike Victor-Tade, Chief Engr. Obisesan-Fajemiseye, Yinka Olukayode Obisesan, Oluwemimo Yinkanye-Oludundu and Temitope Obisesan as well as grandchildren and a great-grandchild.
