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The Sunday He Never Made It to Church: The Passing of Oba Adelabu I, October 30, 1988.

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The Sunday He Never Made It to Church: The Passing of Oba Adelabu I, October 30, 1988. 
Imagine waking up on a bright Sunday morning, getting dressed in your finest white lace, your traditional beads heavy around your neck, ready to go and give thanks to God, only for that to be your final act on earth.

This was the reality for the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba George Adeyemi Samuel Adelabu I, on Sunday, October 23, 1988.

A Morning of "Hale and Hearty" Goodbyes
According to this rare report from The Republic, the Oba woke up in high spirits. 

As the Chairman of the Ondo State Council of Obas at the time, he was a man of immense influence, but on this morning, he was simply a devoted Christian preparing for service.

8:00 AM: He hosted a close friend for a "usual chit-chat." No signs of illness. 
No complaints. 
Just a king enjoying a Sunday morning.

After his friend left, the Oba spoke to his Olori (Eyesorun). 
He told her time was running out and promised he wouldn't "waste a minute longer" so they wouldn't be late for the church service.

He walked into his room and turned the key in the lock. 
It was the last time anyone would see him alive.

After 20 minutes of silence, the Olori began to worry. 
She called out "Kabiyesi! Kabiyesi!" but there was no answer. 

The household began to panic.
In a moment of desperation, she peered through the louvre glass of the bedroom window. 

What she saw was heartbreaking. 
There was the King, slumped face-down on a chair. 
He was fully dressed in his gorgeous white Sunday attire, his beads perfectly in place.
By the time a carpenter was rushed in to break down the door, the great Ewi of Ado-Ekiti was already stone-dead. 

There’s something deeply poetic and haunting about this archival piece. 

He didn't die in a hospital bed or after a long illness. 
He died "on duty" to his faith, dressed in his best, ready to meet his Creator.
For the people of Ado-Ekiti in 1988, this was a massive shock. 

A king who was "hale and hearty" at 8:00 AM was gone by the time the church bells rang.

History is full of these "quiet" exits of great men. 

#AdoEkiti #EwiOfAdo #YorubaHistory #Heart2HeartWithSammy #Flashback1988

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