The three most prominent of the Adefarasin siblings – Pastor Wale Adefarasin, the Senior Pastor and General Overseer of Guiding Light Assembly, Ikoyi, Lagos; Apostle Michael Yemi Adefarasin, the chief servant of Kingdom Lifeline Apostolic Ministries International and Pastor Paul Adefarasin, the Senior Pastor of House on The Rock Church and host of The Experience, an annual interdenominational gospel concert with several hundreds of thousands of worshipers in attendance globally, reunited last weekend for the sake of their late mother. Their mum, Hilda Victoria Joanne Adefarasin recently passed on in February at the age of 98, barely two weeks after her last and favourite son, Pastor Paul clocked 60.
The brothers who hardly ever converge to celebrate occasions within the family except in very rare instances which are few and far between, put aside whatever differences they may have against each other to bid their mother a final goodbye in a solemn ceremony that spanned two days. Whatever might have caused the rift between the two brothers has remained a top secret over the years. A service of songs was held in her honour in the evening of Thursday, March 16, at the House On The Rock Church, Lekki, Lagos.
The following day, on Friday March 17, her funeral service took place at Guiding Light Assembly, Ikoyi, Lagos after which her body was interred. Some of the dignitaries present at the funeral service were Bishop David Oyedepo, the presiding Bishop of the Living Faith Church Worldwide, who officiated the service; Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, Secretary National Action Committee on the African Continental Free Trade Area, AFCTA, Segun Awolowo; founder First City Monument Bank, Otunba Subomi Balogun, Senior Pastor, Trinity House, Ituah Ighodalo; Pastor Idowu Iluyomade; Former deputy governor of Lagos State, Femi Pedro; two time governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Jimi Agbaje etc.
A women’s rights activist and a onetime president of the National Council of Women’s Societies (NCWS), the late Hilda was survived by five children, the other two being Bola and Jide Adefarasin, and several grandchildren.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
