In 1998, when Revd John Okesiji, JP, was retiring from the pastorate of First Baptist Church, Okelerin, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, after 31 years of meritorious service, he expressed his gratitude to God, and he made a Yoruba chorus, his theme song for the rest of his life-

Mo yin Jesu logo (2ce)

Ipe to pe mi,

Ipe ayo ni,

Mo yin Jesu logo

This short piece will just be a few lessons that we can learn from his life-

1. He created opportunities for others: An elderly retired teacher spoke of him at the funeral and said that Revd Okesiji, then a student at Baptist Boys High School, Oyo, was the Pastor assigned to the small church. When he had the opportunity to nominate people for advanced studies, he nominated a few teachers who had been helpful in the propagation of the gospel. Another example is a member of his church who signified interest in becoming a Pastor and gained admission to the Joint Pastors School, Oyo, and Rev Okesiji implored the church to sponsor him up to the Bachelor’s degree in the Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary.
2. He was an avid reader: Revd Okesiji was not someone from whom secrets could be hidden on the pages of a book or newspaper. He had a well-stocked library with books ranging from history to culture, language, theology, amongst others
3. He encouraged everyone to grow professionally: His first grandson attempted to write a book, which is a biography of Revd Okesiji’s life. The old man did give him an opportunity to do it, and it was a success. Equally, another grandson explored doing a video biography for him, and he accepted as well. Thereafter, he introduced him to others who were willing to tell their stories. That is Rev Okesiji for you. According to his saying, “it is not about the various certificates that you acquire but what you do with the one that you have that matters most.”
4. He never forgot his roots: The renowned Pastor from Okeho never forgot his home. He used his time, treasure, and talent to help develop Okeho; some of his efforts included financial contributions to the construction of the Townhall and Onjo’s Palace. He used his network within Ogbomoso to get approval for the Post Office in Okeho. He was a founding member of the Okeho Council of Elders, Okeho; he wrote the Okeho Anthem. He was instrumental in the road construction from Lafihan-Rest House Street by the Oyo State Government, among other noble initiatives.
5. He loved his extended family: Revd Okesiji had a lot of siblings and he did his best within his capacity to support everyone from his siblings, to their children amongst others. He supported everyone to achieve their optimal potential without expecting anything in return. It would be good to add that this endeared him to his relatives, who are even Muslims.
6. He dressed well: while he was a Pastor leading First Baptist Church in Okelerin. He was a dapper Pastor, always looking good. He mentioned at a time that he was required to do that because his church played host to many Government functionaries; it was one of the most reputable Baptist churches in the country, and many prominent indigenes of Ogbomoso are members of the church. He ranked so high in his dressing.
7. He was the Chief Maintenance Officer of the little he owned: Revd John Okesiji was the Chief Maintenance Officer of the little he owned. His house, his car and many others possessions were well taken care of and he did not allowed anything around him to rot, this made him use a Peugeot 504 salon car from 1984 till 2010 thereabout. He never changed the engine of the car neither did any mechanic have a reason to work on it.
8. He was thrifty: Revd Okesiji was never broke to the point of being unable to attend to his responsibilities to his family. At retirement, he earned a very meagre sum, but he was never broke. His few investments in the stock market, although they went awry, and gifts from people kept him afloat and enabled him to cater for himself and his wife.
9. He appreciated everything: He never saw any gift from anyone as his entitlement; he would get others to appreciate the person on his behalf.
10. He was extremely considerate: While he was working, the church had the intention of changing the settee in the pastorium, he told them, “I visit my members, and I see what they sit on in their respective living room, there is nothing wrong with the settee, we will keep using it like that.”At a family event, he told his grandchildren that he would not disturb them for anything because all that he needed to achieve in life had been achieved- building houses, buying cars, etc. He said, “These are the things you are working towards; as such, I cannot be a burden to you.”
11. He was firm: Despite all these, he was a firm man. He knew when it was right to correct and chastise. He would not just keep mute when he saw what was evil. He did this during his ministerial career and even with his children.
12. He was involved in the academic life of all his descendants: until his death, he was kept abreast of their academic reports. Everyone had to sit up, remembering that Rev Okesiji was one of your academic advisors. He monitored everyone’s progress till his final days.
13. He was an advocate of healthy living: He had an appetite for healthy living. Without any Doctor’s advice, he stopped consuming soda (minerals) when he turned 50; he always followed his doctor’s advice and ate lots of fruit. This made him loved by all the fruit sellers at Odo-Oba while he was working and even in his Oyo neighbourhood upon retirement.
14. He visited people: There was no distance too far for Rev Okesiji to go when he was young; he visited all those that he had a relationship, and when he grew old, he could not do it again; he assigned the role to his children and grandchildren to call and visit the families of his friends and associates.
15. He was hospitable: While he worked, the pastorium was the playground of many children in the neighbourhood. They feasted and had fun at his cost. Thereafter upon retiring to Oyo, those who had the opportunity of visiting him were treated to nice meals.
16. He had detailed records: There are 2 instances to typify this. The wall clock in the Pastorium of First Baptist Church, Okelerin, which he had when he was the pastor, is still there to date. He had separate files for what he bought and what the church owned. This made it very easy for him to identify his personal belongings from the church property. Two, a Professor of History in the University of Ibadan wrote a book about the Centenary celebration of the Sunday School division of the Nigerian Baptist Convention. After Revd Okesiji perused it, he found an inaccurate part, he spoke to the Professor and sent him the document published when the Sunday School was 50 years.
17. He was not tired: Revd Okesiji was energetic till death. He loved callisthenics, and he was religious about it. He took a daily walk around his neighbourhood in Oyo town; he was a Sunday school teacher in his local church till the COVID-19 lockdown began, and his eventual return to his maker. He was not a fan of indolence, and he never condoned it. He was mentally alert till the very end; he told everyone, who cared to listen, various historical facts. He never experienced memory loss.
18. He prepared for his departure: Rev John Adegoke Okesiji, JP, had a premonition of his departure through some of his activities. He had doled out his suits and his 2 baptismal garments; he had given his books to the school he was the founding Chairman, Baptist College of Theology, Oyo; he went as far as telling his children about his departure and where he would love to be interred, he mentioned the name of the Pastor that he desired to preach at his funeral amongst other symbolic actions. These and many more signs are too enormous to ignore.
19. Walked in the steps of his Father, he marched and surpassed him: He was the son of a Pastor who was eventually called into the full gospel ministry. He was blessed to have worked in various Baptist churches and eventually at the second Baptist Church founded in Nigeria in 1855, where he earned a great reputation. He became a Theologian brand, and he was well known across the country and beyond for his exploits. It would interest you to know that they both died on Sunday. His father died at the age of 94, his first son, Revd Okesiji, was 63 years old; the first granddaughter was 36, while his first great-grandson was 8 years old. At the death of Revd Okesiji, his first daughter was 64; his first grandson was 37; and his first great-granddaughter was 8 years old.

Finally, his father was buried in the premises of the church he founded at his retirement, Immanuel, Baptist Church, Lafihan, Okeho and the son was buried in the premises of First Baptist Church, Okelerin, Ogbomoso, Oyo State. He marched and surpassed his father.