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Our father, Deacon (Chief) Titus Memonughon Aroniyo II was born about 80 years ago, going by conservative estimation from events, being that the exact date is unknown. He was born into the Muslim family of Pa Aroniyo Ladani Oluju and Mrs. Famohunle Aroniyo I.
Our father accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour and embraced Christianity as a way of life pretty early in his life, at which time he joined The Apostolic Church, Iluke Bunu. He started his primary education in Primary School, Iluke Bunu where he did primaries 1 to 4 between 1955 and 1958 before going to K.D.J.C.C. School Aiyetoro Gbede for his primaries 5 to 7 between 1959 and 1961. Over the following years and through the influence of former Secretary of Kogi Baptist Conference, late *Reverend J. I. Yakubu*, our father had changed his preferred Christian Denomination to the Baptist Church, attended Niger Baptist College, Minna; The Nigerian Baptist Theological Seminary, Ogbomosho and National Teachers’ Institute. These afforded him the opportunity to be trained both as an educational teacher and as a teacher of the Word of God.
Our father married his lovely wife, Mrs. R. M. Aroniyo II, on 23rd December, 1971.
Our father started his teaching career at the Holy Trinity Primary School, Lokoja – the first Primary School in Northern Nigeria, established in 1865. He continued his career in several schools in, and around Lokoja, including Army Children School, Lokoja, Mahadi Primary School, Lokoja and Primary School, Otube, Primary School, Agbaja; all until he returned to settle home in 1983. From then, his profession took him around Bunu Area of Kogi State as teacher and Headmaster until he retired.
Our father was ordained a Deacon in First Baptist Church, Lokoja on 20th November, 1983. He was made a Chief in Iluke on 15th December 1984.
Our father was Minister-in-charge First Baptist Church, Iluke in acting capacity for some years on different occasions, especially when Pastor Omonayin left. He later handed over to Pastor Fasoro as Pastor-in-Charge of the Church. He was also in charge of the Church from the departure of Pastor Ipinlaiye through the establishment Baptist Nursery School, Iluke which he led, and until the eventual establishment of Itesiwaju Baptist Church, Iluke Bunu, which he also led in January, 1995.
Our father was also the Regent of Iluke Bunu for some years after late Oba J. O. Medubi handed the community over to him and took time for his medical treatment. The king later passed-on and our father held sway until a new king, late Oba O. T. Alamiyo was appointed. All that followed are now history left only for history to assess.
Our father passed-on to Glory on Tuesday, 15th August, 2017.
If I have to summarize our father in a sentence, I will say he was a man thoroughly devoted to his principles.
Now here is the problem. I really didn’t think we would have to write about our father using the past tense, “was” or that he “passed-on” to Glory at this time. Perhaps we are still snoring while dusk turns to dawn and the day approaches noon! We might need to wake from deep sleep and snap out of self-deceit.
Our father was blessed with a wife, children, grandchildren and relatives. Our father was a faithful lover of them all and their friends.
Our father was blessed with ardent passion for the body of Christ, his teaching profession and his community. He cared about strangers and the needy. He took people’s problems as his. Before we understood him well, we wondered why it was as if he cared more for strangers, outsiders and groups than he did for us. How could food, money and materials that were inadequate at home be used to cater for groups’ needs even when no one asked for it? But it was one of the lessons we learnt from him and we are now trying to inculcate.
Our father was a teacher of many things. He taught most clearly by examples. His life was the motivation for our spiritual consciousness, moral conscience and social courage! He was a lover of truth. He thought us all the good traits we have and warned us against all the bad ones we picked up on our own.
Our father was a peacemaker, a problem solver. One of several typical examples was those days when there was crisis and, to resolve it, he decided to make a journey to meet the right people that would resolve the issue the best way possible. Some seemingly very powerful people warned him not to dare it. We also warned against it because, “it’s not exactly your business”. He went and problem was solved. How scared we all were when we saw his “if-I-do-not-return” message in Tarami Library!
On his return, he was almost stung by a scorpion in the evening at a place there shouldn’t have been a scorpion in the house. He killed it, went back to pick up the lantern from there, and another scorpion was waiting, alert, on the same spot. He killed, and playfully said he would go check the spot for the third… but the third was certainly right there. Only at the eighth time was there no scorpion waiting for him. Seven mysterious scorpions were killed on that same spot! Yet, he remained undiscouraged, undeterred and undaunted, believing that only God is omnipotent and NOBODY speaks and it comes to pass when He has not commanded it!
Our father drew his strength from God, the Holy Scripture and the guardian, mentorship and companionship of a great Man of God, Rev. J. I. Yakubu, of blessed memory. It was fascinating to see them discuss and decide family, church, community and other developmental issues from early evening till past midnight. We didn’t understand the extent of respect, trust, confidence reposed in each other until we began to find out one after another that Reverend actually decided the names for all our father’s children. Reverend named me – the first son – Eyitope; the second was Abilajo and to the only daughter, Reverend gave Adunni. Our father’s last born was shocked to learn that it was Reverend that gave both his first and middle names – Ibiseun Olawale!
Our father filed all the sheets of paper where Reverend Yakubu scribbled all these names in his own handwriting, with their English translations/explanations to go with them. Some of us saw them in Tarami Library over 20 years after they were written. We cannot be prouder of the relationship of these two. May their gentle souls rest in perfect peace in the bosom of our Lord.
These are not just what made our father so special and blessed.
Our father had the rare opportunity of preparing well for his death. His lifetime messages to us were reduced to three-point bullets. For decades, every single one of his advises, messages, letters and injunctions to us contained them, just so we never ever forget:
*Proverbs 3 : 1 “My son, do not forget my laws; but let your heart keep my command”.
*Remember the children of whom you are.
*You are the architect of your own future.
We will never forget.
Our father called us – his children – a few years back, and shared “his inheritance”. For each of us, he brought out a copy of the Holy Bible from Tarami Library, wrote his farewell messages on the first pages and distributed. That was, that is, our inheritance. It only pleased God to add some more years to him as even he said he had spent more than the number of years he asked God to bless him with.
Our father lived his life, daily remembering The Last Day – the day of death – and warned all the do the same. He loved saying:
“We must remember: a day is coming when we will pray and our prayers will go unanswered. We will fast and our fasting will come to naught. We will seek help but will not find. We will run helter skelter, we will weep and it will all be futile”.
Other times, he would say:
“Remember a day your children, wife and husband will leave you to walk alone and lonely. All that will be left with you will be your deeds when you face God. If I die today, after one week, console my wife very well, she might be willing to take little food, even if it is a spoonful of pap”.
Certainly, his wife has eaten even more than pap. We have all found the strength to eat and laugh and work since he left us. Yet, his death still dazes as much as his life sobers us. One of his favorite Bible passages was:
1 Thessalonians 5 : 2 – 5:
2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
Our father had the rare opportunity to ask for forgiveness before God and his children from those he offended, from those he might have offended and, more importantly, from *THOSE HE NEVER OFFENDED*. Most importantly, our father had the rare privilege of forgiving all those who offended him whether they asked for it or not. To avoid doubts and to show how much this part of forgiveness meant to him, he wrote it down in Yoruba, with his own hands. His words with emphasis as he wrote it were:
“Emi, Deacon Titus Memonughon Aroniyo II, ni ORUKO JESU KRISTI, LATI ISEJU YI LO – mo dariji gbogbo awon ti o se mi. Olorun yio si je ki won ba Kristi pade, ki won si gbaa – ki ojo ti won naa to pe. Ki a le jo jogun ijoba orun.
Ko si enikan to seku-pami. Sugbon, mo wo omi aye, omi re ru, obe onje re si koro. Ede gbogbo aye si ti daru bi igba ti awon igbaini nko ile iso babeli. Igba-kigba ti eyin na ba palemo, ti esi kuro ninu okunkun aye yi, Olorun metalokan yio je ki a ribugbe wa lodo metalokan.
Translation
“I, Deacon Titus Memonughon Aroniyo II, in THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST, from this minute on – forgive all those who have offended me. May God give them the privilege to meet Christ, and accept Him, before their own time is up too. So that we can inherit the Kingdom of Heaven together.
“Nobody caused my death. But I observed the waters of this life, it is troubled and its meal is bitter. The language of the whole world has confused like when the tower of Babel was being built. Whenever you all too prepare to leave the darkness of this world, may God the Trinity permit us to find our homes with Him.”
Our father called his last child a number of times asking him to come home so he could see him even if for once before he died. He couldn’t come to see him a year and half after our father asked. He eventually came at a convenient time for him… He met our father, wept, and prayed and hoped. And then our father passed on less than a week after that. He has been asking since our father passed on: “Baba, shouldn’t I have come? Were you waiting for my visit all along?”. Our father hasn’t responded.
It is a privilege that doesn’t quite go round. The privilege to know when the time’s up and prepare well for it. I hope we all have such a privilege.
ADIEU Baba
ADIEU Baba headi
ADIEU Baba Tarami
ADIEU Boda Titu
ADIEU our H.O.D!
Till we meet… and we shall!
– Aroniyo Dayo-arose
For: Tarami Family.
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