By Sam Eyoboka
The leadership of St. John’s Anglican Church,
Agbarho in Ughelli North Local Government
Area of Delta State was thrown into confusion
when the church vicar, scheduled to lead a
team of ministers at a funeral service,
suddenly died after he was rushed to hospital.
Venerable Stephen Eseteru Ogue, JP, 53,
author of several Christian books, including
‘Escathology: The rapture of the Saints’,
‘Foundation for marital bliss’ and ‘The potential
power of the Holy Spirit’, died at about 7.45
a.m. on Friday, December 11, 2015, two
hours before he was billed to officiate at a
funeral service. Until his sudden death of
cardiac arrest at Lily Hospital, Deco Road,
Warri, the Anglican venerable, according to his
first daughter, Oghenenyoreme Ogue, was
suffering from diabetes and high blood
pressure.
The hearse conveying the remains of the
woman whose burial the paster was supposed
to preside at, mourners, including a large
delegation of the church’s Women Guild as well
as members of the Anglican Fasting and Prayer
Society, had
gathered in front of the church building as
early as 9.25 a.m. for the service billed for
10.00 a.m.
Unaware of the tragedy that had occurred, the
mourners, who had been warned the previous
night against lateness to the funeral service,
waited patiently for the officiating ministers to
receive the body at the West Door (entrance of
the church) in accordance with Anglican
doctrine but no pastor was in sight. Meanwhile,
other members of the church and visitors
kept trooping into the church premises for the
funeral service.
Worried by the development, members of the
mourning family began to call the vicar’s
phone line and a voice answering to urge them
to be patient. The calls to Reverend Friday
Erutere, billed to assist the venerable at the
funeral service, were initially ignored until he
answered to similarly sue for patience, saying
he was on his way to the church.
Erutere, who conducted the service of songs
with Rev. Wisdom Eghagha, the previous night,
had warned against lateness, stressing that, in
Anglican Church, such lapse attracts a fine of
N10,000.
After about 45 minutes delay, a Toyota car,
said to be owned by the vicar/archdeacon,
hurried into the church premises and made its
way straight to the staff quarters ,to the
relief of those waiting outside the church.
Immediately, people started regrouping around
the hearse with the hope that the service
would soon begin. But, the relief soon turned
to despair when the regrouping band of
mourners discovered that the occupants of the
car were only two female members of the
family and the pastor’s driver.
The waiting had just begun. In the anxiety,
nobody observed that the car, which was later
learnt to have taken the venerable out of the
church premises that early morning, did not
bring him back. The only occupants of the car
at that moment besides the driver, were his
wife, Felicia and his eldest daughter,
Oghenenyoreme.
Eventually, 60 minutes after the scheduled
time of service, Erutere, accompanied by two
others, arrived at the West Door to officially
receive the corpse and proceeded with the
funeral service.
Despite the commencement of proceedings,
anxiety was still palpable as church members
continued to ask after the whereabouts of the
venerable, who had, on several occasions,
enjoined members of the Women’s Guild to be
punctual for that particular service and had
promised to lead the church delegation to
Okpara Inland for the interment. Nobody was
providing answers to questions. Not even his
assistant who, some observed later, appeared
agitated and confused to the extent that, for
the first time in a funeral service, there was no
communion and there was no offertory. By far,
the most worrisome was the treatment
accorded the National President of the
Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, Pastor
Ayo Oritsejafor, who took time off his
church’s three -day crusade at the Warri
Township Stadium, as a mark of honour for the
fallen mother.
As the mourners departed the church for
Okpara Inland, venue of the interment, there
was no word about the sudden death of the
vicar of the Agbarho church where another
Anglican canon, Rev. Benedict Akpoguma, took
over proceedings. Put simply, neither the
mourners nor well wishers, who had travelled
from long distances, including Mr. John Salubi
of the NNPC, Dr. Francis Eghwubare of Delta
State University, Mr. Joshua Onoronimighwu of
Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Victor Onogagamue
of Delta State Sports Commission, Barrister
Joseph Ogedegbe, and a former NBA
Chairman of Ughelli Local Government, were
briefed on the reason for the funeral’s delay.
When our correspondent visited the home of
the vicar, the wife [Felicia] was lying on the
bed despondent with a few church members
shielding her and making sure her health
condition did not degenerate. Only the first
daughter, Oghenenyoreme, could volunteer
comments,although, she was unable to explain
the mystery behind the death of her father,
as, according to her, they were trained to
submit to the will of God in all circumstances.
However, the daughter said they had prayed
together that morning in accordance with
family tradition, without any visible signs of
danger, and the ebullient father retired to the
couch in the sitting room apparently to relax.
“After a while, I noticed that daddy was no
longer breathing normally and I raised the
alarm to draw my mum’s attention. She quickly
called the driver and we carried him to the car
and drove straight to the hospital in Warri.
That is all I can tell you, because nobody told
us anything about his state of health until the
bishop came later that day to break the sad
news to us,” she tearfully narrated.
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/01/mystery-as-pastor-drops-dead-hours-to-ministering-at-burial-service/

So sad. May his soul rest in peace

Its wa for warri pple oo

Until his sudden death of cardiac arrest at Lily Hospital, Deco Road, Warri, the Anglican venerable, according to his first daughter, Oghenenyoreme Ogue, was suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure.

So what exactly is the mystery?

i wan book space

Rip

cc