March 5, 2005 - Past and Present Bishops of the Anglican Church were among thousands of people who attended the funeral of Archbishop Albert Agbaje at St James Anglican Church Ibillo, Edo State.
The church was filled to the brim and every other space outside was occupied as sympathizers came to pay the last homage for the pioneer Archbishop of Bendel Ecclesiastical province and Bishop of Sabongidda-Ora.
Agbaje's coffin was brought from his residence in Ibilo where it was laid in state since Friday afternoon.
The Governor of Edo State Dr Lucky Igbinnedion, the Traditional ruler of Esanland, His Royal Highness MA Akhimen and the Christian Association of Nigeria Edo State Branch were among the many that sent in condolences.
The Holy Communion service was celebrated by the Most Revd Ephraim Ademowo, Archbishop of the Ecclesiastical Province of Lagos, with other senior clergymen leading responsorial bible sentences and prayers of the faithful.
The homily was said by Archbishop Maxwell Anikwenwa, Dean of the Church of Nigeria, who took his text from John 1: 47 "Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him, and said of him, behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile."
The preacher said "Albert was a man of himself. He told you what was on his mind. He was in love with service... in this age of sycophancy the clergymen have a lot to learn from Albert's life... what he won't say in the open he can't utter in the dark." Archbishop Agbaje's tomb is at St James Church compound (the new site), a few meters away from the altar wall where a palm tree towers beside the grave. The chosen hymns included "For All The Saints", "Guide me, O thou Great Redeemer" and "Sleep On, Beloved, Sleep and Take Thy Rest". The Primate of All Nigeria, the Most Revd Peter Akinola pronounced the commendation at the graveside after the first daughter of the Archbishop, Yemisi Adedeji (Nee Agbaje poured dust into the grave.
Biography
Archbishop Agbaje was a seasoned academician. He was among the pioneers of the University of Nigeria Nsukka where he obtained a bachelors degree in Arts in 1966. He was ordained priest in 1973, eleven years after he was deaconed.According to the preacher, Archbishop Anikwenwa, "Albert's quest for knowledge and education led him to study more before being ordained a priest.' He got married to Mabel in 1968, a marriage blessed with many children and grandchildren including two sons Albert (Jnr) and Ayo, who have tolled the line of priesthood. A biography of him said "Archbishop Albert Agbaje believed in the success of everybody. He always said that nobody should be a failure; all that was needed was hard work and encouragement. He did this often among his priests through preferment as a reward for hard work." The burden to bring out the best in people led to the establishment of Ezekiel College of Theology, the Archbishops brainchild, which was built and donated by Sir Ezekiel Ainabe.
Tributes
"He was a very outstanding personality. Luckily he had a very good background, a wide horizon especially in the educational sector. He blended his experience in education with that of priesthood, later on the episcopate and the Archbishop of Bendel ecclesiastical province. We definitely will miss him a lot because he is such a person who was unassuming but ready to help anybody who was in need. He made useful suggestions even when you did not ask for it. We definitely have lost a gem in the house of Bishops and in the church of Nigeria, ' Retired Bishop of Lokoja George Bako eulogized.
Archbishop Samuel Abe of the Ecclesiastical Province of Ondo described him as a very open-minded and generous man. "He didn't mince words when he talked, he didn't hide his feelings. He was a man one would like to meet with. I liked him personally."
Asked by newsmen what becomes of the vacant see of Sabongidda-Ora- Archbishop Abe commented, "We will leave that meanwhile and we will commit it to the hand of God for prayers. We just don't rush into things, more so Archbishop Albert died on active service. The House of Bishops has not said anything and we are not saying anything yet."
Archbishop Agbaje was born on 31 December 1937. He died on 31 January at about 730am in the Archbishops Palace Sabongidda-Ora Edo State, Nigeria.
Article by Peter Onwubuariri in Ibillo
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