During my undergraduate days in
Journalism school, I was taught in Effective News Writing (MAC 111) that one of
the examples to know the news worthiness of news is when a dog bites a
president of a country, it is not news but it becomes news when the president
bites a dog. As a matter of fact, international media will be so interested to
report the story as it depicts a human angle story that people around the world
will be interested to listen to.
It is very important to also know
that when a very successful man is achieving or celebrating anything good in
life it is not news but when a very poor man is celebrating the purchase of his
first car, it’s good news that Nigerians will be interested in.
Perhaps that was why Crème de la
crème in the society – from government to ministry, music industry to United
State Consulate, gentlemen of the press and others gathered at the Youth Centre
of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Redemption Camp to celebrate the
life of a Saxophonist, Pastor Kunle Ajayi, and one of the most-travelled gospel
artistes in the country who preaches the gospel through music.
Pastor Kunle as he is fondly
called is the Director of Music in the ministry and has been in the ministry
since 1978 where he gave his life to Christ and later joined the music
department of the church as a teenage boy.
The event was singlehandedly
organized by the wife of the General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Mrs. Folu
Adeboye for the celebrant.
The General Overseer of the Ministry, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye said ‘’Ajayi
is an exceptional man that fears and serves God with all sense of duties and the relationship between us is a partnership that was made from heaven. His
ministration helps me a lot to minister”
Narrating his experience when both of them went to Haiti to
start another branch of the church, the General Overseer said further “after a
hectic session applying for visa at Haiti Embassy in United States, we headed
for Haiti and it was very difficult for me to minister when we got to the
country. Immediately Kunle took the stage and ministered with his trumpet, I
received unusual strength on that day that people were receiving their healing
even on radio”
Adeboye urged other staff and members of the ministry to
exemplify Pastor Kunle’s kind of attitude who once rejected monthly $10,000
offer to be playing for another ministry even when he did not have anything.
He stressed further that God rewards hard work and humility with
distinction.
The multi-talented instrumentalist who started playing with
plastic flute that was given to him by Pastor Mrs. Folu Adeboye at the
inception gave insight into the journey of his life “I wish my late mum is here
today to really expatiate how it all began, my pregnancy was meant to be
aborted as she tried all she could do but the grace of God sustained me which I
was later born on the dunghill due to the situation of things at that time”
“People at that time said I would
not survive, I myself also thought I would never get to 20 years old in life and amount to anything because
they called me “Japala” which means abandon child because of the way I looked
and sat but today you can see “Japala” that God has changed the story of his
life” he revealed.
Pastor Ajayi thanked God who
brought him to Redeemed Christian Church of God and connected him to his real
father and mother, Pastor and Mrs. Adeboye “Ever since that I knew these
people, they had always been supportive in all ramifications of my life, they
had interest in me and encouraged me to sing at that time. I could not sing
very well because my lung was not functioning very well. I prayed to God that if
He could heal me, I will blow the trumpet for Him all through my life, and I
never knew God was waiting for me to speak and He healed me”, he said.
Ajayi encouraged other people to
be steadfast in whatsoever they are doing as God will surely reward them.
Pastor Ajayi who is married to Funmilola
Ajayi for 26 years has two sons, Adebayo and Oluwadamilola .
The wife of the celebrant,
Funmilola Ajayi said “if there is another world, another life and another
marriage, she would choose her husband again without any reservation and all I
can tell the whole world is that God has been definitely good to us in our
family because my husband is a loving and caring man and love God
wholeheartedly”
Notable people at the event were the
wife of the former Governor of Lagos State,Senator Oluremi Tinubu; Commissioner
for Budget and Planning in Lagos, Ben Akabueze; Ebenezer Obey,
Kemi Nelson, Commissioner for
Establishment, Training and Job Creation and later Women Affairs and Poverty
Alleviation, Prof. Yemi Osibajo, the Attorney General and Commissioner for
Justice in Lagos, delegate from United
State Embassy and other dignitaries.
Thank you,
Seye Joseph
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