Pa Reuben Imooje Aigboviobiose Ogolo Eulogy On behalf of our great family, I would like to begin by thanking everyone that is here today and for those who have sent their condolences. We have received countless phone calls, emails, text messages, visits, thoughts, and prayers. They have been very comforting during this sad and joyful time and have been a reminder of the impact that our father Pa Reuben Imooje Aigbovbiose Ogolo (RM) as popularly called by his name friends and associates had on so many people.
We are indeed very grateful to almighty God to have given us this great man. A man of peace, an epitome of love and a great advisor. We couldn’t be proud of carrying our father’s name. Today we honour, respect, and remember a Good-Good father who touched and enriched our lives in so many ways.
Let me try to put everyone, including myself at ease here. He did not want this to be a sad day in our lives. He told us couple of times and asked me to make sure I let all of you know that too. It is a celebration of his passage.
Pa RMA Ogolo was born November 10, 1919 in Uzebba to Late Pa Aigboviobiose and Mrs. Omomon Aigbovbiose Nee Ojeonu. His father died when he was very young and began going to farm with his elder brother our great uncle Pa Igbene Aigbovbiose of blessed memory. In 1940 something happened in the farm and based on that event our father decided to escape from the village to seek greener pasture elsewhere.
Our father did not go to school and one of his desires was to go to school, unfortunately there was no resources and no help. That same year and the day the incident happened he left Uzebba in company of two other friends of his and they decided to travel to Benin City on foot by trekking from Uzebba to Ifon terrain to Agbanikaka enroute to Benin City to start a new life in the city.
As they were going the other two FRIENDS decided that they cannot continue the journey on foot due to the distance and they returned to Uzebba and my father on his own decided to continue the journey knowing fully well that going back to Uzebba will attract some serious punishments because he escaped without informing his family at home where he was going. As he was trekking along the road his uncle late Chief Johnson Bare saw him as he was on his way to Benin and asked him to go back home (Uzebba) and gave him 4 pence to take transport back to Uzebba. Our Dad took the money and thanked his uncle.
As his uncle left him, he waited for him to drive some distance before taken transport from Agbanikaka with the money given to him and that was how he found himself in Benin City. On getting to Benin City, he met one Mr. Agu who thought him how to tap rubber and started earning some money from tapping of rubber in a rubber plantation. Later he wanted to be a cobbler (Shoe marker) he learnt the trade for some time, and he gave up on it. On September 31st, 1946, he got employed with Ministry of works which was called Public Works Department (PWD) then at Sapele road as a Messenger. He was on that position for a short period, and he approached his boss who happened to be a white man, that he would want to learn some trade because he started seeing what was been done in the ministry, he was asked what he would want to learn, and he signified interest in Blacksmith.
In December 1947 he started his new career as an apprentice blacksmith. He leant the act of fabricating various mental into meaningful products, like keys, Pots, Buckets, Basins made from corrugated iron sheets. Our father became very skillful. It was then and there he started taking the Artisans trade test certifications examination conducted by the ministry of Labour. He passed all his certifications from Trade test 1, 2 and 3 respectively. He started his career at the then Public Works Department Now Ministry of Works and Transport Edo state from the ranks to become a senior staff. He retired from the Ministry as Senior Technical officer (STO) in 1984 Our father married Mrs. Elizabeth Izuanvbe Adebama Ogolo (Nee Aideloje) in