BEFITTING FAREWELL FOR RT. REV. P. A. ADEBIYI
It was a commendable final rites, on the 29th of April, 2022 at St. Peter's Church, Osi-Ekiti for Right Reverend Peter Awelewa Adebiyi, the immediate past Bishop of the Diocese of Lagos West. He was in fact the pioneer bishop and served there from 1999 to 2013. He was a remarkable prelate in the Anglican church family, a brilliant and resourceful priest in his lifetime. May his gentle soul rest in peace, amen.
THE PRELATE HAS GONE HOME: RT. REV. P. A. ADEBIYI (1943-2022)
By
Seye Adetunmbi
The Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion parades one of the best episcopal clergymen who are well read, characterised with strong advocacy for the interest of the masses and uniquely articulate in their calling and their responsibility to the larger society as the moral compass. One of the distinguished Lord Bishops who represented the face of the Anglican Church in the public space in their active years was Rt. Rev. Peter Awelewa Adebiyi PhD. Like his senior colleagues, Primate Adetiloye and Bishop Gbonigi, he spoke authoritatively on issues concerning the Body of Christ, expressed his mind on critical national issues and known for his unambiguous revolutionary thoughts as a bishop. After Ikeja Archdeaconry was created, he was collated as a venerable in 1990 at Archbishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja. In 1993, he was elected as a bishop and posted to the Diocese of Owo in Ondo State. In 1999, the Diocese of Lagos West was created by the College of Bishops under Primate Adetiloye and the Rt. Rev. Adebiyi was translated from Owo to become the first Lord Bishop of the diocese. His over four decades career as a priest was not without life threatening situations, thanks be to God for seeing him through. One of such was when armed robbers invaded his vicarage on November 16, 1987; they shot the gateman dead and moved in into his private quarters. The bandits targeted the church offerings, especially the N100,000 announced as donation to the church during the Sunday morning service. The money was not available for the robbers to steal, they shot him and fled. God kept the priest to survive the attack through His unfailing power.
Bishop Adebiyi was born on the 27th of April in 1943 into a Christian family in Osi-Ekiti, as the 3rd child in a polygamous home of 13 children. He completed primary school in 1956 and graduated from the Community Modern School in 1960. He worked as a pupil teacher at Saint Paul Primary School, Osi, his alma mater. He gained admission to the All Saints Teachers Training College, Usi-Ekiti in 1963. As a trained Grade II Teacher, he was posted to St Phillip’s Primary School, Aramoko-Ekiti where he met his beloved wife an indigene of the town, Princess Caroline Adefiola. He was also encouraged to become a priest by Rt. Rev. Joshua Oloniyo who was his vicar in Aramoko. He attended Immanuel College of Theology, Ibadan in 1967 and graduated in 1970. He started his career as a deacon at Holy Trinity Church, Ilawe-Ekiti and in 1971, he was ordained by the Right Reverend Joseph Abiodun Adetiloye, the 2nd Bishop of the old Ekiti Diocese. He later became one of the chaplains of the Lord Bishop. He is a product of Obafemi Awolowo University where he obtained 1st degree in 1975, 2nd degree in 1981 and PhD in 1987.
The scholar priest became a Canon in 1983. He worked as the Chaplain and Vice-Principal of Babatope Memorial High School, Ikoro-Ekiti from1975 to 1983 and from1976 to 1980, he served as a member of the Board of Governors of Oganganmodu Grammar School, Ido-Ekiti. He was a lecturer at Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti between 1983 and 1987 and Lagos State University, Ojoo, between 1987 and 1990. He had published seminal essays and books to his credit which include The Ministry of Women in Ekiti land, Christian Missions in Ekiti land 1893 to 1973, The Planting of Christianity in Ekiti land: The Role of Ex-Slaves, Divine Messages for Special Seasons, History of Christianity in Ekiti land, Let the Nations Hear and co-authored 150 Years of Christianity in Nigeria and The Church Fathers with the Right Reverend (Dr.) Akin Omoyajowo. He served as the episcopal secretary to the Church of Nigeria in 1994 to 2005; as the National Patron of the Scripture Union of Nigeria in 2001 to 2007 and the National Patron of the Anglican Youth Fellowship of Nigeria from 2001 to 2007.
He was the representative of the Church of Nigeria to the Conference of Anglican Provinces in Africa, chairman of the Church of Nigeria Inter-Anglican Global Relations and served as the chairman of the Diocese of Lagos West Election Monitoring Group accredited by INEC during the 2007 elections.
I first knew Bishop Adebiyi as a chaplain of Baba Adetiloye and naturally I looked up to him as my Bishop in the Diocese of Lagos West. His health challenges after his retirement in 2013 notwithstanding, his faith remained unshaken. Three of his children are priests, two of his daughters are married to priests, while his the husband of the last daughter is a postulant who will soon be ordained as a priest and his two brothers are venerable archdeacons. When I visited him after I heard about his ailment, I said that Adebiyi family is an inspiration for Christians because they remained faithful in Jesus Christ and were not deterred by troubles of life. May God continue to keep the family well and strong in Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.
My mind went to him in the first week of February in 2022 because it was long I checked on him. I woke up in the morning of Friday, February 11 in 2022 to read the message of a reverend brother on my WhatsApp breaking the sad news of his transition. Thank God I was able to see him 3 days earlier on his bed, deep asleep on Tuesday, 7th of February in 2022 when I dropped copies of my books - Christianity and Anglicanism and the latest book, Abridged Biographies and Integrated Panegyrics in which I dedicated a chapter to write about him; for keeps in his library. The prelate and a remarkable bishop among his peers, has gone home to rest, where there is no pain anymore. Sleep well sir.