Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he saved the tomb of the Founder of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, St. Moses Orimolade Tunolase, in the Ojokoro area of Lagos during the construction of the Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway in the 1970s.
Obasanjo said the decision he took while he was the military head of state during the construction of the expressway also saved the entire church from being demolished.
The former President, who was the Guest of Honour at the dedication of the St. Moses Orimolade Holy Land Cathedral and Cenotaph, on Saturday, said on the occasion that he never knew what he did back then would be a thing of benefit today.
He said, “When I was told the road work would affect the tomb of Baba Orimolade and even the church set up there in his memory, I agreed that the road be bent to accommodate the preservation of the tomb and the church.
“If I had insisted that the road should not be bent or the contractor had insisted and I agreed, the body of Orimolade would have been exhumed and the church might not be here today.
“The action I took in the past, I don’t know it would result in what we are witnessing today and this edifice we are dedicating being here.”
The former president further stated that St. Moses Orimolade was one of the few indigenous Christian leaders, who made great contributions to Christianity in the country.
Obasanjo said, “Christianity was brought to us and many of our people made great contributions and they are unsung heroes now. Missionaries came, but we have our own missionaries and leaders, and Moses Orimolade was one of them.
“It is because of the church that you and I have the assurance of salvation. Our own church leaders who paid their own price also helped in spreading the gospel and we pray their efforts are not in vain.”
The gigantic edifice was donated to the church by Rev. Mother Esther Abimbola Ajayi.