Rufus Obateru Aba

Baba, I bless the name of the Lord for the grace he gave to you. you have lived a fulfilled life. you've impacted a lot of lives including ours. May your soul rest in perfect peace.

We thank God for his service to God and humanity. May Almighty God comfort and console the entire family, friends and well wishers he left behind. may his gentle and kind soul rest in perfect peace. Amen

My great brother, rest in perfect peace.

Man of good behaviour.

The news of your death was shocking, however, you lived well and you served God well. We give thanks to God for good testimonies about your life. May your soul find peace with your creator.

You have lived for a purpose.

May God rest his soul.

May God grant daddy's soul rest and comfort the family.

This is a rude shock to us but who are we to question God. May we all be comforted that we will meet again at Jesus's feet.

May his soul rest in peace.

May God be with the family, comfort and hold them and may daddy rest in peace.

A role model, a builder. Rest in perfect peace.

My condolence to the entire family of Mrs Funke Aba for the demise of your dear husband and father. May his soul find peace with the Lord Jesus. May God Almighty uphold his family with the peace of the Lord Jesus Amen.

May God's love and comfort be with him as he transit to eternity. he will be deeply missed and fondly remembered.

There is a time to live and a time to die, rest in peace uncle. i shall miss your warm embrace every sunday.

you were a great man and daddy-in-law. you will forever be missed.

Great uncle, we will miss you. Rest well.

We give God all the glory for a life well spent in the service of God and humanity. you came, you saw and conquered. May the Lord's name be praised.

Adieu great brother, you are greatly loved and sadly missed. may your gentle soul rest in peace.

May the departed soul of Mr Aba rest in perfect peace.

Daddy daddy, you will always see me and say ''my director'', a word I cherish so much and you will always call to ask me how i am doing in my life and business. well there is nothing else to say than goodnight sir. RIP.

May his peaceful soul rest in perfect peace.

Mr. Aba,you were one of the men a liked so much in All Saints' Church Jericho, because you were very polite and very respectful like your darling wife. May your gentle soul rest in perfect peace with the Lord.

Dear Brother,

Pastor Rufus Aba you lived a good life here on earth. May God grant you eternal rest in Jesus Name - Amen

Sir P. Iwuogo
For the Residents Association

TRIBUTE TO BRO. RUFUS

I have a conviction that Bro. Rufus was a 'BOOK' of several chapters written by the Almighty God Himself. The fact that he was privileged to live up to the ripe age of seventy five [75] confirms my conviction.

Sincerely, I can't boast that I know more than one chapter out of this whole book. We were acquaintances only in our very early years between ages 9 and 18, and thereafter went our separate ways upon leaving Secondary School; while he went to Ibadan, I went Lagos.

As a young child he was known to be very brilliant, smart and intelligent. These attributes attracted me to him among all other children in our age group within our community. He was very studious, always found reading and keeping to himself. He also appeared so delicate and fragile. Eventually, we started studying together whenever I returned from boarding school on holidays.

Bro. Rufus was very respectful and appreciated being respected which reminds me of an instant he jokingly said I should stop calling him by his name. We laughed over it, and since then, began to affix 'Bro '. He was a humorous and a kind fellow. Above all, he was man of great faith 🙏

After we left our community, we only saw once a while when there were family events back home.

Bro Rufus will sadly be missed.
May His Gentle Soul Rest In Perfect Peace IJMN AMEN
Adieu Beloved Bro Rufus 💙

Today, we gathered to celebrate the life of an extraordinary man:
LATE MR OBATERU ABA; a distinguished husband, father, and friend, he leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, and kindness.

We remember him with his warm smile, his infectious laugh, and his unwavering commitment to his family, friends, and neighbourhood.
His love for God was evident in everything he did, and he inspired those around him to deepen their faith in God.
Mr Obateru Aba was his wife's and children's rock, partner, and their best friend.
We pray that God will comfort his family and their loved ones during this difficult time. May they find strength in their faith and in the memories they shared with their lovely deceased - Mr R.O. Aba
Rest in perfect peace, dear brother.
Your legacy will live on in the Evangelical members' hearts."

Goodnight to a beloved brother, uncle and father.

Daddy the news of your demise was a rude shock to me, I never expected it in the next one decade.
Alas, God has a purpose for everything He does.
The story of my stay in Ibadan would not be completed without you Daddy through you I got an appointment in NIHORT and at a point when I was denied what was due to me you single handedly ensure all was restored to me.
You were such a gentle soul with the heart of gold, thanks for all you did.
Keep resting in the bosom of your creator.

Farewell sir. It was an honour getting to hear you and I wish we had gotten to know each other longer. You have left a gap but then I am rest assured knowing you have gone to be with the Lord. Rest in peace sir.

Rufus as I call you, you have left at a time like this. I am sorry we have not been able to see before your departure and God knows why. Gentle soul, rest in the bosom of our Lord. I know you to be good and righteous, why now! God knows best. May the Lord be with the family you left behind, the grace of the Lord will see them through Goodnight R.O.

A GENTLE SOUL HAS GONE TO REST!
My dear uncle, brother Rufus (Boda Bati), as we often call you; the news of your passing unto glory came to me as a rude shock! Up till now I am still wondering what happened to you suddenly; but who am l to question your Maker for calling you home at this time we needed you most. You were such a loving, gentle and humble man. You lived your life in the fear of God, love and peace. Boda, your spirit of godliness with contentment is worthy of emulation. I sincerely cherished your fatherly role since the demise of my biological father and l am trusting God to fill the vacuum you left behind. Despite the challenges of life, your unwavering faith in the Lord Jesus Christ kept you till the very end. You came, you saw and you conquered, your crown of righteousness awaits you in heaven. We will miss you; but continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord till we meet at the feet of Jesus on the resurrection morning.
We love you but Gid loves you more. Good night Boda. Adieu Boda Bati!
Mrs Olusina Pirisola
Mama On the Coast (as you often call me)

Your demise is a mystery to me, we spoke a few days ago and you did not sound ill at all. You honestly lived well, May the Most High God rest your gentle soul.

My brother! My pastor! I pray that his soul is duly accepted by the father and shall continue to rest in perfect peace. The Lord shall grant the entire family the fortitude to bear the loss.

Farewell to Rev.RO ABA. Though you are not with us but your impact cannot be forgotten in NCC Eleyele. Rest in Perfect Peace.

Though sad and painful that you transited to eternity now, the consolation is that you slept in the Lord. Adieu, sleep and rest in the bosom of the Lord until we meet to part no more.

Dear grandpa, your gentle hands. Warm smile and loving heart may be gone, but the memories and lessons you left behind will forever be etched in my heart. I will cherish the moments we shared, honor your legacy and strive to make you proud, rest in peace.

My grandfather was a kind, wise and generous person who touched many lives. He had a heart of Gold, a sense of humor that could light up a room and a strong sense of integrity. He was a true role model and his love and guidance inspired me to be a better person. I will always cherish his memory. I love you grandpa.

Grandpa, it is painful yet surreal to be writing and not telling you how wonderful and loving you were to me, you always say “you are always acting like a boy” and you wouldn’t say anything further. I loved every moment spent with you. You were soft spoken, kind and loving. We are lucky to have a grandfather in you, I couldn’t have asked for a better grandpa to look up to. “You are the best grandpa ever and I love you”; these are the words I could only wish to have told you. I miss you and cherished will memories with you forever be. ADIEU GRANDPA.

Daddy you were a loving and caring dad, you were a God fearing man, a man who took care of his family, a mentor, a counsellor, and a great man. You were a man of your word, you were one in a million, you loved me for who I am and accepted me despite my shortcomings, I still can’t believe you are gone cause every time I enter you room with the hope of going to call you that your food is ready, it’s an empty chair I see. Daddy, I miss you so much. Now that you are in heaven, I know you will continue to watch and protect me. Thanks for being my dad. I will always love and miss you. Sleep well in the bosom of the Lord till we meet again.

We thank God for a life well spent for your selfless service during you tenure as SSAUTHRIAI chairman, your efforts can’t be forgotten in a rush. I pray the Lord grant unto you good sleep till eternity. Farewell gallant comrade, solidarity forever.

Ha! Papa Aba, you have gone without warning but God knows the best. We are going to miss you greatly, your good smile, talk and advice. Although it is painful, we cannot do anything. To God be the glory. In all things we give thanks.

Pastor Aba, my dearly beloved neighbour, gentle, unassuming and a good friend. We have been living together 18years and we have become one family sharing so many things together. Our wives interact and move together as well as attending the bible study fellowship together. They both are vessels unto honour unto God. We are going to miss him so much and we pray that his soul will rest in peace. Goodnight dear brother.
VEN ENGR OLUSEYE & DEACONESS SEYIDO OGUNRINDE

It was really shattering to hear of your going home to be with the Lord. The closeness started in 1984. Activism was a "NO GO" area in NIHORT for any staff then. I was approached by some senior staff members to be the Secretary of the Branch but I conditioned my coming in on, only if the Chairman was a Child of God. They told me it was Mr.Aba. I said, we were ready to go. It was a long fierce battle. The years could best be summed up as"OUR EXPERIENCES IN THE DEN OF LION" Thank God, the periods revolutionized activism in NIHORT.At Sectoral and National Levels, you championed the production and signing of Condition of Service for Research Institutes thereby putting an end to over fifty(50) years of Research Institutes operating without a condition of service. You left solid foot prints that can not be erased. You were a gallant Soldier.Good night my brother. Pastor Sule F. B.

Meek and easy-going brother.I wl surely miss him...may God accept and Rest his Soul.IJN 🙏

MY DAD
A father’s touch,
A daddy’s kiss,
A grieving daughter,
The dad I will always miss,
An empty room, an empty chair, an empty bed…
A father’s love is no longer there
A broken heart
Tears filled eyes.
Another soul in the sky…
The time we shared, the laugh we had,
These and more I will miss when I think of you daddy because…
You never said you were leaving
You never said goodbye…
You were gone before we knew it…
And only God knows why.
One of the hardest part of losing you was accepting my fate and moving on. It looked like the end of the world,
I didn’t feel like doing anything anymore!!!
Nothing made sense, not even work,
It felt to me like what race are we on in this life when eventually, we will still go and leave it all…
But one sure thing about life is that it doesn’t stop for anyone, life and death indeed respects no one…
I gradually had to accept my fate, move on and find how to live with the pain daily as it can never go away.
Even though I am moving on gradually, for the rest of my life I will keep asking God why? But I will never stop worshipping God because at the centre of it all… it’s you Lord that I see.
In life, I loved you dearly,
In death, I love you still.
In my heart, you hold a place only you can fill.
It breaks my heart deeply to lose you.
All I have left are MEMORIES; SWEET MEMORIES I will hold on to forever because sweet is the memory of the RIGHTEOUS.
I don’t know how I will cope in this new reality!
This is a very hard pill to swallow for me, but I submit totally to your will Lord cause you can’t be questioned and you know BEST. I know you always take away the righteous before the evil days.

My mind is at peace knowing that you are in a better place,
I am at peace knowing you are at the right hand side of the Lord,
I am at peace because you have gone to rest,
I am at peace because you are away from this wicked, sinful world and that is my greatest consolation.
Please watch over your family.
It’s really hard to say goodbye daddy.
You may not be with me anymore but all that you’ve taught me will always stay with me and your legacy lives on.
You were an Amazing, caring and loving father, a father who loves his family deeply, you are irreplaceable dad.
Oh my sweet daddy!!! The man with the sweetest heart, oh my loving father!!!
I love you daddy, but God loves you more. I miss you so much…
Continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord, until we meet to part no more.
{Your loving daughter}

Here is a refined version of your tribute:

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**Tribute to Mr.Rufus Obateru
Aba**
We are deeply touched and saddened by the passing of Mr. Aba. He was not only a family friend but also a fellow church member for many years. Mr. Aba was a skilled and committed agricultural technologist, highly respected for his invaluable contributions to the negotiation of improved conditions of service for employees of nationalagricultural research institutes.
As the president of the workers' union, he played a pivotal role in successfully securing major improvements in workers' salaries, annual leave, health, travel, and retirement allowances. His efforts have left a lasting legacy, ensuring better working conditions that employees of nationalresearch institutes now enjoy across the nation.
Our heartfelt condolences go to his family. We pray that God will bless and protect them during this difficult time.
May Mr. Aba’s soul rest in eternal peace. Professor and Mrs O. A.Denton

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We celebrate the life and times of an ICON, Mr Rufus Obateru Aba, a man imbued with uncommon integrity and intelligence. As you bow out of this Mother Earth in glory, may the good Lord receive you into his bosom in Jesus name. We will continue to cherish your Stella qualities as a consolation of a fulfilled life. Adieu, Adieu, Adieu.

The news of your demise came to me as a shock. I met you briefly a few years ago but your personality already presided our meeting. I already heard alot about you from your child and meeting you proved more than I had heard.

You were the calmest person I ever met,you seemed to take life at your own pace. You were a very content man,hence your common mantra of "Godliness and contentment is gain". You were the epitome of a man of God on the pulpit,at work and in your family.


Its always sad to see the righteous depart but we always take.solace in the fact that you fought a good fight, you finished the course and we know that there is a crown of glory waiting for you. You left your mark in the lives of your children,I can personally attest to that. I admired you greatly,I hoped we would have had a relationship closer than what we did because I knew I had alot to learn from you.

Even though the world will miss you,we will not mourn like those who have no hope. Till we meet again at he marriage supper of the lamb,it is good night sir and not good bye Baba Aba. Thank you for raising a virtuous woman in Modupeoluwa,she is a testament of a godly father in the life of a daughter.

I met Grandpa when l first joined New Covenant Church Eleyele Centre then at Obokun where he Pastored in 1999, he was my confidant and encourager, his fatherly role in my life make me feel at home even within his family, Grandpa as l foundlh called you, you will be greatly missed, your smile, the way you observed things is totally different, your gentility is not of here, sleep on grandpa, sleep on Baba Aba, till we meet to part no more,

I remembered how you used to come over to pick me and my sisters up for lunch and fun when we were just little kids at our then resident in Yemetu, Ibadan. Life around you was filled with joy and excitments when we were growing up. It was a rude shock to hear about your demise. May God rest your soul in His bosom and grant the family the fortitude to bear the loss. Adieu daddy Rufus as I and my siblings fondly called you...

Hey Dad, I’ve got something really special to share with you today. As I sit here, thinking about all the amazing qualities that make you who you are, my heart is bursting with love and gratitude. So, here it goes — my heartfelt tribute to the most incredible Dad in the world.

Dad, your clarity and logic amaze me. You have this innate ability to look at any situation with a clear, rational mind. It’s like you have a built-in decision-making machine that operates at lightning speed. You make things happen, and you make them happen right, you’re the living embodiment of discipline. I mean, who else can stick to a routine like you? Every day, you move through life with a precision that amazes me. It’s a testament to your unwavering commitment to excellence.
You listen to your body and feed it all the good stuff. Those table etiquettes show how much you care about your well-being. You’re an inspiration to me, Dad, in more ways than one. I’ve never heard you complain or compare yourself to others. You accept people for who they are, including yourself. That’s a rare quality, and it creates an environment of love and understanding.
Those moments when your happiness radiates from within mean the world to me,
Dad, when things are going well, your satisfied smile speaks volumes. Your silent pride fills my heart with joy.
Even at 60, you still turn heads. Your charisma hasn’t faded one bit. You still have that magnetic personality that captivates everyone around you. Your charm is truly timeless.

The way you love and cherish Mom is truly remarkable. Your actions speak louder than words. You’ve set the bar high for every man in life, and I’m grateful for that.
Watching you take care of your children has taught me what it truly means to be selfless. Your love for us is unwavering, and it’s a beautiful thing to witness.
Your impact towards education extends beyond our family. You’ve dedicated yourself to helping others through education. You understand the transformative power that education holds, and you’ve made it your mission to facilitate learning for young children.
Your commitment to making a difference inspires me every day.

My Hero, leading by example life hasn’t always been easy, and I’ve seen you go through some tough times. It broke my heart to see you in pain, but those moments of vulnerability showed me the true strength of our family. You led us through those storms, a true commander-in-chief, with Mom by your side.
One of the greatest lessons you’ve taught me, Dad, is that success should come from within. It’s not about proving anyone wrong or seeking validation from others. It’s about finding happiness, peace, and joy in the things we do. Your words echo in my soul and guide me every single day.
For years, you opened your home to family members, providing them with a safe haven, without ever expecting a penny in return. When people ask you about it, you brush it off like it’s no big deal. But Dad, that’s the true essence of a gentleman.

Your actions command respect and touch the hearts of everyone who knows you.

Conclusion
To my amazing Dad, my hero, you have left an indelible mark here. Continue to rest in the bossom of your Creator .
Love you always your Son.
Aba Oluwatobi Damilola

To be candid, my late brother Rufus Obateru Aba impacted my life significantly. Specifically in June 1989 l decided to relocate from Lagos to lbadan, soliciting for his possible assistance, with my secondary school certificate. He paved the way for me to join National Horticultural Research institute, though, as a casual worker in June 1989. Through his efforts also, l became a permanent staff in February 1992, as a laboratory assistant. Being a science student and as a laboratory assistant in the establishment, he further pleaded with the Management of Nihort to grant me official permission to study science laboratory technology course at the University of lbadan, on a part-time basis and it was graciously approved. My five years program in UI wouldn't have been possible without my Late brother. Becoming a Chief Technologist in the system today, would have been a mirage if not for his sacrifice and God's grace. My Late brother was a brave unionist. He relentlessly fought for the welfare of workers when he was chairman of Nihort branch of SSAUTHRlAI, after which he later became Sectoral chairman of SSAUTHRIAl in Nigeria, for two consecutive terms of four years each. His contributions to the entire Nihort and SSAUTHRlAI families can not be easily forgotten. His memories remain with us forever. Rest on my dear brother, till the resurrection morning.

A Silent Achiever!
You were a very diligent man,
Disciplined and meticulous.
Some might mistake your gentility,

Your ruled your world,
You dominate your surrounding
You twinkle your eyes,
You exude love to all.

A brilliant Technologist
A vibrant unionist
A seasoned administrator.
A repository of influence and resources.

You will be sorely missed.
Sleep on our gentle giant!
Sleep on in the bosom of Jesus Christ
Shine on like the bright morning star!