A HERO IS GONE
A TRIBUTE TO BISHOP JULIUS ADELAKUN
Fr. Clement R. S. Isola
Time counts fast and a new thing is fastly become an old. Such is our life. Most Rev. Julius Babatunde Adelakun, the Emeritus Bishop of Oyo has gone, joining the heavenly saints, but his works remain indelible in our midst.
I lived with him, I worked with him both as an active Bishop of Oyo and Emeritus Bishop to attend to His needs. Everything looks like yesterday that would never resurface again.
MY CONTACT WITH BABA ADELAKUN
I came in personal contact face to face and in direct contact with him when I finally decided to become a priest in year 2004 even though this was not the first time of seeing him because he administered me with the Sacrament of Confirmation in 1991 at St Ferdinand Catholic Church, Akata, Ogbomoso as the youngest of all confirmed that day and had seen him in different occasions including Oke Maria, Otan Ayegbaju.
It was the Bishop of Osogbo, Most Rev. John Akin Oyejola, then my parish priest who took me to him in 2004 and introduced me and was immediately accepted and later sent me to the Seminary. I came back to the Diocese at the end of the first part of my Seminary training phase, Philosophical Programme and was posted to the Bishop’s House in my first phase of the Pastoral year in July, 2009. Indeed the last seminarian to work with him before his retirement from the active office as the Bishop of Catholic Diocese of Oyo.
The night he was to leave the Jubilee House (Bishop’s House), I was with him till 2am alone in his room packing and put things in order for the movement the second day and also set up his new house called DOMUS PACIS. Then I was returned to the Bishop’s House again as a deacon for another seven months in July 2013 after the completion of my Seminary programme and had to take care of his needs from the Bishop’s House. Later in the year 2017, I was appointed the Diocesan Secretary which gave me another opportunity to attend to him occasionally in his needs and cares.
LEGACIES
There are so many pleasant stories about him. A very intelligent man who could recall so many histories off hand, a man of humility, full of pastoral zeal, a leader with example, a lover of youths and their model, a visionary leader, a very neat man, manager of resources, a charitable and compassionate man. He had a listening hears to pastoral issues and descerned the judgement without fears or favour. He was a very accommodative and courageous man I have ever seen. He was respected by all who came in contact with him. Above all, he was a man of prayer and faith.
HIS LIFE AND NARRATIVES
He lived between November 4th, 1934, to October 24, 2025 just few days before his 91st birthday, ordained a priest for the Diocese of Oyo, Nigeria on 27th June, 1965, appointed Auxiliary Bishop of Oyo on 16th November, 1972 and Titular Bishop of Thunigaba and ordained on 11th February 1973 at the age of 38. On 3rd April, 1973 he was appointed the substantive Bishop of Oyo at the age of 38.
The creation of Osogbo Diocese from old Catholic Diocese of Oyo transfered his seat from Osogbo to Oyo which he willingly accepted to start a new Diocese of Oyo with less resources and with just 7 Diocesan priests and 8 parishes. That was in 1995 and under his tutelage the Diocese had grown to more than 20 parishes and 30 priests at the time of his retirement as the Bishop of Oyo in 4th November 2009 at the age of 75.
HIS ACADEMIC LIFE AND PASTORAL LIFE
He finished from the Seminary of Saints Peter and Paul Major Seminary, Ibadan and was ordained a priest of Old Oyo Diocese. After getting his master’s degree in the U.S., he worked as a lecturer at the major seminary of Saints Peter & Paul in Bodija, Ibadan, his alma mater. When the Diocese of Osogbo was created from the Oyo Diocese in 1995, Bishop Adelakun took on the challenge of mission territory. He chose to help start the old-new Oyo.
He was a pioneer in youth ministry and helped the Catholic Youth Organization of Nigeria (CYON) grow.
He was Episcopal Chairman of the Justice, Development and Peace Movement (JDPC) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) and CAN state chairman both in Oyo State and Osun State when Osun stare was first created. He held many other posts with honors and received many awards from both local and international bodies.
GRACES OF GOD
He lived to see many of his priests raised to the order of Episcopacy in the like:
Most Rev Gabriel ‘Leke Abegunrin (the first Bishop of Osogbo and now the Archbishop of Ibadan) was ordained as a bishop in 1995.
Most Rev Emmanuel Adetoyese Badejo, the new Bishop of Oyo diocese, was ordained as a bishop in 2007.
Most Rev John Akinkunmi Oyejola , the Bishop of Osogbo, was ordained as a bishop in 2016.
Most Rev Paul Adegboyega Olawoore* (the late Bishop of Ilorin) was ordained as a bishop in 2018.
Most Rev Francis Femi Adesina* (Bishop of Ijebu-Ode) was ordained as a bishop in 2019.
He founded a non government organization known as BISHOP ADELAKUN FOUNDATION (BAF) which has helped so many orphans, physically challenged people, widows and less privileges.
EVERGREEN IN OUR MEMORIES
Baba as we called him was an epitome of wisdom and lover of people. We are going to miss him a lot. My condolences to Bishop Emmanuel Badejo, the Catholic Bishop of Oyo, Most Rev. Gabriel Abegunrin, the Archbishop of Ibadan, the entire priests, religious and the lay faithful of Oyo, the Adelakun dynasty and all who mourn the death our our HERO.
Rest on Bishop Julius Babatunde Adelakun
Sun re o.
May you be robed with the saints of God.
