One Year after Rev. Solomon Adegbolagun, Wife Says “It is very difficult to believe that my husband is gone”

Friday 31st October, 2025 will make it one full year that the Apostle of Rightousness, the Founder of Centre For Righteous Living (CRIL) and the late Senior Pastor of Last Commandment Church, a Cleric and Politician of repute, Rev. Solomon Adegbolagun passed on. PTL News was with his widow, Lady Elder Florence Olawale Adegbolagun, who shared her experiences, challenges and joy in the last one year. She also spoke on the preparations to comemorate the one year after the departure of her loved one.

Can you please introduce yourself ma?
I am Lady Elder Florence Olawale Adegbolagun, wife of late Rev. Solomon Aderigbigbe Adegbolagun that slept in the Lord on the 31st of October, 2024. We thank God that has kept us, myself and the children. They are all married and in different parts of the world. Three of them are outside the country while the eldest is here in Nigeria.

His last moments
I just have to thank God because He has been very faithful since he left. It is very difficult to believe that my husband is gone. He left so suddenly. He was not that sick. Just two days and he was gone. So it is very difficult to forget like that. I still find it difficult to believe that he left that way because he was very sick in the year 2019, we had to take him to Dublin and God spared him. But this time around that didn’t happen. It was the last week of October, 2024. There wasn’t any sign that such would happen.

The week started on Sunday we had a service in the church. He was very active in the Church. We came back. On Tuesday which was the last Tuesday of the month, we had this prayer Fellowship at Alausa called Pilgrims Prayers Fellowship, for those who have been to Jerusalem. He was the one that preached. Immediately after the fellowship, he would meet the chaplain to counsel them and know if there was any issue to resolve. He did the same and we left.

While coming back we went to my senior sister at Ogba. She was sick and we went to her. He was the one that prayed for her, and we came home.

Before we went he had been having this cough. By the time we came the cough had not gone. I had to take care of him with cough syrup and other medicines, being a nurse.

Tuesday through Wednesday, he became very sick and his body was very cold like putting your hand in an ice. I had to call our son’s wife who is a medical consultant at UCH. She said daddy was due for medical check up, and he was due to come on Thursday. But before I check his blood pressure, everything had come down to 70/40 as if all the organs had collapsed.

Fortunately, one of his relatives came and that happened to be a pharmacists. He came to report one of the cases in the family. He was attending to him. I told him to tell me what was happening, he said nothing was happening. Wednesday/Thursday, the body was like that again, and the nephew was around again, saying before we go to Ibadan we should take him to one of the nearby private clinics to calm him down. We then went to a neighbourhood hospital around us here.

Within one hour that we were there, he told his brother to go, and one of our neighbours here, a pastor. He told him to go and rest because he had just come back from a fellowship. He said, ‘darling I want to sleep,’ I then thought of making him comfortable. I had to arrange him on the bed, I had my chair in from of his bed. I was just looking at him, thinking he had slept off. The nurse came to check him again, she came and shouted ‘daddy, daddy,’ I told her he was sleeping, and that was it. He was gone. There was no struggle for death, no gasping. You know I am a nurse. For those people that want to die, they would first gasp and struggle to give up. There was nothing like that. My husband just said he wanted to sleep and that was how he left this world.

Life after his departure
Since then I thank God for everything that happened after. I thank God for all his associates, members of the family. They rallied round us.
It was after he died that my children were telling me, later we began to know that daddy had what we can call premonition about his death and he prepared for it. Like our third born who was in Sudan, he works with the UN, but has his family in the US. They came home in September last year. He was supposed to go for a tour, and he came with his brother our last born who is also in the US. Then, Debola just came. She said she had a meeting with his Pastor Adefarasin. She came from Dublin. Then their senior brother came in from Ibadan. He said he was on his way to Kenya and just dashed in. We began to ask what was happening. Daddy then said, why are these children, all of them four are all here at the same time without planning it with one another. He said, they have come to say Good bye to me. I asked him, ‘where are you going that they came to say good bye to you?’ I asked him.

It was the third one that left last, the one in the Sudan. He said daddy came to him in a dream in the night before he left the third day, that he called him Debamijo. That was what he used to call him. He said he came and explained some things to him. He said the Church was owned by God, and that he had no other property apart from this one and that in his town, and just make sure that you take care of your mother, and all of you unite and love yourselves, where we have put your legs don’t depart from it. That one did not tell us.

We thank God for the burial, everything went well. God took absolute control. We travelled home and came back. You were also there. God has always been there as the husband of the widow. I believe my husband is also there watching over us. He is with the Saints Triumphant watching over us. They are all praying for us. When everything seems to be difficult, I will have to call upon God and He is always there for me.

When there were family issues, by the hand of God it was amicably settled. Within my children, there are no problems. We thank God for His Church and we thank God for the ministers there. They have been very cooperative because they know they are not working for man but for God. Even for the second branch that was about to fizzle out God took control and it has bounced back.

The children are also doing well in the Lord. That is where they all met us. We were both in Christ before we met and we remained in the Lord till he breath his last. Though their father is not physically there but like Proverbs 22.6, to teach our children in the way of the Lord. I have also told them to train their children so that the trends will continue and our generation will be like that of Abraham and be maintained with God.

We also thank God for his associates and for CRIL especially. CRIL has been growing stronger and stronger. As if he had known when he said Rev. Abolade should take over. Like he had already foreseen where he was going, he settled the Integrity (Cooperatives) but we thank God for everything. The bible says sweet is the memory of the righteous.
I cannot but remember him. He has been part of me. It’s been a journey of 50 years together. God has been very faithful. The most important is loneliness. But thank God for the Holy Spirit, He is the comforter and our confidence. Most time He sends people here who pray with us and counsel us. He is very faithful. I really appreciate everybody, CRIL members, the Church of God who have stood with us, our neighbours here, the Adegbolaguns, my own family, the Awofisayos, they stood by us and they are still standing by us, and I believe that God will continue to be with us in the journey of our lives until God calls us and we will go and meet him, in Jesus name.

Emotions
I remember one day when I travelled to one of our children our grandchild who is very troublesome saw me. Somebody called and told me something which made me remember my husband again, because I knew if he was around I would share with my husband, he saw me shedding tears, it was the two of us that were in the house, he had not started school, and every other person has gone to work. He asked grandma why are you crying? Is it because of grandpa? Wy are you crying for grandpa? Do you want to go and meet him? I told him when the time comes that God wants me to go and meet him, I would go and meet him. He said, ‘don’t cry. My father said grandpa has gone there. Let’s go out to say hi, hi to granpa.’ It gladdened my heart that that small child knew grandpa has gone, that he cannot come back to meet us, it is we that can go and meet him.

Sadness and Joy
We thank God for the life of Baba and that of yours. We know the last one year must have been very challenging and emotional, that you cannot do without expressing that. Looking into the last one year, can you identify some challenging situations and some things that gave you joy in the home and all around you? Kindly share some of these things with us.
One of the things that made me happy sometimes ago, was when Bishop Mike Okonkwo celebrated his 80th birthday and Professor (Yemi) Osinbajo former Vice President was the one that gave the keynote address, he mentioned with emphasis that it was righteousness that can exalt a nation, and that of Nigeria. It was like he was speaking about the mind of my husband. We know what he stood for, and that was righteousness. He was a man of integrity. I was very happy that his legacies are still being talked about. Because everyone that knew him identifies him with righteousness. He was a man of integrity to the core. If he stands by you he doesn’t mind whose ox is gored, he will stand by you, even if you are ready to kill him, he would be ready to stand by you. He used to say that for the people who don’t understand him, he said one day, they would still come to the knowledge of the truth, and righteousness.

His Legacies For Nigeria

Like I felt in my recent trip. I have been going but this time around I asked myself why America was still going well and great despite the immorality and all what the people were doing there. The difference is that they are rooted in righteousness. The spirit of God made me realise that it is righteousness that exalts a nation. Their forefathers had their foundation on the Rock of Ages which is Jesus Christ, and the covenant they made with God and God is a covenant keeping God, He would never break covenant no matter what happens. That is what he told David, that he told that even his children misbehaved, He would punish them but He would not break His covenant with them, and that is what they are enjoying till tomorrow.

Like the small child I was telling you about, they are very honest, they would not think of cutting corners with you, unlike here in Nigeria. They don’t tell lies. They would tell you the truth however and whatever you would feel. They don’t hide their feelings. What I am saying here is that my husband is a man of integrity, a man of honour, he loved God so much and in whatever he was doing he would like to please God. I pray that the legacies would come up one day and it would be sustained, and that the legacies would continue in Jesus name.

The other aspect is when something happened to the children and I would need somebody to share the burden with, but I would not see him, but as God is the husband of the widow and the father to the fatherless, I commit every challenge to God, and God remains our father and He has been very faithful. Whenever I need that help or counselling and I call upon God, He would answer us.

For the Home and the Family

Now, from an experience of somebody who has just lost a partner, what lessons have you learnt in the last one year that you can pass to women in a similar situation?
Sometimes, they usually refer some widows to me, they come here and we usually pray together and I counsel them. Thank God for all the messages of the bible, particularly the ones that have to do with the situations of the widow. We have understood that God is the husband of the widow, He is their comforter and their defender. They will discover that all those that normally come around, when the man was around would not be there again. May be they can see only 1% that can be there. A younger widow will feel the lonelines. Only God can help them. Thank God for those of us whose children have grown up, but for young widows, only God can help them. This is because the family will be on her. Some people, the family would be on them and they would like to take whatever is left by the husband, they want to do this or do that. But if she has Christ and continue to plead her case with God, God will take control.

For goodness sake, we did 24 weddings together in this house of my husband’s siblings’ children, Church members that need one assistance or the other, adopted children. Out of the 24 it was only two that are our children. The other two of our biological childen had their weddings abroad. We thank God for the 24, they cannot all be here, but those people you did not expect are here doing one thing or the other. As God has said, it is not only where you sow that you reap. God is a faithful father. He is very faithful. Many of them have been wonderful, and we don’t lack anything. My husband was very kind, he would just bring the people and families here, and God helped us to take care of them. Anything my husband said, I would do. But what is very clear is that you can’t share my bed with me, but for other things, you are free, and God would always provide.

But there is one of them, she had gone for long, that one could not easily remember her. But when daddy died, she resurfaced again, and she has become a very big girl, and when I was still in the house, she would bring things, many things, this and that. When I was travelling, when I was at the airport she called me and said I should check my account, that I should by some dollars and keep for the journey, and for anything I would need on the journey. She has been very wonderful. Immediately she heard we would do one year anniversary of daddy, as we were going home for Hope Alive Outreach, she sent another money.
And another family, you know them, the Akindele family, they stood even more that my children, during and after the burial. They were all around. For everybody, let us continue to do good. That’s Galatians 6, verses 7 and 9. God has been good, we have never lacked anything. Before we have any feeling, people will come readily to help.

Then for the families, those that have not lost their loved ones should be very close to each other. They should not wait until they lose their loved ones before they begin to think of what to do. They should not take each other for granted. They should continue to love and love until God calls them home. One other thing tha gives me joy is that I really took care of him. Most of the times, he always appreciated the way I cared for him. Sometimes he would say, if he saw my father again, he would tell him that he sent me to School of Nursing because of him, and I would tell him perhaps he would need to pay another dowry. Couples must be very loving and make each other happy.

When he was alive and the children would say come and help us, I would tell them if they wanted me to come, they should tell my husband, and they would not like to separate us, and they have always seen us together. Every where we went, we always went together. That I also tell our women in the Church, when they say Mummy, you travel out and you come back, that if they were me, they would not come back. There was a time I travelled to Germany to take care of the children, and daddy went on this their pilgrimage assignment, and he couldn’t join me, one of our members said if she should be me, she would not come back. I asked her about the husband, she asked which husband? I don’t think that is the way God wants things with the family.

It was my husband first before any of the children. It was my husband after God. So, couples must love each other so that they can have peace of mind. Most of the times when I have to think of my husband, I am comforted by the messages I get here and there, about the impact daddy had on several people. Recently, somebody told me, ‘daddy is not dead o. She said she had not seen her mother who died about 20 years ago, but she saw daddy in her dream. She said she was sick in the dream, and said she did not have any money in the dream, and daddy said she should be treated, saying daddy was still taking care of here, even after his death.

One year after, what are programmes to celebrate his passing ma?
Yes, we want to go to his home town. That is Igbajo near Ilesa in Osun State. The 31st of this October would make it a year. That will be Friday, we are going home on Thursday by God’s grace. Not everybody but few of us. You were around during the burial. The children said they would have a centre for him, unfortunately, the local government, Oriade Local Government has not given them the approval, and they said they cannot start anything without approval. They are still pursuing that one. But they are going ahead to do something in their father’s remembrance.

Then, my own NGO, the Hope Alive Outreach, we are going to do medical outreach for the people at home, we will do empowerment. We are planning to give 50 people there N20,000 each, to help the less privileged with their families, and small businesses. We are going to give widows and the physically challenged people ankara and adire cloths. We have 50 for that one too. Then we have these fairly used materials from abroad, that people can still make use. We have about 15 bags of rice that will be shared among the people there, beans, Indomie for children, power oil, and that will be distributed on Friday. We will have a short service, and the people will move to their different departments, and we will come back on Saturday, and on Sunday we will meet in the Church for the thanksgiving service, at 20, Adeyemi Steeet, Mafoluku, Oshodi.

What other things do you have in mind for the memorial?
We are planning to work on the Centre, which will be opened in few years to come. That is what the children and the people around us will work on. Some of the children will be around for those who can be around.

We thank God for Centre For Righteousness (CRIL) for standing with us. They even came around to support the Hope Alive Outreach programme. God will continue to be with everyone of you. You will live longer than him by the special grace of God, and that banner Christ, that righteousness will fly all over Nigeria. Nigeria will witness that righteousness and eat the fruits of righteousness, that people will see that righteousness that exalts a nation and that righteousness will be experienced in Nigeria, and people will know that Nigeria is for Christ and Christ is for Nigeria in the name of Jesus. ALSO READ https://www.ptlnewsonline.com/righteousness-crusader-rev-solomon-adegbolagun-passes-on/

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