Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former World Bank Vice President & Nigeria’s Minister of Education, on 4th of May, 2022 got her audience dumbfounded after she was taken over by emotions and began to weep.
It was at an event to mark the one year passing of Pastor Dare Adeboye, the second son of the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye at the Redemption Camp, Ogun State. Dare died in his sleep on 4th May, 2021 after ministering the previous day in Eket, Akwa Ibom. He was aged 42.
Dr. Oby Ezekwesili who was the keynote speaker began to weep as she eulogized the late senior Youth Pastor of RCCG, barely five minutes that she picked up the microphone. She was helped by the ushers that offered her a handkerchief to wipe her tears.
Looking gorgeous in a green gown, Dr. Ezekwesili said the late Dare Adeboye was such an enterprising and intelligent young man, who believed so much in the development and prosperity of Nigeria, and was already doing something to effect the desired change in the, only for his life to be cut short by death.
She recounted memorable times she shared with Dare, saying both were working out something to bring about purposeful leadership in the country and most especially driving initiatives aimed at enabling the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the nation.
The event tagged ” Change and Development Forum was organized by the Dare Adeboye Foundation to also promote productive dialogue and partnerships among stakeholders within the social impact sector.
The goal was to drive policy and strategic discussions aimed at social development with the focus on young Nigerians.
Dr. Ezekwesili praised late Pastor Dare Adeboye as a silent and unsung driver, promoter and pillar of sustainable development and nation building.
Co-Founder, Transparency International and Convener of the “Bring Back Our Girls” campaign, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, urged youths to delve into the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, to create job opportunities and to bring development faster and closer to the populace.
Dr. Oby who described Dare as an SDG social impact actor, charged the Foundation to set a high standard of value for money even as she pledged her partnership with the foundation.
She urged the leadership of the Foundation to sustain and institutionalize the late Pastor Dare’s passion.
The event was well attended by notable personalities including the wife of the governor of Ogun State, Mrs Bamidele Abiodun, the Chairman of His Love Foundation & Special Assistant to the General Overseer of RCCG on CSR, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade; Mrs Tomi Somefun, MD/CEO of Unity Bank, Mr. Emmanuel Emefienim, MD/CEO of Premium Trust Bank and his wife, Mrs Priscilla Emefienim; members of the Adeboye family including Pastor ‘Deolu and his wife, Mrs. Tope Adeboye , the wife of the late Pastor Dare Adeboye, Mrs Temi Adeboye, and Pastor Leke Adeboye and his wife, Mrs. Titi Adeboye.
Also in attendance was the leadership of the Young Adults and Youth Affairs of RCCG in attendance.
The Dare Adeboye Foundation was first launched on June 9th 2021, to sustain and entrench the legacies of Pastor Dare Adeboye, a senior Youth Pastor in RCCG and the son of the General Overseer of the Mission.
The foundation has four key programs, focusing on youth empowerment, Kingdom Expansion, Leadership & Governance; and Education.
The Foundation is envisioned to see a world positively transformed by the ingenuity and proactive mindset of young Africans in providing leadership that entrenches the rule of law, and drives continuous social change for the development of all.
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