Prof. Victoria AJALA

 

When a Catholic soul of rare brilliance and humility returns to God, the Church mourns and yet rejoices. Such is the story of Prof. Joseph Morohunfolu Agbedahunsi—“Prof. Joe” as many fondly called him, who was born in Lagos on December 29, 1954, returned to his Maker on June 16, 2025, and whose funeral Mass at St. Benedict Cathedral, Osogbo, gathered a sea of grateful hearts. A scholar of Pharmacognosy, a Knight of faith, and a servant of humanity, he lived a life that now whispers lessons to us all.

 

In today’s conversation, Grandma shares with her grandson Augustine why Prof. Joe’s memory will never fade.

 

Augustine: Grandma, you look so peaceful today, almost like someone carrying a secret blessing. What happened?

 

Grandma (smiling with quiet joy): Ah, yes, my dear. At Prof. Joe’s funeral Mass, I received a gift most precious—a Rosary.

 

Augustine: A Rosary? That’s special! What color is it?

 

Grandma (holding it up gently, her eyes glistening): Green. Green like our nation, green like hope, green like the eternal life promised in Christ.

 

Augustine: That’s beautiful. But Grandma, who really was this Prof. Joe everyone keeps honoring?

 

Grandma: My child, Joe was both a giant in the classroom and a gentle servant in the chapel. Born in Lagos, educated in Jos, Ibadan, and Ife, he rose to become a Research Professor of Pharmacognosy at Obafemi Awolowo University. His pioneering research turned God’s plants into medicine—for malaria, sickle-cell, even Alzheimer’s disease. He was a healer through knowledge.

 

Augustine (awed): It’s like he unlocked God’s pharmacy in nature!

 

Grandma (nodding, voice warm): Indeed. But greater than his mind was his faith. He was a Knight of St. Mulumba, devoted to the Eucharist, and a loyal son of the Church. He and his wife cared tenderly for the elderly at the Holy Family Home in Osogbo. And when death came—ah, Augustine—it found him with Rosary beads in hand, whispering Hail Mary.

 

Augustine (voice hushed): Grandma, that’s like a holy departure… what every Catholic prays for.

 

Grandma (looking upward, softly humming): Exactly, my dear. And at that Mass, as the choir sang, one hymn lingered in my soul. Let me share it with you:

 

Hymn No. 20 – “Although the Way May Be Lonely”

Although the way may be lonely,

The darkened shadows fall,

I know wherever it leadeth,

My Father planned it all.

 

Chorus:

I sing through the shade and sunshine,

I trust Him whate’er befall;

I sing for I cannot be silent,

My Father planned it all.

 

There may be sunshine tomorrow,

Shadows may break and flee;

It may be the way He chooses,

The Father’s plan for me.

 

Chorus

 

He guides my faltering footsteps,

Along the weary way;

For well He knows the pathway

Will lead to endless day.

 

Chorus

 

Augustine (after a reflective pause): Grandma, that hymn… it feels like Prof. Joe’s life in a song. Trusting God in every step, even until the end.

 

Grandma (smiling through tender tears): You see it well, Augustine. Joe’s life was a melody of service, scholarship, and faith. His smile—ah, they used to say his teeth could win any damsel! But behind that smile was a heart anchored in Christ.

 

Augustine: Grandma, I just finished WAEC. What should I carry from his story into my life?

 

Grandma (placing the Rosary gently in his hands): Carry this truth, my son: education without faith is empty, and success without service is hollow. Joe’s legacy proves that greatness is not in titles, but in the lives we touch and the prayers we whisper.

 

Augustine (clutching the Rosary close, eyes bright): Thank you, Grandma. I’ll strive to live like Prof. Joe—faithful, generous, and unafraid to smile.

 

We lost a professor, but heaven gained a faithful son. Prof. Joseph Morohunfolu Agbedahunsi lives on—in his research, in his generosity, in his smile, and in the last Hail Mary he prayed. May his legacy remind us all that the highest wisdom is to love God and serve humanity.

 

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord. And let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen.