By The Merit Newspaper
Badagry, Lagos State — Prominent community leader and businessman, Pastor Victor Wusa, has joined the people of Badagry and the wider Ogu nation in mourning the passing of the revered monarch, Howhee De Wheno Menu Toyi I, describing his transition as “a painful and irreplaceable loss to history, culture and humanity.”
Pastor Victor Wusa, the Chief Executive Officer of Hungkenny Multipurpose Company Limited, and a native of Sagbo Compound, Ahovo, Maun, Ipokia Local Government, Ogun State paid glowing tribute to the late monarch, whom he described as “a rare untribalistic leader, bridge-builder and custodian of peace.”
In a condolence message made available to journalists, Wusa extended heartfelt sympathy to the Akran Royal Family, the Royal Council, and the entire people of Badagry, noting that the monarch’s legacy would endure for generations.
“The transition of Howhee De Wheno Menu Toyi I is unbearable. The scar his departure has left cannot be easily erased or forgotten. Only God Almighty can console and comfort the royal family and the good people of Badagry,” Wusa said.
A Symbol of Unity Beyond Tribe
According to Wusa, the late monarch was not only a king to the Ogu people but a father to all, regardless of ethnic or religious background.
“Howhee De Wheno Menu Toyi I was an icon. Anyone who had contact with him cannot breathe freely whenever his death is remembered. He ruled with wisdom, humility and fairness, and his reign reflected unity beyond tribe or origin,” he stated.
Badagry, an ancient coastal town of immense historical significance, is widely known as the cradle of Western education and Christianity in Nigeria, having hosted the first Christian missionaries and Nigeria’s first storey building—monuments that still stand today.
Wusa noted that the monarch’s reign aligned with Badagry’s historic identity as a town of welcome, tolerance and coexistence.
Biblical Reflection and Legacy
Drawing from the Scriptures, Wusa reflected on the inevitability of death and the importance of legacy.
“As the Bible says in the book of Job, ‘Man that is born of a woman is of few days.’ No matter how long we live, our time on earth is brief before God. In everything, we must give thanks,” he said.
He added:
“We thank God for the life well spent by our departed monarch and for the good legacies he left behind—legacies that speak louder than words. May we all, in our own little corners of the world, live lives that people will testify about when we are gone.”
Final Farewell
Pastor Wusa reiterated by praying for the repose of the monarch’s soul and strength for those he left behind.
“Howhee De Wheno Menu Toyi I of Badagry, E Zungbede, may your gentle soul rest in perfect peace. Your name and works will remain engraved in the sands of time,” he said.
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The death of Howhee De Wheno Menu Toyi I has continued to draw tributes from traditional rulers, community leaders, historians and residents, many of whom regard his reign as a defining era in the cultural and socio-political history of Badagry and the Ogu people.
