Leke Adeboye, younger brother of Pastor Dare Adeboye who passed on May 5 has said the youths of the Redeemed Christian Church of God normally shave off their hair to honour a fallen hero.
In a video published on BBC News Pidgin, Leke said the action of shaving off the hair is a way of honouring the fallen hero or soldier as a youth
Leke Adeboye who showed off his hair before shaving it, explained further that the action is a demonstration of love for the departed and is done to show the extent one could go to honour the dead.
He said, “When you lose someone people come up and say they stand with you. But you truly know those who stand with you when they do something that personally affects them.”
After shaving his hair shaved he came up again in the video to make a closing remark.
Quoting the Bible he said “Paul talking to the people of Philippians says to live is Christ, to die is gain. It is very simple. To die is his gain. Christ has gained his soul. PD (Pastor Dare) is gone. How are you going to live? When you do pass on what is going to happen to you. Clean life, clean heart. #tag for PD.
Some commentators on the post however reacted to the action. While some commended him for mourning his brother, some were taken aback by the action of shaving hair.
A commentator Amaka Umeaku wrote, “My dear you did the right thing for your late brother, it’s a great honour for him it’s not really easy to bear the pains of losing a loved one. He has run the race and I pray the almighty God to comfort the entire Adeboye family.”
Another, Bode Folorunsho wrote, “My brother in the Lord Leke, why are you guys making it look like RCCG is a secret cult? What you did, is it Biblical or your family culture? Great Pastor Dare, continue to rest in the bosom of the Lord”
Some also commended Leke’s courage to address the public despite the loss. Emi Ikhatua wrote, “Indeed God has been the source strength of this family. Imagine losing a loved one and still have the composure to address the public, it could only be God. May God grant the family and the entire RCCG members the fortitude to bear this irreplaceable loss. Amen”
For Sesan Olabanji the action of Leke and the rest of the RCCG youth looks childish. He wrote, “Well to me all these things look childish. It makes me feel either they know he was going to die earlier. Even me that is not related to him or a member of RCCG I feel the pain so deep in my heart. I don’t know the meaning of all these”