Our Founder

Elder Josiah Soyemi Olugbusi was born in 1877 to a noble family in Ekiti and his father finally settled in Shagamu, Ogun State. His mother, a Princess of the Owa of Ilesha, died when he was three years old. Elder J. S. Olugbusi therefore spent his early life farming with his father and started schooling at a very old age. His father died when he was in College and he experienced a lot of hardship during his early life assisted by only his two elder brothers. When he left school, he became a teacher in the Methodist School and later became a Tax Collector which he did for many years until Twenty-Two of them were involved in a serious case. He was the only one set free out of all after which he decided to become a trader.

Baba Olugbusi married his wives Captain E. F. Olugbusi in 1918. That marriage was blessed with five children – four boys and a daughter. As a trader, during the course of his usual trip to Lagos to buy merchandise for his trades, he came in contact with the founder, Baba Moses Orimolade Tunolase, who was then living at Agoshofin, Lagos. This was before the Holy Order was named Seraph in September 1925. As he was not resident in Lagos, his membership was not well known to several people.

In 1927, he relocated to Lagos and became a regular member at Bible Class under H. A. Philips. He was in fact the Secretary of the Bible Class. He held this post until 1929 when there was schism in the Holy Order and H. A. Philips and others left the fold to form their own sect. Elder J.S. Olugbusi refused to follow H. A. Philips. Out of about 1,500 member of that Bible Class only himself and his family opted to follow the founder, Baba Moses Orimolade Tunolase when the group seceded in May 1929.

Elder J.S. Olugbusi was the Secretary to the Holy Order when the founder died and he wrote to the Permanent Secretary of the former Ministry of Lagos Affairs in 1933 reporting the death of the founder, Saint Moses Orimolade Tunolase, and the subsequent appointment of Elder A. W. Onanuga, as his successor.

In 1954, he was appointed the first Senior Apostle General of the Holy Order. In that capacity, he carried out the administration of the Order and did a lot to organize the various administrative units – District Councils and Provincial Councils. As General Secretary to the Holy Order, he was instrumental to the compilation in a booklet form of the Rules and Regulation of the Holy Order, usually referred to as “The Order, Rules and Regulations and duties of Workers”. He also did a lot of spiritual work and made several missionary journeys particularly to the riverine areas of Western State of Nigeria.

Elder J.S. Olugbusi was the Senior Apostle General and Secretary to the Holy Order when the mantle of leadership fell on him. However, a visioner delivered a message that “no Baba Aladura should be ordained until 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days after the death of the Baba Aladura”. Elder J.S. Olugbusi faithfully held unto God and was acting as Baba Aladura for 3 years, 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days until he was subsequently inducted as the Baba Aladura in December 1960 at the Mount Zion General Headquarters of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim. He held the post until the Board was re-constituted in 1961 and he became the first Baba Aladura of the re-constituted Advisory Board of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim in 1962.

During his tenure of office as Baba Aladura, he ordained Elder G.A. Ogunyadi as the first Deputy Baba Aladura and Elder J.O. Coker as the Senior Apostle General in December 1962. The following Bands and ranks were created by Baba Olugbusi: Army of Christ Band, Supervising Apostle and Mary as anointed cadres and the post of the Chancellor. As a result of the Executive Crisis in Ebute-Metta in 1967, Baba Aladura J.S. Olugbusi moved the Headquarters of the Holy Order to No. 20 Pearse Street, Surulere, Lagos.

He died on Holy Trinity Sunday, 17th June 1973 and was buried at Oko-Oba, Agege.