•Blow-By-Blow Account Of The Party
You hardly find an event that gathers former Presidents and Governors, Royal Fathers, Top Politicians, Socialites and Philanthropists to together on a Sunday morning but when Erelu Olusola Obada, a former Deputy Governor in Osun State and former Defence Minister turned 70, the story was completely different. On Sunday, June 27, 2021, some of the most honourable men and highly placed individuals across the country stormed Osun State as a mark of respect and honour for a woman who came, saw and conquered life despite all the challenges that threatened her success.
From the church service that held at the Methodist Church Cathedral in Osun and the reception that followed suit, the event was a once in a lifetime programme that had different talking points and many interesting behind the scenes there.
City Peoples DAMILARE SALAMI 08155134152 alongside the Head of Photography Unit, Femi Adeleke was there and in this report, he brings you all the juicy bits, enjoy.
UNUSUAL HUGE TURNOUT AT THE CHURCH
The Sunday morning started as a regular day for all the good reasons at the Methodist Church Cathedral in Ilesa but ended up becoming an epoch-making Sunday in Osun State as the church auditorium was filled to the brim from the beginning till the very end of the thanksgiving service held in the honour of the man-like illustrious daughter of Ijesaland, Erelu Obada. The thanksgiving service which began at exactly 10:00 am witnessed a large crowd from every nook and crannies of the state and beyond. Former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, former military administrator of Lagos State and ex-Executive Governor of Osun State, his excellence, Olagunsoye Oyinlola and his wife, Mrs Omolola Oyinlola, the representative of the governor of Osun State, Mr Gboyega, Oyetola, Dr Charles Akinola, the Osun State Chief of Staff the wife of a former governor of Oyo State, Mrs Adedibu and as many as about 20 royal fathers all marked their presence at the church service.
ONE WOMAN, PLENTY ACCOLADES
The inscription ‘teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts to wisdom’ came alive indeed as different women and women, the high and mighty as well as the lowly placed in society all had their different accounts of who Erelu Obada is and they are all positive. She is a woman who had led her peers and had a huge impact with her simple, dedicated, hardworking, progressive and never-say-die attitudes. From her family to her church, political allies, religious leaders and national leaders, every single comment about Erelu Obada was positive, inspirational and a big lesson for women coming behind her not to look down on themselves as inferior to men.
EX-PRESIDENT OBASANJO’S COMICAL BEHAVIOUR AT CHURCH
Many didn’t know that former President Olusegun Obasanjo was a very funny man until he mounted the podium to talk about the Erelu Onada that he knows. OBJ could have as well earned so much fortune if he had taken a career in stand-up comedy. This was evident in the way he made everyone laugh out loud while he addressed the congregation. He started on a very light note, ended on a light note but then, opened up so many deep things about that people were probably aware of but didn’t really take cognizance of about the celebrant. One of such things was how Erelu Obada turned in so much fortune for Nigeria in the cocoa business when Obj made her the head of a committee that oversaw a section of the agricultural sector while she was the deputy governor of Osun State.
ERELU OBADA IS LOYAL TO A FAULT – EX-GOV, OYINLOLA
One of the people who had the privilege of talking about Erelu Obada was her former boss and principal, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, a former executive governor of Osun State. Governor Oyinlola had first-class information about Erelu Obada, having worked closely with her at the topmost office in Osun State. According to him, Erelu Obada is the most trusted and loyal political ally he has ever had. Erelu Obada is someone you can commit anything to and be rest assured that the thing will not die. She is a good wife, a good mother and a great leader. With her track record, she has proven that there’s no mountain anyone would not surmount if one is patient, focused, and dedicated to the course of progress.
…AT THE THANKSGIVING
Another talking point was Mama Olusola Obada’s grateful heart to God. She looked so happy turning 70 in style and was full of smiles and life. Mama took out time to dance to the glory of God in appreciation of his help over her life, family, church and nation at large. To cap it all, Mama had a special dance with her handsome husband and beautiful children who all stood by her from the beginning of the programme till the very end.
OBJ’S TRIANGULAR DANCE WITH THE CELEBRANT & HER HUSBAND
To wrap up his speech, former president Obasanjo sang a thanksgiving song in Yoruba. He sounded good with the song. He also held Erelu Olusola’s hand and that of her husband form a triangle and began dancing with them. Though it looked funny, the trio made a good show with that brief dancing session. They were later joined by others who had the privilege of being in front.
One remarkably funny moment was Obj’s exit. After his beautiful comical show, he was expected to return to his seat but that wasn’t Obj. He just hugged the celebrant and her husband and straight away headed to the exit door. Many people had expected to see Obj return to the auditorium but that was his final goodbye.
THE RECEPTION VENUE CHANGED FOR THE BETTER
Fast-forward to the reception venue, the story of how Erelu Obada celebrated her 70th birthday became more interesting with the activities at the reception ground. The initial venue was Mega King Event Center but was later changed to a better venue. Better in the sense that this new venue had sufficient space to accommodate all the guests that came from different parts of the country. The new venue was Zenababs Resort and Games Village, Ilesa.
This venue added so much glamour and colour to the event. From the lush green natural grass to the sight of games, animals, pools and all, the venue was not just enthralling, it was also very relaxing. In addition to this, it also had room for the different classes of people at the event. Everyone was in his own class with service providers readily available to serve what everyone wanted.
Starting from the celebrant and her inner caucus like the likes of Prince Oyinlola and his wife, Engineer Segun Oni, the former Ekiti State Governor, Princess Toyin Kolade and some other top dignitaries, the exclusive list of VVIPs had a special tent beautifully decorated and well-arranged seats in such a relaxing manner.
THE OBA’S CORNER
The council of Obas also had their own special tent. The Oba’s corner was strictly for all the royal fathers in attendance. Starting from the representative of the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Eniola Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, there were other first class and second class royal fathers in attendance. The number was so large that at some points, people started losing counts. Were they satisfied with the service delivery? Definitely, yes, ‘Erelu Obada knows how to take care of her guests’, one of them told City People.
WAS IT ANOTHER PDP RALLY?
Everyone knows that Erelu Obada is a force to reckon with when it comes to decision making in the Osun PDP; this made virtually all PDP members in the state to make themselves available at Mamas 70 birthday party. Some seized the opportunity to position themselves, knowing fully well that another election is just around the corner. The presence of the large chunk of PDP members in the state made the party look like another PDP rally because most party members came with an emblem to identify with PDP. Different banners of individuals who are aspiring for different political offices were also seen hanging all over the place.
POPULAR COMEDIAN, SEYI LAW ANCHORS EVENT
An event of this class can only be anchored by a classy compere and this time around, it was another proud Ilesa son and a godson to the celebrant, Seyi Law. Seyi Law is a force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian comedy industry. He has carved out a niche for himself and there are so many people looking up to him in the industry. When you have a man in his class anchoring your event, you have nothing to worry about. Seyi Law is a proper blend of the high, middle and low class. This enabled him to carry all the guests along without missing out on any particular sect among the guests.
7-Step Cake For 7 Decades
Becoming a septuagenarian is no child’s play. Erelu Obada marked her entry into the 7th decade with a huge cake. It was a seven-step cake. The cake was so gigantic that it took two hefty women to guide it and be sure that it was safe. Mama Obada cut the cake alongside her husband, children, friends, family and close associates.
GOSPEL JUJU MAESTRO, YINKA AYEFELE SERENADES
Music is an important part of Naija culture and it is the hallmark of any major owambe. Take this away and you will have a boring or no party at all. Mama’s birthday brought one of the biggest music bands in Nigeria to Ilesa. Yinka Ayefele was on the bandstand, everyone, expectedly enjoyed his performance. Trust him to always deliver when he is needed, Yinka Ayefele didn’t drop the microphone as soon as he took over from Seyi Law. He ran the show from the beginning till the very end of the party, dishing out cool alujo and tungba tunes from his archives and blending them properly with current trends.
One Party, Countless Aso-Ebi
If there’s something unique about this party, it is the different kinds of classy Aso-Ebi that guests adorned at the event. There were different outfits with different styles. From the high-ranking guests to the least of them all, there were different Aso-Ebi for the different classes and categories of people. Some were dressed in all white, some had their Ankara Aso-Ebi, some were on orange-colour sequence lace and so on. In all, the different Aso-Ebi made the party more colourful the party.
INNER CREATIVE TROUPE PERFORMS
The event wasn’t an all-Yoruba event, it is what can be best described as a pan-Nigerian celebration of a woman who has spent the bulk of her life in the service of her nation. To add icing to the cake, the Inner Creative Troupe, an Edo-based cultural dance group held a jaw-breaking performance for Erelu Obada. The cultural group’s performance only established the fact that Erelu Obada’s influence cuts across all tribes and religions in the country.
PRINCESS TOYIN KOLADE’S GRAND ENTRY
One of the top celebrities sighted at the event was Princess Toyin Kolade, the new Iyalaje of the Sources. She walked in like a true Princess of Ijesaland in the company of her entourage. Before taking her seat, she paid homage to the celebrant and her husband, all the royal fathers and other top dignitaries. She finally sat beside Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola and his wife and they had a fun-filled evening as they chatted intermittently.
TAMPAN Members Were Here Too
The Theatre Arts and Motion Pictures Association of Nigeria TAMPAN is an umbrella of some Nollywood stars. They were also at the event to celebrate a national ICON. So many movie stars under the guise of TAMPAN graced Mama’s event and some were actually involved in the planning of the reception party. City People gathered that Toyin Adegbola popularly known as Ajoke Asewo to re Mecca was among those who played a huge role in ensuring that the event recorded the huge success it had.
ROLL CALL
The event had a huge list such that the roll call would end up occupying all the spaces in this report. However, some of the dignitaries at the event include Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Prince Olagunsoye and Mrs Omolola Oyinlolola, Mrs Bose Adedibu, Sen Deji Fadahunsi, Otunba Gbenga Daniels, Engr. Segun Oni, Ekiti State former Governor, Akinola Fasawe, Dr Adeniyi Adedeji, Elder Femi Esan, Oba Owamiran of Esa Oke, Oba Oluwoyen of Iwoye Ijesa, Oba Oloja of Obode,Oba Elere of Ere Ijesa, Oba Aregbo of Iregbo Ijesha, Senator Bukola Saraki, Oba Alahun of Ilahun.
Others are Dr Charles Akinola, the Osun State Chief of Staff, Chief Mrs Titi Laoye, former Deputy Governor of Osun State, Mr Tunde Ponle, Prof Kolapo Olusola, Ekiti State ex-Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral F.K Okhihiere, Air Vice Marshal C.C Ozogwu, Sen Biodun Olujimi, Elder Segun Akinwusi, Alhaji Fatai Akingbade,ex-SSG, Osun State, Hon Taiwo Akeju, Commissioner for Inter-Governmental Affairs, Osun State, Chief Banjo Adeigbe, Alhaji Oyedokun, Hon Sunday Imisi, Dr Banjo Faforiji, Alhaji Tajudeen Oladipo. Sen Francis Fadahunsi, Dr Sikiru Taye Lawal,
The list of royal fathers include HIM Oba Dr Gabriel Adekunle, Aromalaran II, Ooni of Ife represented by HRM Oba Arasanmi Oyewunmi, the Adimuro of Ife, HRM Adeleke Omotayo Idowu, The Ataoja of Osogbo, Oba Jimoh Oyetunji Olanipekun, The Asiwaju of Ijesaland and Yeye Asiwaju of Ijesaland, Chief Yinka Fasuyi.
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