On July 30th, 2019, at the modest but luxurious Regency Hall in Ikeja, one of journalism’s most accomplished practitioners, Chief Eric Olawale Teniola, hosted families, friends, colleagues and associates including the Executive Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu as he celebrated his 70th birthday with pomp. The day was not only about his birthday celebration, it was also about the launch of his book, ‘On The Spot’. The event had in attendance captains of industries, media gurus, retired and respected Army Generals, socialites, etc.
For those who may not know, this distinguished gentleman is one of the finest journalists Nigeria has ever produced. He has had an illustrious career, starting his journalism stint with The Tribune as a reporter several decades ago. Today, he will go down in the history books as one of the biggest names in Nigerian journalism. City People’s Senior Editor, WALE LAWAL (08037299290) and photojournalist IDOWU MATHEW were at the event to bring you gist of how it all went down. Enjoy!
RECEPTION/ BOOK LAUNCH TAKES OFF EARLY
Immediately after the church service which took place at the popular Chapel of Christ The Light in Alausa, Ikeja, the celebrant led family and friends straight to Regency Hall on Otunba Jobi Fele Way, CBD Ikeja. By 1.30pm, guests had started trooping into the modest but exquisitely decorated venue inside the prestigious Regency Hall, awaiting the arrival of the birthday boy from the church service. At about 2.15 pm, the celebrant, Chief Eric Olawale Teniola accompanied by family and friends arrived the venue. And after a few minutes needed to put things in place, the grand reception took off at exactly 2.30 pm with the MC for the day, Jimmy Jairo, making his first appearance on stage.
COMEDIAN JIMMY JAIRO STEPS OUT TO ANCHOR EVENT
One of the major prerequisites for a successful show is the quality of the anchor person. At the birthday reception and launch of Chief Eric Teniola’s book, ‘ON THE SPOT,’ the man saddled with the responsibility to steer the affairs of the event was fast-rising comedian, Jimmy Jairo. He is a young man who has paid his dues in the business and is certainly reaping the rewards right now, as he is constantly engaged to anchor high profile events like that of Chief Eric Teniola which had some prominent Nigerians in attendance, including His Excellency the Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu. Kudos must be given to Jimmy Jairo, he did a great job delighting everyone with his rib-cracking jokes. He knew the exact joke that suited every moment.
ABOUT THE BIRTHDAY BOY
The Akogun1, Chief Eric Teniola, is one of the most highly revered journalists in the country today. He is an accomplished journalist, a man who has done quite well for himself. He started his journalism career as a reporter with The Tribune. He was with The Tribune for a while before joining the Herald. He rose to become the State Editor for the Herald before leaving to join the Punch newspapers. He went on to serve three different Ondo state governors before going on to work in the presidency with a man who perhaps made the greatest impact in his life, Alhaji Gidado Idris.
MR. LEYE KUPOLUYI TAKES OPENING PRAYER
As it is traditional at events of this nature, the party never begins without an opening prayer. And Chief Eric Teniola’s birthday reception was no different. The man saddled with the task to take the opening prayers was a gentleman and prominent member of the hugely popular Idanre, Ondo state club, club 66, Mr. Leye Kupoluyi. He was brief about it and did well to get everyone’s attention with his profound prayers.
CHAIRMAN OF THE EVENT, CHIEF SAM AMUKA, GIVES SHORT SPEECH
Anyone who knows this veteran journalist well enough will tell you he has always been a man of very few words. Rather than engage in long and winding discussions, Chief Sam Amuka, popularly called Uncle Sam by friends and admirers, finds it a lot more convenient putting his thoughts down in black and white. This probably explains why he rarely gives long speeches. He was the chairman of the event and befittingly so too. Uncle Sam is one of the brilliant minds who had a great influence on the celebrant, Chief Eric Teniola. He was an inspiration and mentor to Eric Teniola particularly during his early days as a journalist. Uncle Sam is an accomplished Nigerian journalist, columnist, and publisher. He founded the Vanguard, one of Nigeria’s leading newspapers and also co-founded The Punch, Nigeria’s most widely read newspaper.
A LOOK AT THOSE WHO MAKE UP THE POWERFUL HIGH TABLE
It is to be expected that, for an event of the status of the celebrant who has met and cultivated relationships with some of the most influential in the land, personalities of no mean achievement will certainly make up the high table. Apart from Uncle Sam Amuka who was chairman of the event, other prominent guests called to the high table were General Tajudeen Olanrewaju, a distinguished and decorated retired Army General who has served the country diligently, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, another distinguished and highly decorated General who was once a military administrator in Akwa Ibom state and who after retirement went into politics and emerged as a senator of the federal republic. Others are Senator Musa Dede, Mrs. Layole Adesote (the celebrant’s sister), Mrs. Toyin Ogunlere and the president of Club 66, Chief (SAN) Olumide Fishika. They were all joined later by the executive governor of Ondo State, His Excellency, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, whose arrival instantly lit up the entire hall and took the already charged atmosphere several notches higher.
HERE COMES THE BIRTHDAY BOY
Looking far younger than his age, the celebrant, the Akogun 1, Chief Eric Teniola, was ushered into the hall accompanied by his gorgeous wife and lovely looking daughters and sons. He was dressed in a neatly sown brown Agbada that fitted him like a glove and a cute looking brown shoe to go with it. There was no doubt that he was a man whose heart was filled with unbridled joy. From the look on his face, you could tell he was grateful to God for giving him the grace to mark seventy years on earth. As he was ushered in by family members and a few friends, he danced joyfully to the music of Faith Band who disappointed no one throughout the duration of the event.
ONDO STATE GOVERNOR STORMS EVENT
Apart from the celebrant, his family and a few close friends, not many expected that the governor of Ondo state, or any governor for that matter, was coming to join them, sit in their midst and celebrate the 70th birthday of media guru, Eric Teniola, with them. You can, therefore, imagine the shock, and thereafter, the excitement that seized the entire hall when the governor of Ondo state, Olwarotimi Akeredolu sauntered into the venue led by a large entourage of personal aides and security personnel. Dressed in a full chocolate brown Agbada that sat pretty well on his tall frame, the governor had a smile on his face throughout his stay and it must be said that he thoroughly enjoyed himself. It was really nice to see that he came all the way from Ondo to come and celebrate with one of their own, an illustrious son of Ondo state who served three Ondo state governors as Chief Press Secretary.
THE CELEBRANT AND HIS LOVELY GIRLS
Call them Daddy’s lovely girls and you won’t be wrong. Chief Eric Teniola’s 3 gorgeous daughters were all over him at his birthday celebration. You could easily tell they share a strong daddy and daughter relationship with their dad. At a point, Chief Teniola was asked to come to the stage with his wife and one of the daughters held him by the hand and led him to the stage and the wife who was right behind them was asking “ are you his wife?
ABOUT THE BOOK, ‘ON THE SPOT’
According to the publisher of the book, Mr. Tai Solarin Sogbesan, the idea to put the book, ‘ON THE SPOT,’ together was born out of the desire to do a compilation of some of Eric Teniola’s most fascinating and compelling articles written while he was with the Vanguard. This was deemed necessary because of the cult following that his articles and column were enjoying. People found them in-depth, concise and enriching. The book has 65 chapters and captures some of the most remarkable experiences of the author.
GOVERNOR AKEREDOLU DECLARES THE LAUNCH OPEN
It was time to launch the book, ‘ON THE SPOT,’ written by the birthday boy. The governor of Ondo state was called to step on stage and declare the launch open. He did exactly that but insisted he would not disclose the figure he is launching with, reminding everyone present of whistleblowers and the fact that he needed to be careful. The next personality to launch the book was Senator Tunde Ogbeha, who also launched with an undisclosed amount. It was General Tajudeen Olanrewaju who first broke the ‘undisclosed amount’ pattern when he launched the book with N500,000. But the man who stunned everyone was Senator Musa Dede who launched with the sum of N2 million naira.
….AND THE GOV. CO-ORDINATES CUTTING OF THE CAKE TOO
The Ondo state governor, Rotimi Akeredolu was asked to supervise the cutting of the cake. This was the part where he also showed that he is quite familiar with the celebrant’s family as he was heard calling out the names of the kids, asking them to come join their parents on stage. He then sang for the celebrant and thereafter directed the celebrant to cut his cake.
FAITH MUSIC BAND THRILLS GUESTS
Many were already waiting for the moment to get on the floor to appreciate the celebrant with crisp naira notes and show their dancing skills as well. And you can bet Faith Music Band was up to the task. They churned out great songs, from old classics to the latest hit songs. Whether it was Juju, hip hop or gospel, Faith Music band delivered like it always does.
AGELESS DUPE LAWALE NEVER STOPS DANCING
Do you remember this beautiful woman who was very visible on the social scene several years ago? Her name is Dupe Lawale, she owned one of the popular and thriving traveling agencies back then. The one thing about this ageless beautiful woman that anyone who knows her will tell you is her ability to dance at parties for long periods. By nature, she is a happy-go-lucky lady who always has a smile for everyone. At Chief Eric Teniola’s birthday, she was no different. She was everywhere, dancing and moving from table to table greeting familiar faces that she knew. She was literally on her feet throughout the event. When asked how she’s been able to age so well, she says, ‘it’s God grace.’ On how she stays happy all the time, she says, ‘I do not keep malice or begrudge anyone. I am always happy. My friend, (celebrant’s wife) calls me Madam happiness.’
SO, GOVERNOR AKEREDOLU CAN GROOVE TOO
Moments before he left, Governor Akeredolun enjoyed himself on the dance floor, dancing with the celebrant and friends. It was such a beautiful sight to behold, seeing that the governor, despite the pressure of dealing with the overwhelming problem of insecurity lingering in his state, can still lighten up on the dance floor and enjoy himself even if for only a few minutes. He also clearly liked the music of the Faith Music band.
ON GENERAL TUNDE OGBEHA’S YOUTHFUL LOOK
If you haven’t seen this gentleman in a long while, you’ll be amazed to see how youthful he looks despite that he must be in his 70s. General Tunde Ogbeha was a hugely popular figure back in the 90s. He was an accomplished military officer who served his country in various capacities. He was at a time a military administrator before going into politics upon his retirement. He was a senator of the federal republic and a true detribalised Nigerian who has friends scattered all over the country. General Tajudeen Olanrewaju was not looking bad as well. He was looking great, agile and strong. They both sure looked like men who still have a lot of years ahead of them.
ABOUT THE EVENT PLANNER
Her name is Barr. Yewande Filani. This smart and pretty ebony lady is the CEO of Lexicon Event Services. She was saddled with the responsibility to plan and execute all matters relating to the event and she did an absolutely fantastic job putting up a spectacular birthday event for Chief Eric Teniola. Everything was on point. From the breathtaking decorations to the nicely done sitting arrangements and properly served sumptuous meals from Kaffi Catering Services, you just couldn’t fault Yewande Filani’s expertise. Apart from putting events together, her outfit also provides young pretty girls for ushering services and strong, young men as bouncers too. She was all over the place at the event, making sure everything fell right into place.
GUEST LIST
Mojosola Teniola, Eniola Eyesan, Ronke Oyeti, Mrs Dupe Pitan, Mrs Abimbola Olatunji, Mrs Titi Olofingorite, Mrs Dupe Ogundirahun, Olooori, Toyin Oyekan, Olooori Funke Akiolu, Mrs Osifeso Balogun, Alhaja Idera Ogunbanjo, Mrs Toyin Okulate, Mrs Shade Ashafa, Mrs Layole Adesote, Mrs Tolu Olunloyo, Chief Mrs Funmi Akinbobola, Mrs Maria Omolola, Mrs Joke Akondolire, Mrs Lolade Ademulegun, Mrs Moji Olufon, Professor Dupe Arowojolu, Professor Matolagbe Mabawonku, Mrs Ife Shaba, Mrs Bosede Olabode, Mrs Lamide Raji, Mrs Anwuli Femi Pearse, Folake Adeniyi, Alhaja Toyin Adekoya, Mrs Bukky Adama, Bose Osilade, Jumoke Shonowo, Chief Mrs Omodunke Agunloko Olatubi, Serian Akinmoladun, Alhaja Obalola, Alhaja Smith, Mrs Shade Onakoya, Dolapo Oladipo, Dupe Olatunji, Mrs Grace Akinseye, Mrs Fusika, Funmi Odubekun, Bimbo Sowolu, Joy Okpanachi, Dupe Lawale, Yinka Bolatito Ladeinde, Col Mrs. Lande Adewuyi and Mrs Shayo Olowolabi.
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