•The Glitz & Glam @ His LAGOS Birthday
Life they say begins at 40. But many believe that real enjoyment of life starts at 70. That is why many people look forward to hitting the landmark age, just as Dr. Doyin Okupe on March 22, 2022, joined the prestigious league of proud septuagenarians.
With a heart of total gratitude to God, the celebrant hosted family, friends, associates and well-wishers in Lagos; the state of aquatic splendour to Birthday Thanksgiving Service and a reception party. City People Reporter Jamiu Abubakar and Senior Photojournalist; Femi Adeleke covered these glamorous events. Below are the blow-by-blow accounts of the event.
ABOUT THE MAN “DOYIN OKUPE”
The name Doyin Okupe needs a little introduction. He is a known voice in politics, as the younger generations of politicians look up to him in many ways.
Born on 22 March 1952, Adedoyin Ajibike Okupe better known as Dr Doyin Okupe is a Nigerian physician and politician.
Born with a silver spoon, he is the son of Chief Matthew Adekoya Okupe, a banker with Agbonmagbe Bank now Wema Bank. He attended St. Jude’s School in Ebute Metta, Lagos, and Igbobi College in Yaba, Lagos. He had his university education at the University of Ibadan where he studied Medicine.
He combines his medical profession with party politics. He was also once a publisher of a health newspaper called Life Mirror. He had worked for some years in government and private hospitals before establishing the Royal Cross Hospital in Obalende, Lagos, along with his colleagues, Dr. Seyi Roberts and Dr. Ladi Okuboyejo. Then he was the Managing Director (MD) of Royal Cross Medical Centre.
Dr. Okupe is so prominent and relevant in the political space till date. He was the National Publicity Secretary of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC), Ogun state governorship aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan. He became a spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Organisation of Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate for president in the 2019 Nigerian presidential election. He is presently running to become the president of Nigeria at the 2023 General Elections.
Dr. Okupe is a family man to the core. He loves his wives and children so dearly that he doesn’t joke with any of them. This is not hidden as he shows it at all times. At 70, he is so strong and full of life. This is evident as he is seen almost everywhere at the ceremony to attend to his guests. Members of his extended family spoke highly of how he is a blessing and one of the shining lights of the family. They are indeed proud of him.
AT THE BIRTHDAY THANKSGIVING SERVICE
The Birthday Thanksgiving Service began at 11 am. The service was held at the Christ Church Cathedral at Marina, Lagos state. The programme was apt, as it featured lots of praise hymns led by the church choirs. A few verses from the Bible were reviewed as a form of admonition calling the attention of the celebrant, his family members and people at the service on the need to serve God wholeheartedly.
The celebrant, his wives, children and some members of the guests received the Holy Communion. Dr. Okupo was duly celebrated as the entire congregation gave him a standing ovation as they sang to wish him Happy Birthday. The celebrant took a few minutes to sing a couple of songs to praise God for his faithfulness while on his knees. He later bowed down to show total gratitude to God. The Thanksgiving Service was concluded as Dr. Okupe and his entire family members present were blessed by the clergies at the altar of God.
HOW THE RECEPTION WENT
The birthday celebration was highly eventful as the reception party was filled with fun. The Balmoral Event Hall located at the Federal Palace Hotel in the high brow Victoria Island, Lagos was the venue and it hosted about 1000 guests. The party pulled off quite a number of dignitaries among whom are top politicians, and captains of industries. They all came to celebrate with Dr. Okupe at 70. Topping the list of dignitaries is the executive governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun. Also in attendance are the Afenifere leader, Pa Ayo Adebanjo; former Director-General of the Nigerian Orientation Agency (NOA), Alhaji Idi Farouk; Assistant Inspector General of Police, Tunji Alapini; Telecom guru, Ernest Ndukwe; Senator Ben Obi; Former Ogun State Deputy Governor, Prince Segun Adesegun; Former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro; Segun Awolowo; Otunba Dr. Seyi Robert; Dr. Ladi Okuboyejo; Otunba Yemi Lawal; Publisher Ovation Magazine, Bashoru Dele Momodu; Chief Bisi Olatilo; and many others.
It was indeed a star-studded party filled with moments of glitz and glamour. Top comedian and event compere, Babatunde Adewale popularly called Tee-A took charge of the event and made it exciting for the host and his guests. Activities held at the party include; the grand entry of the celebrant, his wives and children into the hall; taking tributes of the celebrant, Governor Abiodun’s remarks; launching of Dr Okupe’s “Double Jeopardy”, book, cutting of birthday cake, documentary presentation, an ecstatic stage performance by the Wao Factor cultural group, photo sessions and finally dance galore.
At this point, the celebrant stepped out to the dance floor in the company of his wives and children. They were cheered by friends, associates and dignitaries present while they all had fun dancing to the melodious music from the stables of Faith Music band.
GRAND ENTRY OF THE CELEBRANT AND HIS FAMILY
The celebrant and members of his immediate family had an exciting entrance into the hall. They came in after the MCs announced their arrival. The celebrant who was dressed in a white classy Agbada came in the company of his wives and children. He showed a bit of his dancing skills as they got to the centre of the hall, mounted the dance floor while guests cheered them up. The Faith Music band was rolling out classical music to entertain them. The wives and children of the celebrant did not sit back. They also gave a good account of themselves on the dance floor catching the groove of the party.
HOW HIS WIVES STEPPED OUT
Dr. Doyin Okupe is married to 3 beautiful wives. They are Mrs. Titilola Okupe, Mrs. Omolola Okupe and Aduralere Okupe. Each of them stepped out, looking good and radiant in their lovely dresses for the party. They sat beside him on the high table watching how the ceremony unfolded. They also joined the celebrant in his entry dance, cutting of the cake and dancing on stage.
DESANYA MAESTRO LIT THE EVENT
Desanya Maestro is a gifted Saxophonist and he does that with great pleasure. He and his Excelencia Entertainment band took hold of the party right from the outset. They entertained guests on arrival even before the party began. The band gave a thrilling performance. The guests enjoyed the saxophone being creatively used to sing praises while members of the band supplied chorus and the right beats to the sounds produced by the saxophonist.
MEET THE LOVELY CHILDREN OF DR.OKUPE
The celebrant is blessed with 8 charming children. Olayemi Agbobua, Omotola Thomas, Oditan Okupe, Adewunmi Okupe, Sunkanmi Okupe, Mobolurin Okupe, Moradeke Okupe and Adetunyori Okupe. They were all present at the thanksgiving service and reception party held for their father.
TIME FOR BIRTHDAY TRIBUTES
Tribute was a moment to hear dignitaries talk about the personality of the celebrant as they wished him a happy celebration. Tributes to Dr. Okupe at 70 were so rich that top dignitaries gave complimentary remarks about him. Among those who made the tributes are his daughter, Mrs Olayemi Agbobua; Pastor Remi Okupe, Asiwaju Yeni Ogungbe; Otunba Dr. Seyi Robert; Dr. Ladi Okuboyejo; and Alhaji Idi Farouk. Governor Dapo Abiodun said a lot of interesting things about the celebrant whom he called egbon. The summary of tributes given was that Dr. Okupe was a simple and sociable person. He was identified as a man with many lives having faced many life-threatening obstacles and coming through them stronger. His selflessness and love for Nigeria is dear to his heart that he left his medical line of the profession for party politics all in a bid to serve the country and make it a better place for all. Many believe that if the likes of Dr. Okupa becomes the president of Nigeria, the country would witness lots of transformational development.
LAUNCHING OF DR. DOYIN OKUPE’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY
As a way of marking his 70th birthday, Dr. Doyin Okupe wrote an autobiography titled “Double Jeopardy”. Although the day before the party was set aside for the book launch, dignitaries at the party reception launched the book handsomely as a way of complimenting the amount raised the previous day. Meanwhile, Governor Dapo Abiodun purchased the book for all students at the state-owned secondary school in Ogun State. He also said he would make some copies available for all the tertiary institutions in the state.
FAITH MUSIC BAND GAVE A THRILLING PERFORMANCE
The Faith Music Band was the official musician and entertainer at the event. The band has really stepped up its level of performance on stage. This is evident as they did well in entertaining the host and his guests at the party. Their performance on stage was part of the moment that the celebrant, his family and guests enjoyed most.
WAO FACTOR CULTURAL GROUP STOLE THE SHOW
Putting up an ecstatic stage display was the highly creative cultural group “Wao Factor”. The lead dramatist stormed the stage with the eulogy linking the celebrant to his ancestral place of origin in Iperu Ijebu, Ogun state. She praised his father’s and mother’s lineages. She sang quite a number of cultural songs to cheer the celebrant who later rose to dance with the group. The hall was elated when Governor Dapo Abiodun stood up to dance as he enjoyed the moment.
CUTTING OF BIRTHDAY CAKE
The cutting of the birthday cake was anchored by the Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun. The celebrant with his wives and children stood beside the cake while the Governor and a few other dignitaries took part in the cutting of cake. This was done after he led them in the spelling of J-E-S-U-S, a word he deliberately chose because Dr. Doyin Okupe is a man who loves God so much. The cutting of the cake was followed by photo sessions which started as the celebrant and his family took nice photographs with the governor. Other guests later joined in taking the photo session.
What GOVERNOR DAPO ABIODUN SAID ABOUT DR OKUPE
“We are all gathered here this afternoon to celebrate. Dr. Doyin Okupe is a very brilliant man. It is not easy in those days to gain acceptance into medical schools. You must have been a very brilliant person to be accepted into the renowned university of Ibadan to study Medicine. He graduated with honours, went to England, came back and co-founded Royal Cross Hospital with his two other partners. He was very successful in his medical career. But this “egbon of mine” (elder brother) is a very ebullient fellow, charming, intelligent, articulate, well-spoken, and well rounded. Prince was not only to be confined to the four walls of the medical facilities, he was too much for that. He soon found his real passion. He became the national publicity secretary for the NRC, one of the two foremost political parties in Nigeria at that time. There was NRC and there was SDP. He tried a good number of times to contest for public office. I’m sure his time is yet to come. He later was appointed as SA to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. A position he occupied and discharged effectively which earned him also to do the same with President Ebele Goodluck Jonathan. My brother, you did very well… you were born with a silver spoon. Most people don’t know that what they know today as Wema Bank was actually started in Iperu as Agbonmaje Bank by your fathers. I’m glad that somehow Wema Bank has come home to Iperu. My dear brother, you are the first in 2017 to call on me and prophecy to me that Dapo, go and run for governorship, you would win that election. At that time I thought it was a joke. You have started again. We were at a function and I said I will talk to you later on. This man has the ability not just to talk but to actually see things ahead of time. Today by the grace of God and by the divine mandate of the people of Ogun State citizens, I am the governor of Ogun State. My dear egbon, the prince of the Agonmagbe family, I have the privilege of having the same blood flow through my veins. Even though many times we’ve been on different sides of the divide, at the end of the day we know that we are from the same ancestral home. Personally, I am very proud of you. You have lived up to the expectations of the family. My prayer to you egbon is that God Almighty would grant you many, many more birthdays. We would be here to celebrate your 80th, I would be here to celebrate your 90th, beyond that is onto you. God Almighty would answer all your prayers and grant the desires of your heart. You would live to fulfil your destiny, you would live to reap all your hard labour.”
DR. OKUPE WITH WIVES AND CHILDREN DAZZLE ON STAGE
Many won’t believe that Dr. Okupe is a good dancer. He has succeeded in proving doubters totally wrong as he took to the stage to give a good account of his dancing skills. His wives and children were also on point. They joined the celebrant on the dance floor while friends and associates came on stage to cheer them up. The dance went on for over an hour while the music band was dishing out classical music.
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