…As He Launches Autobiography
On Wednesday, 20th January 2022, a popular journalist and Chief of Staff to the Chairman of Senate Committee on Finance held a celebration at the Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun State. It was a party to celebrate his 60th birthday and launch his book, “Colors of Perception”. It was an event that brought popular politicians and staffers of big offices in Nigeria. Chief Kayode Odunaro, the Baairoyin of Imalaland had the presence of high royalties like His Royal Majesty Oba Lukeman Olalekan Adeleke Kuoye Kofowora-Oyesokun 1 Olu of Imasaye, Oba Oyebanaji Adetunji Oladipo Olowobere Ilagba 1 Oloja of Oja Odan, Oba Akehinde Olugbende of Yewaland, Oba Buhari Oniwoye of Iwoye Yewa, Dr Ibikunle Otunba Ilaro, Elder Shola Adeyemi, Otunba Taiwo, and many others.
The event also played host to persons in high offices like the former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba, the present governor of Ogun State, Prince Dapo Abiodun, represented by Mr Waheed Odusile, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Professor S.O. Adigbo, Director Center of Farming and Strategy, Mr Kehinde Onasanya, the Permanent Secretary of Political Affairs of Ogun State, Alhaja Oluwastosin Oloko, Commissioner for Education and Science, Commissioner for Planning, Hon. Olaolu, Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Mr Sunday Dare who was represented by Mr Israel the President of PRACAN and others.
The event started immediately with the royalties and the dignitaries seated at the beautifully decorated head table. Chief Kayode Odunaro walked around with his wife Mrs Susan Odunaro Ibaaka of Ibaakaa and his son King Enioluwa Odunaro as he paid homage to the dignitaries present. As this went on, MC Tope Adaramola and Kikelomo Badejo took the stage to appreciate the presence of everyone present. After the National Anthem and the Ogun State anthem were sung with the help of the Mc and Diamond Band. Pastor Olufunbi came on stage to lead the opening prayer after which Chief Odunaro took the stage to deliver his opening speech. During his speech, he talked about his decision to write a book on his 50th birthday and shared his joy to meet up to his dream with joy.
Shortly after this, Boy Drip came upstage to thrill guests with his live performance. After the hall roared into a deafening round of applause, Bar Festus Adedayo took the stage to give a detailed review of the book “Colors of Perception” and its author. Former Governor, Chief Olusegun Osoba revealed the strength of his relationship with the celebrator then delivered a beautiful goodwill message. Immediately after this, the book “Colors of Perception’’ was launched with the help of all royalties and dignitaries present. The cake cutting ceremony followed immediately as Chief Kayode Odunaro and his wife, Mrs Susan Odunaro Ibaaka, of Ibaaka smiled at the clicks of the camera. After the photo session, the vote of thanks was given by Mr Waheed Odusile, the representative of Governor Dapo Abiodun. This left the floor open for all to merry with the celebrant as Diamond Band thrilled them.
How do you feel to attain this new age and also writing a book about your works?
I will defiantly say I am extremely happy because I feel 30 even with the age I am today, you know it is God’s grace. You know there are some 60-years-old men who already look 70 but the reverse is my case because most people will think that I am far from being 60. I also thank God that most of the things said about me were positive, so I am a happy man today and I thank God for that. At 60, there may be more in the future but for now, I will say I have tried.
The age of 60 means you have scaled some hurdles, tell us about the challenges you have overcome before attaining 60?
To become 60, you should know that I must have gone through many challenges as related in my book. There have been serious, moments of decision that I have to make a choice between sacrifice and your principle for an immediate need or sticking to your principle and arriving at a day like this where dignitaries come without being prompted to say that I am a courageous man. To say that in the face of danger I stood. So, for me that says a lot and 60 years is a lot and majorly to my writing. Year 60 must be about something not just having children and sending them to school. They have their lives and you have yours too, so you at 60 what can you say about your life that motivated me to write that book. It was to tell the world about myself.
What facts did you downplay in your book that Chief Aremo Osoba talked about in his speech?
Yes, he mentioned, in particular, the 2003 election that election from my perspective was a win-win situation for Chief Osoba based on the criteria of his performance, which meant that his people were to vote him back and we campaigned on that platform. He mentioned that I was saying he was commissioning many projects. For me at my level then and now, I did not see how anyone could beat Chief Osoba in that contest. I wrote as much in my book, but fortunately or unfortunately, it turned out the other way it is. In my writing about that election, yes the former Governor was right. I refused to go into some details. He mentioned one, which wasn’t for me to mention, he spent N140 million in two hours in my presence and most of the people he gave the money to took the money and went to their hotel room and slept till after the election. So, that is a disposition to know how politics is.
APC today has zoned the party chairmanship to North Central just as PDP, what does this say about the politics ahead of the 2023 election?
From the zoning arrangement going on at the 2 major parties, you can see that it is tilting towards the emergence of a southern president. Whether the Southern President will be from the west, east of the Niger Delta, we cannot say now until after the primaries. By the virtue of zoning, the positioning of Chairmanship to North, forget the appellation of the North automatically there is a pointer that the president is going to be from the South. The issue now is wherein the South? There are at least 3 geo-political zones in the South so we look at the game of the primaries.
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