The Story Of Their 55 Yr Friendship
Not many people know that Senator Gbenga Daniel & Pastor Tunde Bakare are best of friends. They have infact been close associates for 55 years and they are always very visible at each others event. Their wives are also close.
A few days back, Pastor Tunde Bakare turned 70 and guess who was very visible at the event? It was His Excellency, Senator Gbenga Daniel, who is the current Senator representing Ogun East senatorial district. He was there for his best friend.
A few months back, OGD’s wife, Yeye Olufunke Daniel celebrated her 60th at the Balmoral Hall, inside Sheraton Hotel compound in Ikeja. Guess who was there for the celebrant and her husband? It was Pastor Tunde Bakare and his lovely wife.
At that event, Pastor Bakare spoke glowingly about OGD & Yeye his wife. That has been the story of the 2 couples.
Over the last few years there is nothing that OGD will do that Pastor Bakare will not be there. There is also nothing Pastor Bakare will do that OGD won’t be there. They’ve both come a long way since their days in Abeokuta and UNILAG. Over the years, their paths have always crossed.
Lets tell you more.
City People can reveal authoritatively that their closeness dates back to their secondary school days. They met during the Literary and Debating competitions.
Pastor Bakare debated for Lisabi Grammar School, while OGD represented BBHS. They were both always finalists. Both of them became friendlys arch rivals at debates especially when they both developed oratory skills.
They later met at the Univeristy of Lagos and continued their relationship there.
Both were political activists and Anoists in their days in UNILAG.
Pastor Bakare read Law and was to later become a Lawyer. OGD studied Engineering and became President of the Engineering Society. And when Pastor Bakare started Latter Rain Church, OGD was his organist in Latter Rain.
They have had an unbroken 55 years association.
There is no way OGD can write his biography without Pastor Bakare featuring in it. They are that close. Let’s tell you more about these 2 great men.
Pastor Tunde Bakare is a prophetic-Apostolic Pastor who studied Law at the University of Lagos and practiced Law before opening his Law firm, and left the profession to be a Pastor. He worked as a Legal adviser at the Deeper Life Bible Church, but later moved to the Redeemed Christian Church of God, where he became Pastor and founded the Model Parish.
Following his time at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Bakare left to start the Latter Rain Assembly Church. In addition to his time in the church, Bakare was the running-mate of presidential candidate M uhammadu Buhari in the 2011 Nigerian presidential election. Bakare has been critical of Nigeria’s leadership.
Many don’t know that Pastor Bakare was born a Muslim, but converted to Christianity in 1974.
He attended All Saints Primary School, Kemta, Abeokuta, and subsequently Lisabi Grammar School, Abeokuta, after which he studied Law at the University of Lagos between 1977 and 1980. He was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1981 and following his time in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), he practiced law with Gani Fawehinmi Chambers, Rotimi Williams & Co., and Burke & Co., Solicitors. He established his own law firm, Tunde Bakare & Co. (El-Shaddai Chambers), in October 1984.
In April 1989, he founded The Latter Rain Assembly, now known as The Citadel Global Community Church (CGCC), and is currently the serving Overseer of the church.
He presides over the Global Apostolic Impact Network (GAIN), a network of churches, ministries, and kingdom businesses committed to advancing the Kingdom of God on earth. Dr. Bakare is also the President of Latter Rain Ministries, Inc. (Church Development Center) in Atlanta, GA, USA, a ministry committed to restoring today’s church to the scriptural pattern.
After the 2019 general election, Bakare stated that he would run for president after the expiration of Muhammadu Buhari’s second term in 2023.
Pastor Tunde Bakare expressed his intentions of becoming the next president of Nigeria to church members in 2019 when he said, “I will succeed Buhari as President of Nigeria; nothing can change it. I am number 16, and Buhari is number 15. I never said it to you before. I am saying it now, and nothing can change it. In the name of Jesus, he (Buhari) is number 15. I am number 16. To this end, I was born, and for this purpose, I came into the world. I have prepared you for this for more than 30 years”.
How about Otunba Gbenga Daniel, who was 68 in April. He is a politician who has been serving as the Senator for Ogun East since 2023. He previously served as Ogun State governor from 2003 to 2011.
He is the founder of Kresta Laurel, an Electro-mechanical Engineering Company, he started in 1990. He is also the owner of Conference Hotels with branches in Ijebu-Ode, Sagamu, Abeokuta and Isheri part of Lagos.
As governor, his programs on Public Private Partnership attracted several businesses into the state during his tenure.
Otunba Gbenga Daniel was born on 6 April 1956 in Ibadan, Oyo State, to Christian parents, Most Rev. Adebola Daniel of Makun, Sagamu and Madam Olaitan Daniel of Omu-Ijebu. His father was a notable missionary of the Church of the Lord (Aladura) while his mother was a trader.
Daniel attended the Baptist Boys’ High School, Abeokuta from 1969 to 1973. While there, he represented the school in debates and quiz competitions – a factor that made him exceptionally popular among his contemporaries and stimulated his inclination towards intellectual pursuits. Having graduated from the Baptist Boys High School in flying colors, he proceeded first to the School of Basic Studies at The Polytechnic, Ibadan.
For his Advanced Level (A’ Level) and thereafter moved to the School of Engineering of the University of Lagos. In his early years as an undergraduate, he won several scholarships and also became well acquainted with the renowned, Prof. Ayodele Awojobi as one of the best students of the late professor. It was whilst still an undergraduate, that he became indoctrinated into the select Committee of friends of the late Saga, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, indeed, as the youngest member of that select Committee that later metamorphosed into the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).
Daniel’s decision to study Engineering was influenced by the brilliant engineer and teacher Ayodele Awojobi. Daniel spent much time with Awojobi, and was a winner and champion several times over, on his television quiz show “Mastermind”.
During his National Service year at the School of Engineering of the Lagos State Polytechnic, he supervised the construction of the Engineering complex and also conducted the semester examinations for the School of Engineering. The feat was described by an appreciative management as “quite remarkable in an environment where examination fraud is quite rampant”.
He earned a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Lagos and subsequently attended Lagos Business School for an executive programme in 1990.
Daniel began his professional career as a lecturer in the School of Engineering at the Lagos State Polytechnic during his National Youth Service year. He then proceeded to the Metal Construction (W/Africa) Limited which he left as the Assistant Commercial Manager. In 1983, he joined the then multinational company, H.F.SCHROEDER West Africa Limited, Lagos.He rose to the position of Deputy Managing director at Schroeder, becoming the first African to hold such a position in the company’s history. In 1990, he left Schroeder to start Kresta Laurel, an Engineering firm specializing in elevators, overhead travelling cranes and hoists. In 2017, he started KLL Construction Limited, to present a new kind of Construction Company that will stand the test of time. He is also the Chairman, Conference Hotels.
As one of the youngest kitchen cabinet members of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Daniel was in charge of the student wing of the Unity Party of Nigeria in 1978 but his sojourn in the UPN was short-lived after his father drove to the University of Lagos with a clear instruction to concentrate on his academic pursuit and leave politics. After graduation and establishment of Kresta Laurel, Gbenga Daniel joined the Yoruba social-cultural group Afenifere under the then leadership of Pa Abraham Adesanya. During the struggle against the military juntas and campaign for the reinstatement of the annulled 12 June election, Gbenga Daniel became one of the financiers of the National Democratic Coalition (Nigeria) NADECO providing supports to members who were fleeing the country to seek asylum abroad.
Gbenga Daniel’s campaign for the seat of the governor was described by political analysts as “electric” considering the fact that as a businessman, he defeated a sitting governor. His campaign was a revolution in the state in 2003 as he visited all the 236 wards of Ogun State, meeting with every stakeholder of every street and area in the state to sell his ideas. He received commendations for redefining campaign for political office in Nigeria.
Daniel was elected Governor of Ogun State in the 2003 Ogun State gubernatorial election, running on the PDP platform beating the incumbent with 217,353 votes. His victory remains the biggest electoral victory in Ogun State. He scored 449,335 votes against the sitting governor who scored 231,982 votes recording the widest margin ever in Ogun State governorship race.
He was re-elected in April 2007. He promoted entrepreneurship amongst young people through voracious youth development programmes.
In 2010 Daniel was appointed to lead the Goodluck Jonathan for president campaign in the Southwest, True to his assignment, Jonathan won the election in the southwest overwhelmingly in 2011 and became the first South-Southerner to ever rule over Nigeria.
In 2017, Gbenga Daniel contested for the position of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party. His campaign was adjourned by many as the sturdiest campaign at the time. He visited the entire 36 states and FCT to campaign for a fresh start for the party. However, on the day of the convention, he submitted his letter of withdrawal after a consensus was reached by the party’s leadership to zone the position to the South-South.
In 2018, Atiku Abubakar announced the appointment of Gbenga Daniel as the Director-general of his presidential campaign organisation. Daniel led the former Vice-President to victory in the presidential primary of the PDP in Port Harcourt despite the predictions of bookmarkers.
In February 2021, Gbenga Daniel officially joined the All Progressive Congress (APC) after two years of leaving partisan politics. In his remark during the ceremonial handing over of the broom symbol of the party, Daniel stated that his main goal in politics is to foster national unity and the development of the country. He was received into the party by 5 governors namely Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello.
Shortly after joining the APC, Daniel was appointed by the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) to head the Media and Publicity Sub-Committee of the party as well as a member of the contact/strategy sub-committee.
He was named the Chairman, Senate Committee on Navy of the 10th senate on 8 August 2023.
