When you see the former First Lady of Ogun State, Yeye Olufunke Daniel what hits you first is her gorgeous look. She is a stylish woman who looks glamorous all the time. She is a very glamorous and fashionable woman. She has got a signature for all her looks.
She is a woman of many parts radiating elegance, beauty and poise. This pretty woman is the lovely wife of former Ogun governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel. Though she has left office for over 12 years, she forever remains a style icon of our time. The beautiful woman who will be 59 in a few months has not slowed down on fashion at all because it is inborn for her after taking it up from where her mother left off years back. She owns a fashion house in Lagos where she runs herself. When you meet her, you will be humbled by her softness and great humility. She is very accommodating and generous to a fault like her husband.
She is living her life to the fullest and at peace with herself. Yeye Olufunke Daniel’s style has always set the pace for many young women and she is always a party delight any day any time. She wears expensive and luxury pieces from the best designers around the world and one of her most priceless possessions are her jewelries which are high end precious stones. She is one who really does not do all gold jewelries but she has fallen in love with pearls and corals that she has made it her signature piece.
This beautiful woman stepped out in style at her son’s wedding a few days back and all eyes were on her. She never disappoints when it comes to fashion, no wonder she runs a fabric store, infact fashion store as a whole which is over 25 years now. She looked very graceful in a lovely mix coral and Italian gold jewelries with her custom made grey fully stoned Aso Oke attire and later changed to a French lace for the after party.
Her style has evolved over time and many people look up to her in that department. She has a unique way of tieing her gele and because she is an authority of fabric sourcing, she wears very unique fabrics and tailors them to satisfaction. She is a preacher of Iro and Buba, and this fits her readily well especially for major occasions. She complements her husband and knows what the time is when it comes to fashion. She does not follow trend, but she sets hers. She also has a beautiful skin and body frame which suits whatever she wears.
After working in a paid job for few years after school, she established Laurel Fashion, a high-riding outfit. The brand is over 25 years catering for high end and pay worth celebrities who seek her expertise. She is the brain behind the clothing of some elites. No wonder Yeye also designs what her husband, OGD, wears. Hear her: “…I’ve always loved fashion. I design what I wear and what my husband wears too. I do all the designs in my shop…” Although fashionable by all standards, Chief (Mrs) Daniel has perfected the strategy of being fashionable in a non-gaudy and simple way – she loves good cloths and dressing well as we have said she prefers wearing pearls and beads rather than gold.
Surprising enough, for a woman of such stunning beauty, she has no beauty regimen! In her words, “I think it is just the glory of God, and the fact that I am happy doing what I am doing. But one thing I don’t joke with though, is my sleep. I like to sleep well. Even when something is bothering me, by the time I go to sleep and wake up, I would have gotten over it. I don’t use anything spectacular or special. A good bath is good for the skin, light make-up and good clothes, those are the important things to me. I believe that beauty comes from the heart, it comes from within”. “When people say I look good and all that, I just say thank you. But honestly, I don’t really think there is something special about the way I dress, or the way I put my things together. It comes natural to me. I imbibed most of my fashion sense from my mother”.
Yeye Olufunke Daniel carved a niche for herself in Ogun State and acknowledged across the nation during her husband’s two-term tenure as governor of Ogun State, through the activities of the Gateway Front Foundation (GFF); a non-governmental humanitarian outfit which marked her out as a committed caregiver whose heart loves the hapless and the less privileged in the society. This commitment has not waned but continues till date.
Born into the family of Pa Samuel Ajibola Opawole and (Mrs.) Ibironke Opawole (nee Osoba) on November 27, 1963, she began to show, early in life, unique signs of a quintessential woman of substance. She had her post primary education at the Baptist High School, Iwo, Osun State, where she yielded to the discipline and the scripturally sound Baptist education, which further moulded her vision of life and sharpened her mission of human existence. For her love and success in sports while in the secondary school, she was made the school’s Games and Athletics prefect in her final year.
She enrolled at the School of Basic Sciences at the Ogun State Polytechnic, now Moshood Abiola University of Technology, in Abeokuta for her Advanced Levels course and later proceeded to the nation’s premier University, the University of Ibadan, where she graduated in flying colours with a Bachelors of Science degree in Agricultural Biology. At the University, the school authorities acknowledged her exemplary qualities and made her the Health Minister of Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1985.
After graduating, she observed the mandatory one year National Youth Service Corps programme and thereafter worked with Lever Brothers (Nigeria) Limited and, after years of meritorious service, decided to go into private business. She then established Laurel Fashion, a high-riding outfit. Her fashion sense has won for her many awards including the City People Most Fashionable Woman Award.
Her humanitarian services have also earned her chieftaincy titles including Yeye Fehintade of Omu Ijebu, Erelu Olu Nla of Egbaland, Yeye Asoludero of Makun Sagamu, Yeye Obalofin of Ijebuland, Yeye Oba of Imeko, Olua Aememre of Iuluha in Edo State, Yeye Fesojoye of Ile Ife, Suada of Ifo, Yeye Atunluse of Ogbere and Yeye Akogun of Okun Owa, She is the matron of Webic Choir amongst others.
For her, greatness, nobility and personage are a perfect mix. At 59, she still maintains her glimmering youthful look and charming beauty. She is indeed an exemplar of the ideal wife and an exemplary mother.
The beautiful marriage that existed between she and her husband is one that is being emulated by many. They got married quite early and their marriage has stood the test of time.
As they say, Behind every successful man, there is a good woman. This has been the story of Yeye Olufunke since she got married to her husband to help run his home and some of his businesses. They got married in 1986 and they are blessed with 5 amazing children, Rotimi, Adebola, Taiwo and Kehinde and Oluwamayowa.
-TAYO OYEDIJI
(08111811219)
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