While people from all walks of life gathered at the Victoria Island, Lagos-South West Nigeria based Eko Hotel and suites in honor of the veteran politician: Jajo, a community in Gberigbe area of Ikorodu a suburb in Lagos witnessed the surge of dignitaries from all walks of life who stormed the Praise Courtresidence of Chief Mrs. Adunni Bankole to give her a befitting honor on the auspicious occasion of her 55th birthday.
It has always been the nature of the celebrant to throw her doors open every year for the occasion. Two years ago, some top friends hosted her at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos while last year’s event had the famous Opebi-Ikeja based Chinese Restaurant as location. But this year, Mrs. Bankolewho is a very sociable personality with a large heart for everybody that comes her way, dragged the high and mighty to her deep-down Lagos’ suburb, Ikorodu home and the big people never mind to yield her invitation despite the long distance.
Leading the cream of high level personalities who graced Adunni Bankole’s 55th is Chief (Mrs.) Bola Obasanjo, wife of former President and elder statesman Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who represented her husband at the occasion, while others like Senator Kola Ogunwale, Aare Remi Bakare and a host of other very important Nigerian politicians and business men and women gathered for a soiree of praise worship, singing, eating and merry making with one of the most influential woman in Yoruba land who is also the Iyalode of Gbagura land in Abeokuta, Yeye Asoludero of Jajo land in Ikorodu and Yeye Mokun of Oke-Odan in Egba kingdom.
The celebrant who had a crowd of dignitaries from Lagos, Ogun states in south west Nigeria and Abuja, the Nigerian seat of political power storming her modest apartment tagged “Praise Court” was indeed full of praises to God for giving her another year and as well thanked those who found time to abandon their activities for her birthday celebration despite the distance of her new home. Chief (Mrs.) Bankole who is also a United Nations Peace Ambassador told asabeafrika what life meant to her at 55 and why she needed to thank her enemies for all the wrongs that eventually brought her to the right place. It is an interesting encounter that can only happen on your Africa’s number 1 celebrity encounter blog—asabeafrika. Enjoy the excerpts.
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| The GDA with the Iyalode Adunni Bankole and a guest inside her spectacular bedroom |
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| Women leaders in Jajo community shares in Iyalode's hapiness |
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| 'We share in your joy' Jajo Community women seems to say as they danced with the Iyalode |
Feelings @ 55
The Iyalode opened up to asabeafrika on how she feels at 55 and why God is due for all Glory in her life. “At 55 I feel happy and grateful to God. God remains ever faithful in my life; I feel like a new person. I feel like a new being, I feel a rebound, I feel a re-birth, I feel overwhelmed. I am happy, I am joyful, I am thankful to God for his mercy upon my life. I don’t think I feel the impact of age on me, rather I feel a renewed strength that radiates within me. I am proud of what God has done for me in the last 55 years of my life on earth; all glory is returned to Him. He remains theAlpha-et-Omega, the author and finisher of my faith. Without Him, I don’t think I will be standing here hosting my loved ones today. I am perpetually grateful to Jehovah God Almighty”
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| The Nigerian Police also shared in Iyalode's 55th birthday happiness as officers joined her in cutting the cake |
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| A woman of all people |
Ikorodu and the crowd of guests
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| The celebrant dances as her body guard looks on |
Despite the very far distance of her new abode in Ikorodu which is like 30 kilometers to the main city of Lagos, dignitaries still found their ways down to celebrate with Mrs. Bankole, asabeafrika wanted to know how it makes her feel? “It makes me feel good; it makes me feel happy and I feel wanted, I feel loved, I feel my life depends on people. Without people I am nobody and I just think the only thing for me is just to be thanking God. God has remained so faithful to me in every phase of my life. Like I said initially, He has remained the ultimate author and finisher of my faith. Without Him, nothing would have been possible. Today is a day of celebrating God in the life of Mrs. Adunni Bankole and the celebration of God’s people in my life. I am very grateful to everyone that did their best to reach here”
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| Celebrity women cutting cake with Mrs. Bankole as she holds Tessy Yembra's grand son, Damilola |
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| WalkTall Tasty Foods CEO, Lola Ajala (m) with other friends of Iyalode Adunni Bankole |
Me, Bola Tinubu and Birthday
This blog had gone ahead to ask her how she feels with the grace of sharing the same birthday with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu the national leader of the major Nigerian opposition party, APC Well and the Iyalode had this to say “I give glory to God that I share a birthday with someone of such status and social pedigree. I seeAsiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as my brother and we celebrate birthday together every year. People divide themselves between both of us, we have some common friends. I feel happy, I am very grateful to God for what He has done for me andAsiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu because it is only by God’s grace can a man or a woman acquire such a pedigree in the comity of men. I think God has been kind to both of us in so many ways and it is equally worth celebrating”
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| Captain S.A Aluko with star singer and OAP, Bose Olubo |
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| Chief (Mrs) Adunni Bankole with a couple who came to felicitate with her |
Tinubu, Politics and me
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| The Iyalode of Gbagura land getting birthday wishes via Telephone |
On weather she has a relationship with the national leader of the opposition party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu despite their political differences in terms of party (Iyalode Bankole is of the PDP stock), she answered thus “The truth of the matter is that I have a relationship with the person of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I call him my brother but it doesn’t cross back with politics. He (Tinubu) is my brother as a person. He is someone I believe in, he is someone I have grown to like; he is someone I have grown to respect. His daughter is like a daughter to me she is a very fantastic lady and very disciplined. Both Shade (Tinubu) and her husband, Oye are all my children. His wife is equally a person I respect so much, that is Senator Remi Tinubu. I am so in love with the family and I think I enjoy a reasonable level of friendship with them but it doesn’t cross political bars deliberately”.
Sacrificing Ikeja for Ikorodu and social life
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| Chief Mrs Bankole with star actor Muka Ray who performed at the event. |
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| Chief Mrs Adunni Bankole with first daughter, Toyin Bankole aka Mama Sultan |
The very outspoken lady who left her Ikeja matrimonial apartment two years ago and relocated to Ikorodu with a pomp celebration of the opening of her new home,Praise Court which had former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the Chief Launcher and Special Guest of Honor must have been affected with the decision one way or the other especially as related to her social life. Hear what she said to that “I have come to see this place like home and there is a popular Yoruba saying that “Eni ta o fe ni ile e jin” (It is some that is unloved that his or her house is far). I always find myself in the midst of people, people don’t mind what it takes to come and see me here. People come around to consult, to relate with me and to brief me on general issues of life and governance. It is a very fantastic environment full of vegetation and good living. It is okay, it is a perfect abode for someone that is nature conscious.
I am trying to maneuver and manage my life around it (New abode). Even at such, my social outings are like duty calls not like I want to socialize. They could say ‘come and be chairman of this, come and be chairman of that’ and you know I pick my events. Some people think I go out a lot but I am choosy about where I go to and I have never spent more than an hour at any function, deliberately. So, coming down to stay in Ikorodu has not affected my social life in any way .I don’t miss anything about Ikeja, I have not missed anything about Oregun (Her former abode) anything at all. At this age of my life, health wise, I think it is good to leave close to nature. I enjoy the fresh air here and the vegetation”
Me and politics
Will Chief (Mrs.) Adunni Bankole go into politics and how far is she prepared for it? “I have always been a politician, I am a King Maker, I stay in the background deliberately. I do a lot of things on the surface but you will never see me physically. But if I am called to come and take a higher responsibility who am I to say no? But I will wait for the call; I will not just go into politics. Initially when I tried doing that sometimes back, it wasn’t easy going into it; I couldn’t manage it with my family life. So, I had to stay back till after my child rearing period was over. But people call me for things that borders on human and social development. You know I once served on the board of Ogun state pharmaceuticals before. I sat on one or two other boards before our tenure expired but for now I am just waiting. I have political mentors; when they tell me to go, I will go. When they ask me to stop, I will stop. So, when they invite me, I will also inform my family and whatever my family wants me to do, I will do. It also depends on what my family wants for me”.
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| The Celebrant cutting the cake with guests including her first grand child, Sultan (2nd Right) |
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| The Celebrant sorrounded by great friends inside her living room |
Why I went to a bible school
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| Chief Mrs Adunni Bankole as a Lady Evangelist |
Looking at a strategic corner of her living room, you see the huge photograph of the Iyalode in a seminary garb and you want to ask her why she went to the Bible College and her response goes thus “Nothing big really, I went to the theological school and graduated there two years ago. It is good to serve the Lord, it is a major priority in our life and I just needed to know the Bible more. I needed to relate the Bible to my everyday life. So, I went for the General course and I went for the advance course. I am not a pastor. Yes, I had a calling for many years but the truth is that what I do socially now for the people is also a calling. It is a ministry; I am a counselor. I am matron of about 52 organizations and that in itself is a calling. So, I will say that is one way God has engaged me for the manifestation of his glory in people’s lives. I am Christ ambassador in the midst of his people”
Special thanks to Everybody
The celebrant later took time to thank everybody who blocked the day for her birthday celebration in Ikorodu and this is how she expressed her gratitude “Yes, quite a lot of people came here today and it really makes me feel humble. I am totally humble and grateful to God and His people. Chief Mrs. Bola Obasanjo came to represent His Excellency President Olusegun Obasanjo, Senator Kola Ogunwale was here. Senator Remi Bakare was here. Eritosin Osoba, the very gifted cleric-singer was here, Captain S.A know how to thank this very special woman. She has never disappointed me for once. I wonder where Aluko came, City People publisher, Dr. Seye Kehinde came all the way from production, I am very grateful to him. I thank him for his unique presence here; we have Princess Toyin Kolade and husband, I don’t know where she got the wisdom to be this humble, her husband Prince Kayode Kolade is such a very humble man too, Bose Olubo came and I don’t know how to thank everybody that came. I specially thank my sister, Olori Eniola Atanda Oyebi, the first lady of Arepo kingdom in Ogun state. She is a very great person for spending the entire day with us here at Jajo.
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| The Iyalode with some VIPs during her birthday |
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| The Iyalode with some top Media Executive during an early morning denominational service |
Let me specially thank Otunba Kayode Oke who flew in from Abuja with retinue of aides, this man has given the most honorable sacrifice today. He left Abuja around 2pm and he made it here by 5pm; the whole community was agog to see him and I feel so blessed and totally humbled for his presence here in my community. Like I said earlier, E nit a o fe ni ile e jin (It is someone you don’t love that his or her home is far) Tessy Yembra was here with her grandson and some friends, I thank her too and a lot of other people who came this afternoon from all walks of life and others who are on their way down here at the moment. I can’t thank all of them enough but I am sure my heart blesses them all. I want to thank every one of them for the motivation I had; I have kept going because people want me to keep going; and I have gone this far because people believe in me. I have a lot of adversaries after me and detractors but I thank them more than my friends because they got me where I am today. I want to thank my children. I want to thank everybody that God has surrounded me with. Thank you all”
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| Iyalode's friend of 40 years, Mrs. Victoria Abiodun Alabede (Nee Alegbe) (L) with community women cutting cake with celebrant |
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| Princess Tessy Alero Yembra (R) with friend, Mrs. Zang |
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| Chief Adunni Bankole with one of her grand daughters Via - Asabeafrika. |
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