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Every year, the former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel hosts friends, families and business associates to a new year sing song and thanksgiving in Sagamu area of Ogun State , at Abraham’s Tabernacle, Baptist International Worship Center, Oba Erinwole Awolesi road.
This year’s edition marks the 14th edition, the first edition was held when OGD was made the Asiwaju Ogbigbagbo of Remoland fourteen years ago. This year was also a double service as the Memorial Service of his father, His Grace, most, Rev. Abraham Adebola Daniel was held with the annual thanksgiving.
The event was graced by dignitaries from all over Nigeria, with former Vice President and
PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar as the special guest of Honor, supported by his running mate Peter Obi. Ooni of Ife ,
Akarigbo Remoland , Olowu of Owu and more than fourty Obas were also present at the event. BUNMI MUSTAPHA presents to you
Otunba Gbenga Daniel ’s thanksgiving speech.
This annual thanksgiving started since I was made the Asiwaju Onigbagbo fourteen years ago. I come forward to thank you all for the consistent support that you have shown to us over the years. You have all been with us through thick and thin, when it is raining, when it is sunny, you have always been with us, I thank you most sincerely.
Our elders and leaders, our Obas, I don’t know where to start, but let me say to you that this is the very first time, that we will have the honour and the priviledge to host the number one Oba of Yorubaland ,
Kabiyeesi his Imperial Majesty , the Ooni of Ife, our source, the source of Oduduwa, our spiritual leader in Yorubaland, I thank you sir, I appreciate you sir, there is no doubt in my mind that the period of your reign will be spectacular in Yorubaland . I have no doubt in my mind that we will continue to remember your name for the good things that will happen to
Yorubaland , thank you sir.
I have not finished with her Excellency,
Mrs. Titi Abubakar, as you are aware, our special guest of honour today is His Excellency Atiku Abubakar, of cause we all know him to be Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, but when he asked me to lead his campaign as the Director General , I wanted to be sure and I asked him how he wants me to address him, and he said just address me simply as Atiku Abubakar. Many people do not understand the significance of that, but let me tell you our men of God , the meaning is that our incoming President by the special grace of God is at home in the mosque, in the church and everywhere and of course, representing him today is his darling wife. She came in yesterday with a delegation of 40 people and she is assuring me that she is not even going today, Mammy , I say thank you very much. Our baba, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, I have been looking at the history of the Yoruba man, there is one person we don’t make comparism about, that is, Obafemi Awolowo , of course we all agree that he came ahead of his time, but in recent times I have never seen a more consistent, more reliable leader in Yorubaland better than
Ayo Adebanjo. Baba , we thank God for your life, you have been talking about restructuring for decades, you come in with generalisation. When people are misunderstanding us, we just look for a better word and we call it restructuring,
Baba, what you have been saying, people have now agreed, everyone has come to where we were several decades ago that the only way to go in Nigeria is to restructure, and the reason why our special guest of honor today, Atiku Abubakar is because he is one person that we know that is consistent and truly believes in restructuring our nation.
It is important I speak today, because most of the time people have said OGD you are not talking, OGD, you have been quiet, now am talking, anyone who wants to do restructuring is where we are going and you all know who is doing restructuring. We are in the house of God and you are the one who is saying it, who is the person? Atiku, as you have said so shall it be. Our darling sister, our mother, Your Excellency Chief Mrs. Awolowo Dosunmu , we recognise you, you are not just the
Asiwaju Obinrin Onigbagbo of Ijebu.
Kabiyesi, the Imperal Majesty , the Akarigbo
and paramount ruler of Remoland , you are welcome sir, let me specially thank Chief Mrs. Tokunbo Awolowo Dosunmu , for holding forth, there is an elders saying that, we don’t know which children will bury us when we die, it might be the first born and sometimes the last or the person in the middle, our dear sister, we thank you most sincerely, I have not had the opportunity to thank you publicly, what you are doing is a tough job, and you have kept Ikenne lively, by the grace of God, Yorubaland will not forget Ikenne forever.
My own leader, the Alono Odua himself,
Chief Bode George, there are too many people we need to recognise, but just permit me to mention certain people, Bode George is one of them, thank you sir, we appreciate and understand you, what you did for Yorubaland in year 2003 , you will do it again this year by the special grace of God .
My darling wife, I must not forget you, thank you for standing by, my Deputy Governor of eight years, Alhaja Salmot Badru , the former Deputy Governor of Osun. Erelu Obada and many other dignitaries here, thanks for coming.
Ambassador Alake Marcus Bello , my speaker and everyone present here, I appreciate you.
To my kings here, thank you, kabiyeesi,
Akarigbo Remo, yesterday you told me you quickly want to get to Abeokuta, but you will meet us here. Last year, you said it took you two hours to get to the house, but you could not get there, and I am happy that you are here, and Nigeria’s incoming
First Lady is sitting with you, you know I have never said something that won’t come to pass.
You will be shocked that some of my friends came from Abuja, they chartered a flight down to honor our invitation,
Professor ABC Nwosu is here with us, we have Senator Ben Obi, Amidu Mohammed, Professor Maxwell Agbado, Arch Baba
Isimi, Dr. Natt Naduma, Hon. Wole Oke, Senator Abiodun Olujimi , Eng. Jide Adeniji, Sen. Grace Bent, Chief Buba Galadima ,
Senator Lee Wiaba, Dr. Anwa Awanu .
Now let me just make a few comments, anytime we have our thanksgiving here, we see different colours, the reasons for this different colour is that OGD has many children, and when I have thanksgiving like this all of them have the right to come and celebrate because it’s thanksgiving. I pray that God will unite all of them in one location before the second of March 2019 . The reason for this gathering is for us to come together to thank God , and I have no doubt in my mind that my God is here. We will later be having an interaction with our people and PDP stakeholders, we are still expecting His Excellency , the Vice Presidential candidate of PDP, Peter Obi, he will be taking the interactive session, so he can answer all questions and doubt, what is just left for me is to thank you once again. Every year you have seen that the choirs improve, the reason is not so for fetched. For someone like me, who was a choir when I was young, I have not been impressed when I go to churches and hear the way their choir sings, that is why I have made the avenue a singing competition in the last 14 years, and I am happy now that the competition has gone very very well, now the quality of singing of our choir has improved. I just want to thank all the choir who have participated this year, I don’t know who will win, that will be decided by the panel of judges.
Once again, to all men of God , I say thank you very much for your patience and understanding, I wish you well, have a fruitful year.
