Encomium
PROFILE OF THE CELEBRANT
Hon. Oladele Rufus Adekanye is the two-term chairman of Lagos Mainland Local Government Council. He was born on September 23, 1964 to Mr. and Mrs. A. O. Adekanye, both deceased.
He attended St. Paul Primary School, Breadfruit Street, Lagos. His secondary education was at St. Timothy College, Yaba and later Government College, Omu-Aran, Kwara State.
He was at Kwara State College of Technology, Ilorin, where he did his A’levels. He was also at University of Lagos, Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, where he graduated with Second Class Upper in History. He proceeded to University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) Ile-Ife, Osun State, where he obtained a Masters degree in International Relations.
He taught for a while before venturing into business and politics in 1989. After contesting three times to be a councilor in his ward and two times for the Lagos House of Assembly, he was elected the chairman of Lagos Mainland Local Government Council in 2008. He was re-elected in 2011.
Hon. Oladele Adekanye, a.k.a LADO, is married to Mrs. Amudalat Anike Adekanye, his first girlfriend. They’ve been together for 32 years now and the relationship is blessed with children.
HIS UNIQUE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
Hon. Oladele Adekanye celebrated his 50th birthday in a unique and refreshing way.
Rather than rolling out the drums, he chose to celebrate with motherless and abandoned children at Nigerian Red Cross Motherless and Abandoned Babies Home, at Adekunle, Makoko, Yaba, Lagos.
He did not only donate materials worth hundreds of thousands naira to the home, he also danced and played with the children.
AT DESTITUTE HOME TOO
Hon. Adekanye’s entourage which included his wife, his counterpart at Yaba LCDA, Hon. Jide Jimoh and his wife, chieftains of All Progressives Congress (APC) at both Yaba LCDA and Lagos Mainland LG, left the Motherless and Abandoned Babies Home in a convoy to the Destitute Home, Okobaba Street, Ebute Metta, which houses physically challenged and visually impaired in Lagos Mainland.
There, he also donated materials worth hundreds of thousands to them. He prayed, danced and played with the destitute before leaving.
THE CELEBRATION IN THE OFFICE
From the destitute home, Hon. Adekanye came back to his Iponri community residence, where he danced and took photographs with the street urchins and some neighbours who were already waiting for him. The street urchins and neighbours were later served food and drinks while the birthday boy went to his apartment to change.
Within five minutes drive, the celebrant was within the premises of Lagos Mainland Local Government Council, where he was ushered in by the band who earlier followed him to Makoko and Okobaba.
From the ground floor, the celebrant, his wife and staffers of the local government council danced all the way to the third floor where his office is located.
While in his office, he took photographs with personnel of the different departments in the LG. A special session was later held in his honour by the councilors at their chamber. The session lasted for one and a half hours.
RECEPTION AT OKE ODO PRIMARY SCHOOL
Few minutes after 4 p.m, the celebrant and his entourage left the LG secretariat for Oke-Odo Primary School, Ebute Metta, where the party (APC) members held another reception in his honour.
As he was entering the gate of the school, the heaven opened up and the rains came down in torrents. This, however, did not deter the party members who came out in their thousands to celebrate with one of their own. It was tributes galore by different people who have had the opportunity of relating and benefitting from the benevolence of the golden birthday celebrant.
That was the second reception that would be held in honour of Hon. Adekanye by the chieftains of the party (APC) in the local government area.
On Friday, September 19, 2014, the party leaders within the Lagos Mainland LG area held a grand reception for the birthday boy.
-TOLANI ABATTI
