•What OGD Said @ His Thanksgiving Service
Every year, a former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, plays host to friends, family members and business associates to go into the new year with
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 privilege to host the numero uno 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 wanted 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, Mummy, I say thank you very much. Our baba, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, I have been looking at the history of the Yoruba men, there is one person we don’t make
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, I’m 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 Imperial Majesty, the Akarigbo and paramount ruler of Remoland, you are welcome sir. Let me specially thank Chief (Mrs) Tokunbo Awolowo Dosunmu, for holding forte, there is an elder’s saying that, we don’t know which child will bury us when we die, it might be the firstborn 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
Now, let me just make a few comments, anytime we have our Thanksgiving here, we see different colours, the reasons for these different colours are that OGD has many children, and when I have a 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 put an end to all doubts. 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 far to seek. For someone like me, who was a member of the choir when I was young, I have not been impressed when I go to churches and hear the way their choirs sing, that is why I have made the avenue a singing competition in the last fourteen 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 members of the choir who have participated this year, I don’t know who will win, that will be decided by the panel of judges
“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, I’m talking, anyone who wants to do restructuring is where we are going and you all know who is doing restructuring”
