Birthdays are among the most celebrated events of human lives. The days are always very special as they come with lot of gratitude, good wishes and hopes of better days ahead. Birthday of the medical doctor turned politician is on Thursday 22 March, 2018, when he is expected to show immeasurable appreciation to the faithfulness of God in his life thus far.
Faithfulness of God in the life of Doyin Okupe could not have been taken for granted. What makes the difference between him and some of his contemporaries that have since become foods for maggot is the faithfulness of God. What makes the difference between him and his age mates that are now on live support machine is simply the faithfulness of God. Of a fact, Doyin Okupe is a name in Nigerian political circle that does not need any introduction. The significant roles played thus far in Nigerian politics by the Ogun state born politician cannot be divorced from the providential role of God’s faithfulness.
It is worthy of note that Okupe deserves credit for his patriotic service to the Nigerian nation in last forty years. Patriotism as they say is a thing of the heart and a man is deemed a patriot if his heart beats true to his country. Patriotism is best determined by the altruistic sacrifice of personal interest for the sake of public welfare. Doyin Okupe is for sure an individual that has demonstrated uncommon patriotism for his father’s land.
Dr. Okupe who was a highly successful medical practitioner at a young age of 28 had to turn down a mouthwatering overseas job offer in his resolve to serve his fatherland. The displayed patriotism by Okupe was rare in the sense that he was already on the verge of travelling out of the country, having sold all his properties before he decided to stay back and contribute his quota to national growth.
The National Leader of Accord Party is a medical doctor by profession and a son of the late Chief Matthew Adekoya Okupe, a banker of the Agbonmagbe fame. He is an indigene of Ogun state in the south western part of Nigeria.
Okupe began his service to the nation at a pretty young age and he is still much eager to give more to the nation’s development. He has been in the public sphere serving at various political capacities for close to forty years. Dr. Doyin truly knows his onions in politics and has indeed paid his dues as far as partisan politics is concern in Nigeria.
Okupe had served the nation mostly as the mouth piece and image maker of past presidents of Nigeria. He was the Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to Nigeria’s former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. He had earlier served as a spokesman for another former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo at the inception of his administration in May 29, 1999. The feat of one individual serving as information and image handler of two different presidents at different times has only been attained by Dr. Doyin Okupe in the political history of Nigeria.
He was a former chieftain of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and was also a governorship aspirant of the party in Ogun state in 2003. Doyin was in 2011 appointed as a member of the Publicity Committee of Goodluck Jonathan Presidential Campaign Council. The Ogun state born prince was again appointed as one of the spokesmen of the Jonathan’s Campaign Organization during the 2011 election.
Although, Okupe has since been compelled by his personal principle and intolerable circumstances in the PDP to part ways with party, he is now very determined as a National Leader of the Accord Party to reposition his new party for successes in the 2019 election. He has traversed all nooks and crannies of the Gateway State wooing like minds into his new party that is experiencing steady growth. He had once lamented before his defection to the Accord Party that PDP and APC were political platforms that have expired or in the process of witnessing expiration. Dr. Okupe lamented that the erstwhile largest party in Africa, the PDP had become menopausal and could no longer bear fruits.
Doyin Okupe by any measure of the word has achieved success in his chosen medical career as well as in politics. It was not for the want of words or one idle commentary that the the former Senior Special Assistant could readily thump his chest on his aristocratic background. It is of a fact that he had never known poverty in his entire life.
Dr. Okupe had served the nation to the best of his abilities in all the responsibilities so far saddled with. This much were evidenced in his outstanding performances in all appointed public positions. In the same manner, he had scored great marks and achieved set out goals as a party man who is both spirited and sincere with the right political ideals.
Notwithstanding the political upheavals and myriad of problems bedeviling the Nigerian political space; Dr. Okupe remains eternally grateful to God. He is nonetheless very much prepared to continue in offering his best to his beloved country, Nigeria is his private capacity as a sturdy citizen.
Dr. Doyin Okupe is indeed a prince that deserves nothing short of princely celebration on occasion of his birthday. He is wished many more years of God’s faithfulness in unfailing health, sound mind and service to humanity.
Salako, the publisher of Triangle Magazine, wrote this piece from Lagos.
