Nigerians today celebrate a prominent, renowned and highly respected 2023 presidential aspirant, Doyin Okupe, as he clocks 69. Doyin Okupe, a household name, is known not only for his selfless personality but also his honest and objective assessment of salient issues within our socio-political universe.
It’s quite worthy that we are celebrating the medical doctor turned politician as he adds another year today, 22nd of March 2021. We appreciate the faithfulness of God over his life.
Doyin Okupe is a class above the rest, a brand which has been carefully built over the years on the virtues of all that is good and befitting of a morally conscious man.
Within and outside his circles, he has successfully created a niche for himself, defined by originality, truthfulness and diligence. His antecedents lspeak volumes about his dedication to the path of progress: his strides within the nation’s political scene are highly significant. Indeed he holds the record as the only man to have served two different presidents in Nigeria.
Okupe deserves credit for his patriotic service to the Nigerian nation in last few decades. 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 one individual that has demonstrated uncommon patriotism for his fatherland.
As a young and highly successful medical practitioner at the tender age of 28, he had turned down an opportunity to work overseas, choosing instead to return to Nigeria and get actively involved in the development of his homeland.
He was further motivated to walk this path through a remark which was made by a white colleague about the nature of men who ruled the country.
The colleague had stated that the ruling class in Nigeria was made up of men with little or no qualifications to rule or lead, a factor which he said had in no small measure hindered the progress of the nation.
Ever since he placed himself on this path, Dr. Okupe has solidly established himself as a strong brand within the nation’s socio-political terrain. He was once the national leader of the Accord Party before retuned to the Peoples Democratic Party.
As mentioned earlier, he served the nation as the mouthpiece and image maker of two presidents. 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.
Furthermore, he was a governorship aspirant of the PDP in Ogun State in 2003. Adding to the aforementioned, he was in 2011 appointed as a member of the Publicity Committee of the Goodluck Jonathan Presidential Campaign Council. The Ogun State-born prince was again appointed as one of the spokesmen of the Jonathan Campaign Organization during the 2011 election.
Doyin Okupe has, by any measure of the word, achieved success in his chosen career, medicine, as well as in politics. The former Senior Special Assistant could of course readily thump his chest on his aristocratic background.
His father, the late Chief Mathew Adekoya Okupe, owned a bank and was one of the richest Nigerians during his time. This fact coupled with his lucrative medical practice gave him a huge headstart in life. It is a fact that he has never known poverty in his entire life. Yet he continues to live a simple life unencumbered by foppery.
Dr. Okupe served the nation to the best of his abilities in all the responsibilities he was saddled with. This much was evidenced by his outstanding performances in all appointive positions. In the same manner, he had scored great marks and achieved set out goals as a party man inbued with the right political ideals.
Okupe’s unwavering passion for Nigeria propels the desire in him to contest for the office of president in 2023; it is an intention which he has made known to all. According to him, it’s high time Nigerians looked beyond the charade and theatrics of the Nigerian political system and made a decision to vote people with the right intention and plans for the nation.
Considering the mirage of challenges facing the nation, which has shaken the nation’s foundation to the very core, it’s needful that we bring men like Doyin Okupe to the forefront of our political discourse and give them a chance to right the wrongs of this nation.
Okupe presents himself ready and willing to take the bull by the horns to ensure the birth of a new Nigeria; he is a true visionary and progressive with the right skills to advance Nigeria and ensure that we hand over the Nigeria of our dreams to the coming generation.
Okupe is a devout Christian who believes so strongly in the efficacy of prayer. He is likewise an ardent respecter of family values.
Dr. Doyin Okupe is indeed a prince that deserves nothing short of princely celebration on this occasion of his 69th birthday. He is wished many more years of God’s faithfulness in unfailing health, sound mind and service to humanity.
Written by: By Femi Salako (Publisher, Triangle News Media)
