40th b’day bash: How Gbenga Kaka’s daughter stunned husband, LOL

Daddy & Mummy in a Birthday Pose with Ayowole, Ayokunle, Ayomide & Ayokunmi Lawal

Throwing a
Surprise Birthday Party for a loved one is not a task that comes so cheap. For
the chaperon, it entails a meticulous level of information management on all fronts
in order to prevent the info from leaking to the hearing of the surprisee with the attendant collateral
damage of losing the steam and ‘surprise feel’ of such a rare gesture.

Good
Celebration of such magnitude is a product of meticulous planning, chemistry,
and like most things in life, luck.
 If the chaperon is your wife and you are the surprisee, then, the “wow
effect”
can better be imagined than explained.


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That was
exactly what happened to Lagos’s politician and socio-economic analyst, Lookman
Oyewole Lawal
on Sunday 17th of July, 2016  (Clocked 40 on 13th of July) when his
beautiful and charming wife, Ayobola threw a surprised 40th
birthday bash for him inside the ball room of a highbrow hotel besides Brooks Estate, Magodo GRA Lagos-South
West Nigeria.

‘Behind Every Successful LOL is an Ayobola’

From the
invitation arrangement down to catering and entertainment of guests, all information
was kept away from the knowledge of the celebrant.
Ayobola, a banker with a first generation
bank (Names withheld) is the beautiful daughter of former Deputy Governor of Ogun
State-South West Nigeria, and later Senator for Ogun East Senatorial district, Senator Adegbenga Kaka while her
husband, Lookman is the son of late Alhaji Ibrahim Lawal an Ansar-Udeen faith missioner. 

The Celebrant Lookman Oyewole Lawal welcomes the GDA to his 40th birhday bash

Friends and well-wishers serenade the celebrant and his wife with their appearance by the cake side

The birthday
party was a milestone event in all ramifications as the celebrant; Lookman
Oyewole Lawal (LOL)
said he can’t remember ever celebrating a birthday event
in his entire 39 years of living. For him, it was a mixture of raw excitement
and profound surprise even though he didn’t really wanted the mother of his 4
lovely kids (3 boys and a daughter) to wound her purse for a party in his
name.  However, Ayobola had her plan for
the man who has loved her genuinely in the last 15 years.
The story of
Lookman
and Ayobola
is the story of true love breaking the barrier of social status for a life of
peace and successful living. While Ayobola hails from a very privileged
home where fortunes and opportunities work hand in hand, Lookman on the other
hand grew from a very humble background into prominence through a dint of hard
work and sheer intelligence.
Lookman lost his dad at age 7 and his mother
at age 17. His dad used to be one of the few Islamic Scholars in Lagos who
propagated the ethics of the Islamic religion on the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) every Friday morning in
his days in the early 80s.  He was the
scion of his dad’s youngest wife. He was raised by his half sister at the
demise of his dad and mum. 

A Happy Mother-in-law, Her Excellency, Alhaja Oladunni Kaka in a rare pose with her grand children

LOL: The Orphan with a heart of gold…


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Lookman became an orphan too early in life
and if not for the interest of his half sister (Mrs. Oluremi Cole) in his self
development, he might have ended up in a wrong junction of life.  A Surulere boy to the core,
Lookman
had his Primary Education at Jehovah-Jireh African Church
Primary
School (Surulere) between 1982 & 1988.  He got his Higher School Leaving Certificate
from the prestigious Berth Freeman High School (Surulere) and later got a degree in
Accountancy from Ogun State
University, Ago-Iwoye.
Lookman who is naturally disturbed with the
high level of juvenile decadence in the society contested for a seat at the
Lagos State House of Assembly last year under the ruling All Progressive Party at
his Surulere
Constituency 1
. 

Ayobola Lawal to Asabeafrika….’Organizing a Surprise Bash for him was my own way of giving him his 1st birthday party in life’

During the
campaign, he reeled out various social empowerment initiatives for youths in
his constituency and equally sponsored Health Awareness programs for the aged
ones where he gave free eye, dental and general health treatment to over 250
residents in his constituency. He was determined to do more if he
had emerged as their representative.
His
social-engineering initiatives took his name far and near for consideration. If
his humble gesture of eradicating poverty among young ones and giving of free
health care services to the aged ones in his constituency endeared him to
majority of people in Surulere; his raw intelligence at
using statics to evaluate the various societal problems killing sustainable
development like Youth restiveness, traffic related accidents on high ways,  street trading, maternal death in hospitals,
prison congestion and many more on radio and television shows brought him
closer to thousands of Nigerians who felt the political elites would have the
common sense of fixing him in a position  where his intelligence will be valid for the
sake of humanity.

Ayokunle Lawal wishing Dad a Happy Birthday, Long Live and Prosperity

His acronym LOL
(Laugh-Out-Loud or Lookman Oyewole Lawal) also gave him an addendum of further
popularity in his Surulere constituency. However, due to the kind of skewed
politics at hand in a politically backward society like ours, some elite forces
in his party adopted a famous Delta state born actor who quickly added a Yoruba
middle name to his profile in order to lay claim to Surulere origin, few weeks to election. They allegedly favored him
at the primaries above other contestants including the more politically savvy,
intelligent and ready-to-serve Lookman Oyewole Lawal
who was technically edged out with others.
The August surprise
birthday bash by his wife on Sunday August 17 (His birth date) was more like a
confirmation of people’s love for LOL. Despite the short notice;
People from all walks of life stormed the modest venue inside the ambience of a
3 star hotel in Magodo GRA. The Celebrant who was tricked
down to the venue by his wife couldn’t resist the huge shock that greeted him
as he arrive the venue for what his wife told him was ‘A family birthday
dinner’.

Friends from all walks of life surrounded LOL and his damsel, Ayobola as he cuts his 40th birthday cake

“He was a bit reluctant to even climb
up to the floor where the event was taking place”
a close family source confessed to Asabeafrika.
“On opening the door of the venue and
seeing the crowd of guests seated, he quickly shut back the door and almost
returned home. I wouldn’t know if it was confusion or excitement that was
written on his face but I knew he was emotionally rattled to see the kind of
personalities who came to honor him at the event. I think what rattled him most
was the fact that most of his colleagues at work, who saw him two days to the
event didn’t even inform him of what his wife had in the offing for him. It was
such a huge suspense”
. The family source confessed to this blog.
Family,
friends, in-laws and other well wishers had arrived the venue to celebrate with
LOL @40. The event center revealed trendy attires worn by very excited guests
who had all the canapés foods and drinks they could consume at their disposal
as music of various genres blast from the speakers courtesy a gifted Deejay.  It was a buffet affair as guests were
encouraged to serve themselves.

The Celebrant and his wife, Ayobola with his boss, Mrs. Toyin Anjous

 Testimonial for LOL @40
Asabeafrika sought opinion of selected guests at
the event on how they viewed the personality of the celebrant. This is what we
found out. Speaking with Asabeafrika at the venue, Lookman’s
boss at the Lagos State Health Commission, Mrs. Toyin Anjous Ademuyiwa
said even though the celebrant is her junior colleague at work she sees him
more as a brother based on his strength of character. “It is so funny that we are celebrating his 40th because he
still doesn’t look a bit over 20”
Mrs. Anjous an assistant director at
the state’s health service commission noted with enthusiasm.
Giving an
insight into the personality of the celebrant, Anjous spoke further “But more importantly, he is a highly, highly
cerebral person. You will never know how intelligent he is until you get close
to him. Lookman is a very down to
earth person. He is always willing to help. When his political career was about
to start, he had my full support because I had no doubt that this is a man who
can stand for a generation that is eager for change. But unfortunately, knowing
the environment we live in, he was not allowed to express his good intention.
But like I have always told him, there is always a right time for dreams to
manifest. As long as he continues to be on the right path and on the right
journey with the right people supporting him, I am sure he is going to be
fine”.

The Lawals and VIP Couple who attended the event

Mrs. Anjous concluded by saying this of LOL
“He is an exceptional young man. 
Although, I may be his boss but I don’t see him like my junior colleague,
he is a brother to me. He is very close to my family. I am very, very proud of
him”.
LOL’s
brother in-law, Ayotunde Kaka, an Agric business expert spoke about LOL
describing him as a man of good look and good character “Mr. Lookman Lawal happens to be my in-law but I will call him my
brother. He is an accountant by profession, a politician per excellence. I
don’t think a word or two can describe the personality of Mr. Lawal. I will try to tell you about him in one sentence, I will
tell you that Mr. Lookman Lawal is
an embodiment of so many positive things words cannot express”. “I think God
has been kind to him, he has good looks, a good character and a good
personality as well. I wish him joy, happiness, love, long life, prosperity and
all the good things of life”.

LOL and his wife, Ayobola with in-law, Ayotunde Kaka

For Mr.
Sunday Adebola Adesanya
, the celebrant’s elder brother, LOL
is the perfect leader that is needed to run a rational society. While speaking
with Asabeafrika,
Adesanya
said “Lookman
Oyewole Lawal
is my lovely
brother. He has been there for everybody.
He loves everybody, both the poor and the rich” He added “I believe that his political intention is to
make the masses happy because the masses interest is his priority. He is a very
lovely guy; he wants everybody to be happy. He encourages people and I believe
if people can identify his intention and support him, he is going to be the
best for this nation either at state or federal politics. He is a very good
person that I believe will carry everybody along”
For Mr.
Seun Oni
a family friend, LOL is ‘a good man’  “We met Mr. Lawal a couple of years ago and I
can tell you that he is a very intelligent person and he is very warm and
sociable. I recall the first time we had to drive together about two years ago.
We were going for a function outside of Lagos and throughout the trip; he was
coming with intelligent and interesting topics. That was the first time I got
to know that he is a politician and I can tell you he will go far as a
politician and I also know that he is a very caring husband and a loving Father
as well”

Invited Guests enjoying their meal at the event

Corroborating
her husband’s views about the celebrant, Lami, Seun’s beautiful wife said “I
absolutely agree with my husband. I see a lovely couple in Mr. and Mrs. Oyewole Lawal.
They are wonderful people. I mean the wife is very close to me and I actually
admire the profile of her husband. The first time I met them I think they came
for our daughter’s dedication and I remember asking my husband that ‘who are
this couple?’ and I got to know much about them later. I like the husband, Mr.
Lookman,
he looked dedicated, caring and very humble. So, I think everything that was said
here today about him is absolutely true even if I don’t know him that much, I
knew him through my husband because they are colleagues and he and his wife
have always attended our functions. I wish them all the best in their endeavors”.
Fuad Kayode Laguda is one of the contestants who had a
ball with LOL during the Surulere
Constituency 1
house of assembly
election. But instead of the two becoming rivals, they became brothers and this
Fuad
who attended the event with his pretty wife Kehinde told Asabeafrika
I met Lookman when we were both vying
for Lagos State House of Assembly in Surulere Constituency 1. There were 9 of
us that were contesting for that seat and I and Lookman became brothers. That is all I have to say. We became
brothers”
Fuad who works with the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS)
has more to say of the celebrant “He is a
great and honorable gentle man. The elections are over but our friendship remains.
The brotherhood remains. At 40, life has just started; the best is yet to come”
 For his wife, Kehinde Laguda, she
shares almost the same wish as her husband “I
wish him all the good things my husband wished him. I wish him and his family
good health, peace of mind and love”   

LOL and wife, Ayobola in a selfie mood with Ayobola’s friends

Why I did a ‘40th Surprise’
on my husband
Wife
Ayobola Lawal (Nee Kaka) is a very, very shy lady
and it took Asabeafrika a great deal of appeal to make her open up on the
rationale behind her Surprise 40th birthday bash on her husband. She
later gave in and spoke to us “Well, I
married Lookman Oyewole as an orphan and when his 40th birthday was
approaching he just told me casually, ‘do you know I have never celebrated a
birthday before?’ and I just ignored him. I didn’t really; really pay attention
to what he said. I was like ‘ehen, really? Ok!’ I had my plans and I kept them
to myself”

LOL & Wife with some Pretty Sisters at LOL’s 40th Birthday Bash

How I got guests to attend without
telling him
On how she
was able to drag out a sizeable number of friends and well-wishers to her
husband’s 40th bash without arousing his attention she gave a reply “The message I sent across said it all. I
told everyone it was going to be a surprised
birthday party
and I told everybody to be punctual in order to help me yell a surprise at him. (Laughs) and I
followed up with calls as well and to my surprise, they came. I really
appreciate all those that came. Just very few people that couldn’t make it made
it known why they couldn’t make it”

A VIP giving word of advice to the Celebrant on how to view life @ 40

Untold story of my LOL…
When we
asked Ayobola to describe her man to us, she gave a cheery smile, the
kind of smile that is synonymous with stars gracing the covers of foreign
magazines before answering the harmless question “Lookman Oyewole Lawal is a hardworking man, loving, caring and I can
say he has been my pillar of support. I work in a bank and everybody knows what
it takes to work in a bank. I really don’t have time but he is always there for
me. He is a father, he is a mother and he is a husband. He loves cooking, he
likes taking care of the children, house chores etc. I mean he is hard working.
He made the work easy for me. He has always been there for me, he is my pillar
of support and I really want to thank him for always being there”
. She
ended with an emotional birthday wish for her darling husband “I wish him all the best. In all his
endeavors the good lord shall meet him at every point of his need”

A cream of Couple supporting Lookman & Ayobola to cut the cake

My wife really ‘embarrassed’ me—LOL
The birthday
boy, Lookman
Oyewole Lawal
shared his experience with Asabeafrika and this is
how he put it to us when we asked how he felt with the suspense that
accompanied the event? “Of course I am
very happy to witness this day. I am really shocked. I was really not in the
mood, I never expected anything and it was something that was quite surprising.
Indeed, I would have loved to have a party but I shifted the idea and it never
occurred to me that it can happen like this. Even though I can’t remember ever
celebrating a birthday before and I must say that she has done very well. I
mean, she touched everybody that matters to me. Surprisingly, none of them gave
a hint in terms of sharing the information. Even some people I saw two days
ago, none of them gave me a hint. I am very happy; this is a very memorable day
in my life. I will forever cherish this day. She has really done me a great
offer”
(Prayed ceaselessly for her before giving her a deep kiss).

‘Lol, my G, Life begins @ 40’ a VIP seems to be saying to the Birthday boy

“What I want to do with my life @ 40”
LOL is not one of those who believe in
the cliché ‘Life starts @40’, to him
‘Only a meaningful living can actually start at 40 “Well, I have heard that narrative for over thirty years. You know,
growing up in Lagos and it has been a popular narrative. Talk of celebrities,
talk of who is who in social life, it is something I have heard over the years
that life begins at 40. But for me, I will share some secrets in that light. At
this age, one really needs to live for others. One should have discovered what
role an individual is playing in the community, in the nation and the general
society. If you look at our politics today, you will put a very big question
mark on that narrative called ‘leadership’. It seems that is really, really
lacking. We don’t have any semblance of good leadership and our value system is
something we should all worry about. So, in those areas, this is the age that I
will love to do more and give back to the society. I will love to do more in
also improving leadership, in empowering young people most especially. The
world is talking about sustainable development, you can’t sustain anything
‘development’ without looking at the ones coming behind, without showing good
examples, without building legacies that emerging communities will say ‘yes, we
can see what Mr. A or B is doing, let us emulate him’. We have had it rough
lately in our polity especially as regards the development of the young ones.
By the grace of God, somebody like me will continue to look forward to the
development of the young generation and show better example at 40
The event
was attended by family friends like Bunmi and Korede Akinsanmi, Joy
Adebayo
, Adenike Dedeke, Desola Aberuagba and Motunrayo
Babatunde
.
Others are; Mr.
and Mrs. Toyin Idowu
, Mrs. Toyin Anjous, Prince
Adeyemi
Kazeem, Kehinde and Aisha Filani, Fatima
Idris
, Khadija Bosun Adams, Dr. Leke & Dare Kaka, Kazeem
and Tinuke Onadeko, Fuad
and Kehinde Laguda, Seun
and
Lami Oni and Tayo Ismail.

A Happy Cream of Guests enjoying their meal during LOL’s 40th birthday bash

Opening
Prayer was conducted by Alhaji Abolore Gafar Yusuf and Mr.
Korede
Adenuga from Lagos State Ministry of Justice.
LOL’s
Mother-in-law and wife of Senator Adegbenga Kaka,  Her Excellency, Alhaja Oladunni
Kaka
was Mother of the Day while her first son, Ayotunde and his pretty
wife, Opeyemi Fausiyyat Kaka also graced the event. 
The couple’s
lovely kids Ayowole, Ayokunle, Ayomide and Ayokunmi
Lawal
were also in attendance to celebrate with Daddy at 40.
LOL & wife, Ayobola in a rare pose with a Very Important Guest who graced the occassion

LOL giving his Vote of Thanks to all for giving him a Yell @ his 40th Birthday bash

LOL to Asabeafrika….’What my wife Ayobola did for me can never be quantified in any form. I am grateful to her for her love & Loyalty’

LOL welcomes his Co-Contestant at Surulere now brother for life, Fuad Laguda to his 40th birthday bash

LOL’s Brother-in-law, Ayotunde Kaka showering encomium on his brother in-law @ 40

LOL’s Mother-in-Law, Her Excellency, Alhaja Oladunni Kaka offering prayers and good wishes to the celebrant and his family

LOL’s Mother-in-law, Her Excellency, Alhaja Oladunni Kaka with daughter-in-law, Mrs. Opeyemi Kaka during Praise and Worship in honor of LOL’s 40th’

LOL’s Sister-in-law, Mrs. Opeyemi Fausiyyat Opeyemi Kaka savoring the steam of the of the event

LOL, the Birthday Boy welcomes a female guest to his 40th bash

Lookman & Wife Ayobola receiving the blessing of Allah during Lookman’s 40th birthday celebration

More Kudos for LOL from VIPs

More VIPs joins LOL and his wife to cut the cake

Mr. & Mrs. Lookman & Ayobola Lawal with Mr. & Mrs. Seun & Lami Oni

Mr. & Mrs. Lookman and Ayobola Lawal with their Special Guest Mr.  & Mrs. Fuad and Kehinde Laguda

Mr. Sunda Adebola Adesanya, Celebrant’s brother giving kudos to the birthday boy

Some Islamic Clerific Offering Prayers for the celebrant and his family

The Cake tells the story of a man surrounded the many good things of life
The Chief Organizer, Mrs. Ayobola Lawal Kaka. Very Elated with how the event turned out

The Chief Organizer, Mrs. Ayobola Lawal-Kaka welcomes some of her friends to the event

The Couple’s lovely children, Ayowole, Ayokunle, Ayomide & Ayokunmi savoring the good moments of Daddy’s 40th birthday bash

The Magnificent Birthday Cake of LOL @ 40
The Organizer welcoming a friend to her husband’s 40th birthday bash