By Lukman OMIKUNLE
Old and new members of the Gateway Front Foundation, GFF, reunited in Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, on Sunday as the organisation began preparations for its 25th anniversary celebration.
The reunion, held at Obalofin Court, GRA, Ijebu Ode, brought together former members and ex-students of the Gateway Front Foundation and Political Academy, POLA, many of whom had not seen one another for nearly two decades.
The gathering also took participants back to the roots of the foundation, with the historic residence of its founder, Otunba Senator Gbenga Daniel, serving as the venue where GFF’s activities first took shape in 2000.
Hundreds of former and current members converged on the residence, turning the event into an emotional homecoming marked by nostalgia, renewed friendships and discussions on the foundation’s next chapter.
Daniel, founder and chairman of GFF, personally received the members at Obalofin, reaffirming the ties built among members of the Ogun-based organisation over the past 25 years.
Among those who attended were Hon. Ladi Adebutu, Chief (Mrs) Folake Marcus-Bello, Mr Kehinde Sogunle, Prince Lekan Tejuoso, Hon. Wale Ogunbanjo, Hon. (Arc.) Kayode Adebayo, Otunba R.A. Adenaike, Engr. Ayinde Awobadejo, Chief Tola Odulaja and Otunba Stiles, who represented the septuagenarian caucus of GFF members.
Adebutu, Daniel’s deputy, and other members of the delegation had earlier paid a courtesy visit to the GFF founder, where they signed the resolution on state creation during the visit.
The delegation included Ambassador Folake Marcus-Bello, a former commissioner and GFF’s second executive secretary; Sogunle, a financial member of the foundation and chief knowledge officer of Lead Resources; Tejuoso, a former commissioner for Cooperative Development; and Femi Omotayo, another GFF member.
A major outcome of the reunion was the constitution of a 25th Anniversary Special Implementation Committee to coordinate preparations for the milestone celebration.
Sogunle was appointed chairman of the committee.
The reunion provided an opportunity for members from different generations of the foundation to reconnect while laying the groundwork for the 25th anniversary of an organisation that has remained active in Ogun State since its establishment in 2000.
