Folasade … Gbenga Ashafa Serenades Wife as She Clocks 60 Tommorow
Yes, many years ago, they encountered each other and struck a blissful friendship, Gbenga Bareehu Ashafa, like the proverbial triple pillar of the world, became Folasade’s version of the Aeolian Harp. Folasade, like a practiced possessor and player of the Aeolian Harp, pulled at the strings of Gbenga’ heart. The effect was awesome.
If friendship was rewarding for the duo, falling in love with each other was liberating. Ask Bareehu. He will proudly tell you any day that loving Folasade was invigorating. The passion and devotion he shared with her exposed him to priceless adventures in the meadows and everglades of love. Loving her was cathartic. Ordinarily, the height to which Senator Gbenga Ashafa adores his wife, Folashade, should have been laid bare tomorrow as he harnesses his cash, contacts and connections to celebrate his lifelong partner as she turns 60. Though Senator Ashafa is a practicing Moslem, the birthday ‘girl’ is a devout Christian. Her birthday celebrations would tee off today with an Islamic prayer session at the Grandview Plaza, Magodo. Tomorrow, Monday, there would be a Christian thanksgiving service at a choice events centre in the heart of Victoria Island, Lagos. Knowing his social antecedents, one would have expected that the party would shake the roots of high society to its foundations and remain on the lips of guests for eons to come. However, in view of the fact that the fasting period has begun, sources said Senator Ashafa would not throw a giddy or gaudy feast; there would be no rivers of champagne and cognacs, or a long line of canapés and gourmet foods. Rather, after the thanksgiving service, there would be light entertainment for guests and the whole affair is expected to last by 4pm. Thereafter, the Ashafas and a sprinkling of guests would visit charity homes dear to them. Ashafa, the senator representing Lagos East, and Folashade have been married since 1979. While he has gone on to build an enviable political profile, Folashade, nee Edun, retired as an assistant director at the Federal Ministry of Information and Communication in 2005, after twenty-three years of service. Now a big time entrepreneur and philanthropist, Folashade runs two homeware and gift stores in Lagos while occasionally organising soup kitchens for the elderly and an annual Christmas celebration for less privileged children in Ibeju-Lekki.