By Lukman OMIKUNLE
Aare Dele Bankole-led committee played a key role in the colourful celebration of Olota of Ota, Oba Adeyemi Obalanlege’s 60th birthday
How Aare Dele Bankole Turned Olota’s 60th Birthday Into a Landmark Celebration
When the Olota of Ancient and Paramount Ottaland, His Majesty, Professor Adeyemi AbdulKabir Obalanlege, Lanlege Ekun II, began preparations for his much-anticipated 60th birthday celebration, he appeared determined to make the occasion more than an elaborate royal gathering.
The choice of the organising committee soon offered a glimpse into that ambition.
Rather than assemble a large committee driven by ceremony and numbers, the Olota strategically selected a compact team of individuals with proven experience, influence and an understanding of Ota’s cultural heritage, social landscape and corporate environment.
At the centre of that three-man team was Aare Dele Bankole, one of Nigeria’s respected advertising, marketing communication and brand management experts.
Announced in June 2026 as chairman of the Olota at 60 Organising Committee, Bankole was joined by Chief Abayomi Olanrewaju Basorun, the Seriki of Ota, and High Chief Adedayo Akindele Eleku.
The decision to entrust the planning of the historic celebration to such a lean but experienced team would ultimately prove significant as the birthday festivities unfolded into one of the most talked-about royal celebrations in Ota in recent years.
For one week, from August 21 to August 28, 2026, Ota was transformed into a hub of cultural, social and royal activities as dignitaries, traditional rulers, politicians, business leaders, academics and prominent sons and daughters of the town joined the Olota to mark his diamond jubilee.
But the defining moment came on Friday, August 28, when the celebrations culminated in a grand royal reception at His Place Event Centre along the Ota-Idiroko Road.
The reception attracted an impressive gathering of Nigeria’s political, traditional and business elite. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo led the distinguished guests, while Ogun State Deputy Governor, Noimot Salako-Oyedele; Secretary to the Ogun State Government, Tokunbo Talabi led the political class. Traditional rulers were led by Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; captains of industry; academics; media personalities and prominent indigenes of Ota were among those who graced the occasion.
The scale and colour of the event inevitably drew attention to the personality at the centre of the celebration, but behind the spectacle was a carefully coordinated team led by Bankole, whose experience in communication, branding, event strategy and cultural promotion provided a strong foundation for the festivities.
For Bankole, the assignment was not entirely unfamiliar territory.
His involvement in major cultural and community-driven events in Ota has, over the years, established him as a figure capable of combining corporate brand strategy with grassroots cultural identity.
That reputation was strengthened by his previous appointments as chairman of the organising committee of Odun Omo Iganmode, Ota’s celebrated annual cultural festival.
Bankole’s stewardship of the festival, particularly in 2023, was widely regarded as a turning point in its fortunes. Under his leadership, the festival recorded significant success, including unprecedented income generation, while its visibility and organisational profile received a major boost.
His approach demonstrated how a traditional cultural event could be repositioned through professional branding, strategic communication and effective stakeholder engagement without losing its historical identity.
That transformation subsequently attracted the attention of the Ogun State Government under Governor Dapo Abiodun, which moved to recognise Odun Omo Iganmode as an official annual state festival through the state’s official gazette.
For a man whose career evolved from advertising and marketing communication into brand management, the progression was another demonstration of his versatility and adaptability.
It also explained why his name resonated when the Olota needed a chairman capable of giving his 60th birthday celebration a distinctive identity.
Bankole’s professional journey has placed him at the intersection of advertising, marketing communication, corporate branding and cultural promotion. His strength lies not merely in organising events but in understanding how to create an identity around them, build public interest and mobilise different categories of stakeholders around a common vision.
That experience became particularly relevant to the Olota’s 60th birthday, an event that had to simultaneously reflect the dignity of the traditional institution, celebrate the personality of the monarch and showcase the cultural heritage of Ota.
The choice of a three-man organising committee, therefore, appeared less about numbers and more about strategy.
With Basorun bringing his standing within the traditional and community structure of Ota and High Chief Eleku contributing to the committee’s reach and coordination, Bankole provided the professional and strategic leadership required to turn the celebration into a cohesive public event.
The result was a celebration that moved beyond the conventional birthday ceremony.
The week-long programme created room for cultural expression, social interaction and community participation before culminating in the grand reception that brought together an extraordinary cross-section of society.
The presence of former President Obasanjo and other high-profile guests further underscored the national and regional significance of the Olota’s reign and the growing prominence of Ota within Ogun State’s traditional and economic landscape.
For the Olota, attaining 60 was a personal milestone. For Ota, it became an opportunity to celebrate its history, identity and traditional institution.
For Bankole, however, the assignment represented another opportunity to demonstrate how professional brand management could be deployed in the service of culture and community.
His contribution to the celebration also reinforced a pattern that has become increasingly associated with his public engagements: bringing corporate communication discipline to traditional and cultural initiatives.
In an era when cultural festivals and royal celebrations are increasingly competing for public attention, sponsorship, institutional recognition and media visibility, the ability to package such occasions as compelling brands has become critical.
Bankole appears to understand that equation.
His work on Odun Omo Iganmode showed that cultural events could be professionally repositioned, while his leadership of the Olota at 60 committee provided another platform to apply the same philosophy on an even larger royal stage.
The success of the Olota’s diamond jubilee celebration has therefore placed a spotlight not only on the monarch and the historic institution he represents, but also on the people behind the scenes who translated the vision into reality.
At the centre of that story is Aare Dele Bankole, whose career trajectory from advertising and marketing communication to brand management, cultural promotion and community engagement has increasingly positioned him as one of the notable strategists shaping the public face of Ota’s major social and cultural events.
The Olota’s 60th birthday may have been a celebration of a monarch reaching a landmark age, but the event also offered a glimpse into what becomes possible when traditional institutions embrace professional strategy, effective branding and purposeful organisation.
And in that story, the three-man committee led by Aare Dele Bankole occupies an important place.
