…Rejects Allegation Celebrant Spent Hundreds Of Millions On Guests
Ayomide Awe
A legal practitioner and chartered accountant, Dr Gbenga Adeoye, has dismissed reports suggesting that Justice Babatunde Demola Bakre Junior sponsored hundreds of guests to attend his 60th birthday celebration in The Gambia.
Adeoye in a statement obtaied by PLATFORM TIMES on Saturday, described the claims as false and misleading, insisting that guests who attended the celebration travelled at their own expense, while family members and friends supported some aspects of the activities.
The celebration, which attracted prominent Nigerians and guests from different parts of the world, was held in The Gambia, with activities including golf, cocktail parties, an all-white disco night and a dinner.
In an account aimed at correcting what he described as widespread misconceptions about the event, Adeoye said he personally confronted some people discussing the alleged sponsorship at a coffee shop opposite the Senegambia Hotel, the venue of one of the birthday activities, on Friday, October 30, 2026.
According to him, some individuals at the shop claimed that the celebrant had spent hundreds of millions of naira to transport about 300 people to The Gambia and provide their accommodation, feeding and other expenses.
Adeoye, however, said he challenged the claims, explaining that the guests independently financed their trips because of their personal relationships with the celebrant.
He said, “I said capital NO, NO, NO. Every participant paid for the trip and hotel, while some other aspects of the events were sponsored by family and friends.
“Golfers came to play to celebrate one of their own at their own cost. People came for love. They sacrificed time and money.”
The former lecturer said his own experience demonstrated the commitment of the guests, explaining that he travelled from Nigeria to the United States on October 24 and returned on October 28 before flying to The Gambia on October 29 to attend the birthday celebration.
He added that he almost missed the trip because he initially forgot to complete his registration before the deadline.
Adeoye said the celebrant’s elder sister, Tokunbo Adenekan, intervened after learning of his intention to attend, prompting arrangements for him to join the travelling party.
He maintained that the experience reinforced his position that the gathering was driven by friendship and affection rather than financial inducement.
Explaining why he considered the allegations particularly damaging, Adeoye said the celebrant came from a family known for modest living and strong personal values.
He recalled that the celebrant’s father, Justice Demola Bakre OON (Senior), who retired from the judiciary, had once persuaded his son to abandon a thriving legal practice in Abuja to join the Ogun State judiciary.
According to Adeoye, the senior Bakre had expressed concerns about the excessive pursuit of wealth, arguing that a comfortable and modest life was more important than accumulating material possessions.
He quoted the retired judge as asking, “How many houses do you need in life?”
Adeoye said the conversation reflected the family’s philosophy of simplicity, adding that the celebrant eventually accepted the opportunity to serve on the bench.
He further described Justice Bakre Junior as someone who appreciated a simple lifestyle and maintained relationships across professional, social and community circles.
The accountant said the birthday celebration attracted guests from Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain and other countries, including members of the legal profession, business community, golf associations and former residents of Abeokuta’s Ibara GRA and Asero Estate.
Among those he identified at the gathering were Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker; retired General Morakinyo Abiodun; Justice Gboyega Ogunfowora; former Ogun State Broadcasting Corporation General Manager, Toyin Sogbesan; and engineer Ola Sobande, a former Shell engineer and founding president of the Egba Economic Summit Group.
Others included Sunday Oduntan, Surveyor Dayo Folarin, Bashorun Ladi Adegbite, Tpl Adeogun, Bimbo Salau, Tolu Odugbemi, Busayo Okundaye, Deola Adeyemi and Funmi Fadahunsi.
Adeoye also mentioned the participation of members of the Abeokuta Golf Club and the Different Strokes Golf Group, saying several golfers travelled to The Gambia to celebrate their colleague.
He particularly recalled seeing retired General Abiodun independently purchase drinks and refreshments for guests at his table during the all-white disco night.
Similarly, he said Dotun Olaifa moved around to ensure that guests at his table were comfortable.
According to Adeoye, the participation of the guests demonstrated the depth of relationships the celebrant had built over the years.
He said many of those present had known one another since childhood, particularly families who moved from Ibadan to Abeokuta following the creation of Ogun State in 1976.
He added that some attendees had not seen one another for 10 or 20 years, making the celebration an opportunity for old friends and associates to reconnect.
Adeoye also praised the organisation of the event, noting that guests received access bracelets and souvenirs upon arrival at the hotel.
He said the celebrant’s younger sister, Dolapo Orekoya, also provided yellow Adire trousers for participants before their departure from Nigeria.
The lawyer further commended the celebrant’s wife, Bukola Bakre, for her enthusiastic participation in the celebration, adding that their children, Boluwatife and Tiwaloluwa, witnessed the affection and goodwill their father enjoyed from friends and associates.
Reflecting on the scale of the gathering, Adeoye said he told the celebrant that a similar celebration held in Nigeria could have attracted between 3,000 and 4,000 people, considering his connections across the legal profession, golf community, former school and university associates, Abuja legal circles and Abeokuta social groups.
He said the celebrant responded that the decision to hold the event outside Nigeria was partly informed by the expected size of the gathering.
Adeoye, who described the celebration as a gathering of people united by longstanding relationships, urged those spreading the alleged sponsorship claims to correct the impression.
He said the purpose of his intervention was not merely to defend the celebrant but also to prevent what he called the circulation of misleading narratives about a private celebration.
The accountant added that the birthday should be remembered for the relationships it brought together rather than unsubstantiated claims about the amount allegedly spent to bring guests to The Gambia.
He congratulated Justice Bakre Junior on attaining the age of 60, praying for good health, peace of mind and many more years of fulfilment.
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