Nigerian politician
Dr. Doyin Okupe | |
|---|---|
| Born | Adedoyin Ajibike Okupe () 22 March (age&#;72) Iperu, Ogun State, Nigeria |
| Political party | Labour Party (Past: PDP, NPN, NRC, UNCP, and Accord Party) |
| Spouse | Aduralere Okupe |
| Children | Ditan Okupe Bolu Okupe |
| Parent |
|
| Relatives | Brothers: Kunle Okupe, Owo Okupe, Wemi Okupe and Larry Okupe Sisters: Aina Okanlawon and Bisola Ayeni |
| Alma mater | Igbobi CollegeUniversity of Ibadan |
| Occupation | Physician and Politician |
| Known for | Co-founder of Royal Cross Medical Centre, National Publicity Secretary of NRC, Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan |
Adedoyin Ajibike Okupe (born 22 March ), better known as Dr. Doyin Okupe, is a Nigerian physician and politician who co-founded Royal Cross Medical Centre[1][2] and was the National Publicity Secretary of National Republican Convention (NRC).[3][4] He was once detained under GeneralSani Abacha,[5][6] and subsequently disqualified from participating in United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) primaries;[7] later on, he was a governorship aspirant of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State.[8][9][10]
Okupe was Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo and Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan.[11][12][13][14]
Born on 22 March in Iperu in Ogun State of Nigeria,[15][16][17] Okupe is the son of Chief Matthew Adekoya Okupe, who was a banker with Agbonmagbe Bank.[17] His brothers are Kunle Okupe, Owo Okupe, Wemi Okupe and Larry Okupe, and his sisters are Aina Okanlawon and Bisola Ayeni.[18][19] He attended St. Jude's School in Ebute Metta, Lagos, Igbobi College in Yaba, Lagos and the University of Ibadan in Ibadan, Oyo State.[15][16]
Although Okupe is a medical doctor, he is also active in partypolitics.[1][2][17] He was also once a publisher of a health newspaper called Life Mirror.[15][16]
Okupe worked for some years for government and private hospitals, including St. Nicholas Hospital, Lagos, before establishing the Royal Cross Medical Centre (also known as Royal Cross Hospital) in Obalende, Lagos, along with his colleagues, Dr. Seyi Roberts and Dr. Ladi Okuboyejo.[1][15][20] He was the Managing Director(MD) of Royal Cross Medical Centre.[16]
According to Olusegun Osoba in a July interview with The Nation (Nigeria), on the night of 23 August , Okupe and Dr. Seyi Roberts saved the life of his gatekeeper from a gunshot wound to the head.[2]
During the Second Nigerian Republic, Okupe was a House of Representatives candidate of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in the Nigerian parliamentary election.[15]
In the Third Nigerian Republic, Okupe became the National Publicity Secretary of National Republican Convention (NRC).[3] He was one of the representatives of the NRC that observed the collation of the Nigerian presidential election results at the headquarters of the National Electoral Commission (NEC).[4]
The General Sani Abacha military government detained Okupe on 3 October [5][6] Later on, in March , during the aborted transition programme of Abacha, he was among the politicians who were disqualified from participating in United Nigeria Congress Party (UNCP) primaries.[7]
At the advent of the current Fourth Nigerian Republic, Okupe was appointed Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to President Olusegun Obasanjo.[3][21] Later on, in , he was one of the governorship aspirants of the People's Democratic Party (PDP) primaries in Ogun State, and was a major contender along with Gbenga Daniel.[9] In , President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Okupe as his Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs.[8][10][11]
Okupe was publicist at various times to Nigerian presidential aspirants of the PDP, including President Olusegun Obasanjo, President Goodluck Jonathan, Bukola Saraki and Vice President Atiku Abubakar.[3][22] In July , he announced his decision to leave the PDP to join the Accord Party,[23] but for accepting to be the Chairman of the Campaign Media Council of Bukola Saraki for the presidential primaries of the PDP, the Accord Party expelled him in September [24] He subsequently returned to the PDP,[25] and became a spokesman of the Presidential Campaign Organisation of Atiku Abubakar, the PDP candidate for president in the Nigerian presidential election.[22]
Okupe joined the Labour Party ahead of Nigerian general election and stood in as the running mate and vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party until a substantive candidate was picked.[26]
Okupe is married to Aduralere Okupe with two children[19][27]
While Okupe supported the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar in the Nigerian General Election, his son Ditan supported Muhammadu Buhari.[27]
In May , it was reported that Okupe and his wife, Aduralere tested positive COVID on 23 April and have recovered.[19][28][29]
In January , his other son, Bolu Okupe, based in Paris, came out as gay on his Instagram page.[30]
He and his son Bolu support Peter Obi for Nigerian presidential election.[31]
It was reported in August that Okupe and his companies were probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and accused of failing to execute road construction contracts awarded to his companies in by Benue State and in by Imo State.[12] Eventually, a settlement was reached with Imo State, while the case with Benue State was resolved through arbitration.[32]
In July , it was alleged that ₦ million of the embezzled $2 billion in the $2 billion arms deal or Dasukigate at the office of the National Security Adviser under the leadership of ColonelSambo Dasuki was traced to Okupe by the EFCC.[33][34] On 14 January , the EFCC arraigned Okupe before a Federal High Court in Abuja on a count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and diversion of funds to the tune of ₦ million.[22][34]
Biography of Doyin Okupe
Okupe,Doyin (). " too short to change Nigeria—Doyin Okupe". Vanguard Nigeria Newspaper.
Salako, Femi (). "Tribute to a doyen of patriotism". Dailytrus NewspaperArchived 22 March at the Wayback Machine