How senator marked his 61st birthday in Lagos

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso (RMK) marked his 61st birthday in Lagos on Saturday, October 21, 2017.

And he marked it with some style as well. The venue was the posh Oriental Hotel in Lagos, Southwest Nigeria.

The event was slated to kick off at 4pm.

However, invited guests were informed via email beforehand that the cocktail evening with Kwankwaso had been rescheduled for 6pm.

No matter. Pulse was at the Oriental at 4pm anyway and we took our positions in an exquisitely decorated hall and at the lobby.

The red caps arrived in droves soon after. Kwankwaso is famous for his Kwankwasiyya movement; a grassroot agglomeration whose members spot red caps like RMK.

The movement began in Kano and from what we saw last Saturday, the red cap Kwankwasiyya movement now has devotees in the Southwest as well.

They took over all of Oriental; these guys wearing traditional red caps emblazoned with the initials RMK with white, flowing agbada to match.

At about 8pm, Kwankwaso strode into the hall. Some of his colleagues in the upper legislative chamber followed his lead.

There was Senator Christopher Omoworare Babajide, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Hon Aliyu Sani Madaki and Hon Yusuf Bello.

One by one, friends of RMK took to the microphone to extol the virtues of the former Governor of Kano State.

They spoke about his love for education, the infrastructure projects he left behind in Kano, his love for the grassroots and how he’ll make a good Nigeria president someday.

There was music from a live band, wry jokes from the comperes, fruit juices, red wine and cutting of Kwankwaso’s cake.

Speeches were short and straight to the point.

The event was put together by 'Friends of Kwankwaso' in the Southwest.

Kwankwaso’s 61st cocktail birthday celebration was over at 10pm.