Nigerians at UN headquarters celebrate Dauda Olunlade

By Cecilia Ologunagba

New York, Feb. 26, 2022

Nigerians working within the United Nations (UN) headquarters on Saturday celebrated a colleague, Mr. Dauda Olunlade, as he marked his 50th birthday.

The UN correspondent of the New Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a surprise birthday party was organised for Olunlade at Newark, New Jersey, to celebrate his golden jubilee.

Some of Olunlade’s colleagues, who spoke with NAN, thanked God for the life of the celebrant and extolled his outstanding qualities as a good and honest colleague.

One of his colleagues, Mr. Smart Olasehinde, with the Special Investigations Unit of the Department of Security and Safety (UNDSS), described Olunlade as a loyal friend and colleague.

“We’ve been best friends since our days at the UN peacekeeping mission in Kosovo in 2002/2003. We were both employed by the UN international Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, The Hague, in 2004 and came to the UN headquarters in 2005.

“I later joined him at the UN headquarters in 2009 and we have continued to be best friends till today,’’ he said.

Olasehinde, the organiser of the party, said he decided to organise a surprise party for his friend based on his wife’s request.

A female colleague in UNDSS, Lt. Dorcus Lourien, said Olunlade has been a wonderful colleague, a generous and selfless man, an emblem of humility.

“He is a generous and kind man willing to help at any point in time,’’ Lourien said.

Also speaking, the celebrant’s wife, Mrs. Lydia Olunlade, said her loving husband is a caring and generous man “who married her and her entire family.’’

She prayed God to grant him more fruitful years in service to God and humanity.

In his response, Olunlade who works in the Operations section of the Security and Safety Service Department, UN, thanked his wife, colleagues, friends and well-wishers for the surprise party and for gracing the occasion. (