Olawepo-Hashim receives Mandela’s personal letter as birthday gift in Europe

A former presidential candidate and global energy leader, Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has received a surprise gift from friends and associates in Europe in celebration of his birthday.

In a birthday lunch hosted at the ancient Circulo Delicio, the oldest private club in Spain, established in 1847, his business partners presented a personal letter of the legendary South African leader, the late Nelson Mandela, purchased at an auction in Europe for him as a gift.

Olawepo-Hashim, who considered Mandela one of his heroes, was equally named Prisoner of Conscience in Africa, three years after the late president was so named by Amnesty International in 1989.

Narrating his surprise at the launch hosted in his honour on his social media Facebook page, Olawepo Hashim said: “In Barcelona, I had lunch with Vincent Geuneau (my French business partner), Mrs Helen Brume, a director at Afrexim Bank, Cairo, and Mrs Begonia Rubo Saiz, an ex-Spanish diplomat and former European Commission staffer. Begonia has joined my team as Senior Advisor, Global Cooperation.”

According to him, a twist of history was added to the celebration as Vincent and Peter Hertog (his Deuch business partner) “presented a personal letter of Nelson Mandela purchased at an auction in Europe to me.

“The duo knows Mandela as one of my heroes, and that I had been named Prisoner of Conscience in Africa, three years after Mandela was so named by Amnesty International in 1989,” he said.

The Gbenga Hashim Foundation, which recently granted N20 million to SMEs in Kwara State, constructed drainages and graded roads.

It also granted N10 million to small and medium-scale enterprises in Abuja.

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