Category: Entertainment

LAST Saturday, top society folks gathered at The Regent, a highbrow event place in Ikeja, Lagos to celebrate yet another money-spinning passion of beauty expert and entrepreneur, Kike Ajibade. The event was one of a kind , an elitist wine tasting evening with attending panache and class.

From her success in the health and beauty spa business, Kikelomo Ajibade took the society stage once again as she officially berth her new collection of wines, under the Ann Marie Wines’ brand.

The youthful CEO and award-winning entrepreneur has again convinced all that passion drives her business sense. And with creativity, one’s hobby could grow great commerce opportunity. Kike as she is fondly called had lots to share with us based on her new status as a wine connoisseur.

How do you feel organising this classy wine-tasting event in Nigeria; do you think Nigerians are receptive to this idea?

Yes, Nigerians are very receptive to something classy. I am sure that the turnout today would easily convince any doubting Thomas that Nigerians love good things of life. You’ve seen the way people have enjoyed themselves today, the way they have had real fun. Initially, I couldn’t believe the turnout myself. I am pretty glad that everybody turned out. We’ve all had fun!

We noticed that the guests, namely, former NFA Chairman, Kojo Williams and Mrs. Sefiyatu Demola Seriki, among others, belong to the upper class. Would you say that your wine is for the upper class?

No, I wouldn’t say that. The wine is for everybody. I am just privileged to have these friends around me now. I really do appreciate their coming and I thank them for all their support.

You had the unveiling of the organic wine as well today. Many in Nigeria may see this as a new thing. Can you tell us about the health benefits of organic wine?

Oh, I can talk and talk non-stop on the benefits of organic wine. Everybody is leaning towards organic wine these days, and we know why. For those who do not know, it is because, when a grape or particular food or fruit is grown, fertiliser is used for its growth. That means its growth is forced. But in this case, fertiliser is not used. That means its growth is not forced. It also means that these wine plants grow according to its original life span. The benefit of that is enormous.

It is an amazing thing that you can actually drink wine and get the benefits that go with it. We have heard a lot of people say that the benefits of such to our health are enormous. But more importantly, the bottomline is that everybody has to drink reasonably. If we all can actually drink moderately, it makes a lot of sense because it is one of the best ways to go right now.

As the wine connoisseur that you are now, what will you say to people who have not taken to wine drinking?

You need to drink moderately. That is why we keep emphasing the word ‘moderately’ because drinking moderately helps the heart which goes ahead to help the entire body. A glass of wine to a meal is amazing. It digests the food well and you get all other benefits.

But we hear that your organic wine is a limited edition…

It will soon be everywhere. Many people here have signified their interest to be our distributors. The office is in Opebi. I want everyone to benefit from it.

Seeing that you look so well, one is tempted to ask you, what do you feel is the panacea to healthy living?

Eat well, eat moderately, exercise, drink lots of water and, above all, drink wine!

You have been known for your successful spa and beauty treatment salon and showroom; why the diversification into wine business?

This is something that I love to do. I drink good wine. When I had people around me, and I entertained them with my wine, they always exclaimed ‘Wow! What a lovely wine!’ The next thing was  to ask me where I got it from and whether they could also get some stock. So for me, it became a hobby that later turned into business. It is something that I am passionate about like my health and spa business. It is something that I have been doing for a long while on a low-profile basis until I decided that I wanted to get the best out of it.

Moreover, any time I went out, I did not find good wine to buy. I checked the shelves of many stores and looked but saw nothing there. So I had always thought that we could do better. We can actually bring good wine to people who love it at affordable prices and get everybody to understand why it is good to drink good wine.

Now that we know that you have been drinking good wine over time, we can equally ask, is it one of your beauty secrets?

Maybe, you might be right. Obviously it does help because it is fruits. Grapes, for instance, help the skin. We are actually told to eat five fruits a day. So a glass of wine represents something. I drink wine but in moderation.

We also hear that your wine has something to do with Spain and France; why those two places?

Anywhere in the world, when you hear France, it speaks quality in wine. Though  some other countries have joined this business, France has always been a place you could go, have a good meal and have a good wine. I focus on France and I love French wine. Spanish wine has begun to come up. They are catching up so much with the French wine. I went to vineyards there, I saw some lovely wines. I saw organic wine which we tried out, and people loved it. So we are on it, both French and Spanish wines. The Spanish one is called Vina Temprana, the French one is Malti Margrape which is a white one, and we have Chateau Chanon, Chateau Mayer and Roc de Minvielle which is an award-winning wine. There is also The Aragus. These are the ones we do, and they are really affordable and very good.

Are you going to repeat this wine-tasting event some other time?

Oh yes. That question was asked before. Definitely, we have to do that very often. Many people have told us that we have to be repeating this, and can you imagine the crowd here. Another edition must come up soon.

How are you enjoying Nigeria?

So much! Yeah, that much! Home is home any day, anytime. I love Nigeria, I love the country. I love the environment. I love being around my people. So, I am enjoying the country.

I did not start out being a beautician.   No, I had my early education at Yaba College of Technology. I later gained an admission to the University of Middlesex in the United Kingdom where I bagged a first degree in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Housing Management from the same university. It was due to my passion to make people look and feel good that later urged me on to take up short courses in beauty therapy and health management at some of the best institutions in the United Kingdom.

As soon as I got back to Nigeria, I established Ann Marie Health and Beauty Spa. I was pleased that it immediately struck a chord with high profile Nigerians who besieged my new office then.

How was the business when you started?

When we started, we gave good services  in the areas of beauty therapy, body massage and general health fitness. For me, it was not just enough that the customers were coming, I wanted to give more.  I believe in the Nigerian dream, in the beauty of a woman, I mean the total beauty of a woman.

I introduced choice beauty products into the market which, according to her, have changed the face of beauty generally. One of such products is the Ann Marie anti-fungal natural soap. This product is a child of necessity in the ever-demanding beauty industry of Nigeria. We produced this brand originally as a low-scale handmade product for the consumption of our clients who initially were coming to us for their body and facial treatments.

But a large-scale demand soon arose due to its outstanding results, courtesy of the natural ingredients used in the production process of the soap.

We created the Ann Marie anti-fungal natural soap from the finest of natural African herbs and fruit enzymes that nourish and moisturize skin.

BISHOP Felix Aderemi Adejumo, the founder of Agape Christian Ministries, will clock 60 years on June 20, 2014. To make the week-long event a memorable one, a planning committee has already been put in place. Invitations have also been sent out to guests who are expected to make the event tick.

The clergyman, who was born into the royal family of the late Oba Jacob Taiwo Adejumo Alawode III, the Olororuwo of Ororuwo in Araromi-Owu, Irewole Local Government Area, Osun State, trained as a town planner before his pastoral calling took the better part of him.

From a few members when the church started in Ibadan, Bishop Adejumo has succeeded in building one of the fastest growing churches in Nigeria after moving it to Akure, Ondo State in 1987. There he started the Agape Christian Ministries in August, 1988. Today, the church has about 35 branches around the country, including the one that was opened in Lekki, Lagos in 2012.

 

THE family of the business mogul and billionaire, Alhaji Mohammed Indimi, OFR, might not have been in the limelight in the same manner as the families of other highly successful Nigerians, but the giant strides being made by the family have continued to attract global attention.

Leading the family’s march to global prominence is the son of Alhaji Indimi, Mohammed (he bears same name with his father). The unassuming young man is one of Alhaji Indimi’s eight children, all of whom are executive directors in their father’s company, Oriental Energy Resources Limited.

With a series of thriving businesses that span oil and gas, construction, agro-allied and more, Alhaji Indimi has continued to show that his is wealth acquired through diligence. Recently rated by Forbes Magazine as Africa’s 34th richest man with $550 million worth of assets, the billionaire is said to have begun building a humanitarian organisation to cater for the less-privileged, especially those from the northern region. The foundation has set out to address the challenges of poverty in the region.

The plan, which is still in the pipeline, will be championed by the scion of the Indimis, the younger Mohammed, who has been the arrowhead in the strategic positioning of his father’s company. The younger Mohammed Indimi runs a tea producing company in South Africa, known as Southern Cape Tea Company. It is located in Cape Town.

He also manages his father’s oil company, Oriental Energy Resources Ltd, as an executive director.

AFTER the rain, they say, comes sunshine. This must be the case with a former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Alhaja Sinatu Ojikutu, who seems to have regained her grooves after a long absence from the social radar.

Sighted last week at the final burial ceremony of her former boss, Sir Michael Otedola, the once troubled politician had shed the pathetic picture she cut a few months ago. Looking fresh and calm, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain took her seat among other prominent Nigerians who graced the event.

The once elegant woman recently went through the throes of despair with her involvement in a protracted land dispute. The Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police had arrested her after declaring her wanted in June last year, in connection with the sum of N130 million allegedly obtained from one Cajethan Okekearu.

FORMER bank managing director, Mike Chukwu has joined the list of former top bank executives who would not take pleasure in spending their retirement years doing nothing. As it has become the fad among that esoteric club of professionals, Mike Chukwu has taken to business, playing big in the hospitality sector.

Chukwu is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Scintila Limited, which has the Scintilla Event Centre as one of its susbsidiaries. The event centre was shut down some time ago as a result of the reconstruction work on the Lekki-Epe Expressway. But the total event services and entertainment outlet for fun lovers and corporate organisations on the Lekki axis of Lagos recently reopened and repackaged.

The re-launch party, held penultimate Friday, had the who-is-who in the corporate sector in attendance. Chukwu is believed to have invested much of his time and resources in Scintilla Limited in his bid to make the company a global entity.

He was until June 2007 the Managing Director of the defunct Spring Bank Plc. He was appointed the MD/CEO of Guardian Express Bank in December 2001 and was instrumental to the successful merger of the bank with five others to form Spring Bank Plc in December 2005. He retired in 2007.