The Nation Newspaper

Category: Happenstances

  • Akanni Okoya clocks 74

    Akanni Okoya clocks 74

    Friends, family members and well wishers gathered at the expansive compound of Alhaji Rasaq Akanni Okoya penultimate Friday for thanksgiving and prayer for the man of means who added another year. It was the day the Chairman of Eleganza Group of Companies and landlord of Oluwa Ni Sola Estate in Ajah, Lagos, turned 74.

    As usual, he had his annual birthday celebration on that day and a special prayer was organised for him at the Oluwa Ni Sola Estate mosque, followed by a reception in one of the halls in the architectural masterpiece.

    His youngest wife and special ally, Folasade, was everywhere to ensure that there were no lapses of any kind. Choice drinks and exotic wines were freely served with sumptuous meals at the occasion. A live band was also on hand to entertain guests.

  • Ondo Speaker under the weather

    Ondo Speaker under the weather

    Watchers of social and political events in Ondo State are worried about the well being of the Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly, Hon Samuel Adesina. For some time now, Adesina’s presence in the House is said to have been quite irregular; a development that has left many wondering what the problem is.

    While no member of the Assembly appears willing to shed light on the issue, the rumour mill is awash with speculation that the Speaker is battling with an undisclosed ailment that has taken him on and off the scene. His illness is said to have taken him to a few hospitals in and outside Akure.

    He was said to have pleaded with his health managers to ensure that he got well last December in order to be able to preside over the presentation of the state’s 2014 Appropriation Bill, but his physicians could not achieve the target and Adesina could not witness the presentation. Governor Olusegun Mimiko had to be received by the Deputy Speaker, Dare Emiola, and only eight other members of the Assembly during the presentation of the 2014.

  • Oba Adetona hale and hearty

    Oba Adetona hale and hearty

    Contrary to earlier reports, there was no sign of illness in the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona, when Celeb Watch met him on the occasion of Otunba Subomi Balogun’s Annual Prayers of Thanksgiving penultimate Tuesday. Looking hale, hearty and cheerful at the event which took place at the Otunba Tuwase Court, Oba Adetona was seen sharing lively banters with the host.

    The Kabiyesi, who sat beside former Ogun State Governor, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, was very active throughout the programme. All the high chiefs present at the event took turns to pay homage to the paramount ruler of Ijebuland, who in turn cheerfully extended royal wishes to them. Even the visually impaired would see that the Kabiyesi was in high spirits.

    There were rumours about a month ago to the effect that Oba Adetona had been under the weather for some time. The rumour mongers even speculated that he had been a guest at a popular hospital on Victoria Island, Lagos, and that his latest trip out of the country was inspired by an urgent need for medical attention.

  • Omosede Igbinedion, Ayiri Emami still an item

    Omosede Igbinedion, Ayiri Emami still an item

    Contrary to the gist from the rumour mill that things have fallen apart between Omosede Igbinedion, the daughter of the Esama of Benin, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion and her very close friend, Ayiri Emami, investigations have revealed that both of them remain yet an item. Close friends and associates of the duo told Celeb Watch that not only are they still friendly, they still maintain some closeness which could not be placed within the frame of mere friendship.

    While neither of them has admitted involvement in an intimate relationship, inside sources insist that they are romantically bound together. Ayiri Emami, a former militant endowed with riches, is already married with lovely kids. Omosede had opted out of her marriage with Prince Alvon Akenzua, a direct descendant of the royal Akenzua family in Benin. While the crown prince appears to have put the relationship behind him, Omosede has only found solace on social media platforms, particularly her Facebook account, where she has continued to express her feelings.

    Emami, in a recent interview granted a soft sell journal, had said that his relationship with Omosede was a private issue and that his ‘friendship’ with her had not drawn any disapproval from the Esama as was being rumoured.

  • Soul-E marries again

    Soul-E marries again

    A silver lining seems to have appeared behind the cloud that has hovered around popular one-hit soul singer, Emmanuel Okoshe, a.k.a. Soul E. In a quiet ceremony devoid of newsmen, Soul E took another shot at marriage with his Abuja-based banker girlfriend, Petula Delinda, in Delta State on January 2.

    Years after he bid her troubled marriage with ex-banker, pastor and singer, Queen Ure, goodbye, Soul E finally retraced his steps to his long-dated lover. Those who know the couple very well said the new bride, Delinda, had been Soul E’s close friend long before he embraced the limelight. Their friendship was said to have dated back to the days when Soul E was struggling to make ends meet. While it was not certain whether their friendship as at then had some emotional attachment, their closeness was said to have been so much that anyone would be pardoned to read intimacy into it.

    However, stardom on the part of Soul E brought a wide gap between them, and before one could say Jack, Queen Ure, who is more advanced in years than Soul E, walked down the aisle with the soul singer. The two redefined public display of affection as they made public show of their obsession for each other at the slightest opportunity. They later left their former church, Chris Okotie’s Household of God, to found their own church with Soul E as the senior pastor.

    The events that followed were series of in-fighting between the lovebirds. They eventually went their separate ways. Soul E chose to lie low after the separation while Queen Ure embraced secular music. For Soul E, it is a new chapter.

  • Tunde Lemo set to bow out

    Tunde Lemo set to bow out

    If reports from the corridors of Central Bank are anything to go by, the Deputy Governor of the Nigeria’s apex bank, Tunde Lemo, will bow out of the bank he has served for a decade a few days from now. News of Lemo’s imminent exit emerged about five months to the expiration of the tenure of the Governor of Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi

    The Ogun State-born Head of Operations at the apex bank, who was appointed the Deputy Governor on January 1, 2004, is due to quit on January 15. He is said to be the oldest member of the current board of the CBN.

    It will be recalled that Lemo was reported to be nursing a political ambition in 2011 and that it was a matter of time that he would turn in his resignation letter to pursue his ambition. His alleged governorship ambition on the platform of the Peoples’ Democratic Party was even rumoured to have received the blessings of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Reports said he had a change of mind when it became obvious that the PDP had already anointed another candidate in the person of Gen. Tunji Olurin (rtd).

    Prior to his appointment as the Deputy Governor of CBN, Lemo was the MD/CEO of Wema Bank, which was then ranked as one of the 10 most profitable commercial banks in Nigeria, between 2000 and 2003. With 2015 around the corner, it is not clear if Lemo will be exhuming his buried political ambition.

  • Marriage on the card for Alakija’s son

    Marriage on the card for Alakija’s son

    Barring any last-minute change in plans, the family of one of Africa’s richest women, Folorunso Alakija, will be shaking the Nigerian social scene with an A-list soiree any moment from now. This is because another wedding bell is ringing for the family. Their son, Rotimi Alakija’s relationship with Kike Fajemirokun, is about the most talked about romance on Victoria Island, Lagos and far away London where the duo have been stepping out at A-class events.

    One of such events was a shopping evening recently hosted by Kola Karim to celebrate polo with leading Argentine polo player, Nacho Figueras, who is rated as one of world’s top 100 polo players and nicknamed the David Beckham of Polo.

    Tales about their affection have been told at social circles in London and Lagos. Like Siamese twins, Rotimi and Kike have been so wrapped to each other to leave just enough space for breathing. The lovebirds were said to have met in the United Kingdom, while Kike attended University of Lancaster and Rotimi schooled at the University of the West of England, Bristol, where he bagged his first degree in Marketing before proceeding to the University of Surrey for his Master’s degree in Communications and International Marketing.

    An Executive Director at Famfa Oil Limited, owned by his parents, Rotimi is also a director at Dayspring Property Limited, an upscale real estate company based in Lagos. His passion for polo, rugby and car racing is public knowledge.

  • Okorocha’s daughter delivered of twins

    Okorocha’s daughter delivered of twins

    About one year after a talk-of-the-town wedding that brought Nigeria’s creme de la creme under one roof on January 5, 2012, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha’s eldest daughter, Uloma Nwosu, has been delivered of a set of twins in the United States of America. The families of Uloma’s husband, Uche, and that of the governor’s daughter have been in joyous mood since the twins arrived.

    Uloma got married to one of her father’s trusted commissioners, Uche, about a year ago. Uche is said to have a long-standing relationship with the Imo first family. He was said to have functioned as Okorocha’s personal assistant even before he became a governor. He was appointed the Commissioner for Lands, Survey & Urban Development in the state when Okorocha took the mantle of leadership in the state that prides itself as the Eastern Heartland.

    Uloma heads the Rochas Okorocha Foundation.

  • All set for Made-in-Nigeria festival

    If the number of events lined up for 2014 in Nigeria is anything to go by, the year may be one of the jolliest for Nigerians. One of the events is the Made in Nigeria Festival, a platform designed to unite, celebrate and empower Nigerians. The first of its kind, it is a week-long event aimed at giving investors an opportunity to experience and explore Nigeria like never before.

    The event will feature exhibitions, conferences, concerts and much more, targeted at portraying Nigeria’s rich economic and cultural potentials. The event will be hosted in the city of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre. The event will be cashing in on the over 17 million Lagos inhabitants, a microcosm of all the Nigerian ethnic groups.

    One of the major highlights of the festival will be the Made in Nigeria Expo. This is an event set to be Nigeria’s largest exhibition for unique products and services targeted at the Nigerian market. The festival will also be spiced with some events to showcase Nigeria’s achievements in various sectors and promote the country’s rich cultural heritage. They include the premium top 100 pavilion, an exclusive pavilion for large scale multinationals; small business pavilion, a meeting place for owners of small businesses and a networking lounge.

  • Top-gear preparation for Subomi Balogun’s 80th birthday

    Top-gear preparation for Subomi Balogun’s 80th birthday

    Although it is still about two months to the 80th birthday of Otunba Subomi Balogun, preparations are already at fever pitch to make the event grand. It is indeed a season of jollity for the founder of FCMB Group. While his children, friends, families and well wishers have assumed various responsibilities for the event, the Otunba Tuwase of Ijebuland himself has taken giant steps to ensure a remarkable celebration.

    At the 2014 annual prayers and thanksgiving held at his Otunba Tuwase Court in Ijebu-Ode penultimate Tuesday, he announced to the teeming guests who had come to celebrate with him that he would use the occasion of his 80th birthday to record another milestone in the long list of his achievements in life. The Oba Adesimbo Tuwase Museum of History will be launched by the man who is the head of Fusegbuwa Ruling House.

    With the museum, Otunba Balogun intends to document the royal history of Ijebuland and all the important periods, personalities and events around the territory. Information scooped at the annual thanksgiving event revealed that the launch and birthday celebration will be held on the weekend of 15th and 16th March, 2014. Details of the grand celebration remain under wraps, but the event promises to be a royal one in every respect.