Category: Social Circuit

GOVERNOR of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Atuwatse III, and his queen, Olori Ivie Atuwatse were among 100 African culture shapers and game changers honoured at the launching of The Peak Performer (TPP).

At the colourful Shell Hall Muson Center in Lagos, on Thursday, Sanwo-Olu was

honoured as the Governor of the Year, Atuwatse III  and his queen, conferred with the King of the Year and Queen of the year respectively.

Other African industry leaders who were recognised include Kola Karim (CEO of the Year, Africa), Keli Gadzekpo (CEO of the Year, West Africa), Lady Maiden Alex Ibru (Hall of Fame), Atedo Peterside (Hall of Fame), Atunyota Akpobome aka

AliBaba (Legacy in Entertainment), Soni Irabor (Legacy in Media), among other

personalities.

It was a 3-in-1 event, as the organisers used the opportunity to officially launch its portal and magazine to offer insightful content for both aspiring

and exemplary African leaders to achieve peak performance in their various fields.

Speaking at the event, the convener of TPP, Dr. Abiola Salami said the goal is to be the essential provider of insights to every leader seeking growth in their pursuit of greatness.

“We are celebrating 100 highly esteemed leaders across Africa. These are leaders who have displayed an unmatched commitment to excellence and sterling contributions to greatness in diverse sectors of the African continent,” he said.

“We discovered that if we genuinely want to inspire growth on the continent, we must commit to telling the authentic African story by

spotlighting our credible leaders with admirable skills. To achieve this we called for nominations in 2022, we recorded 1683 entries which gave us the top 100 today.

“I hope the portal, the magazine and this recognition will inspire the next generation of leaders grow, aspire for more and shatter the glass

ceilings.”

SIJIBOMI Ogundele, managing director and chief executive officer of Sujimoto Construction Company is over the moon at the moment.

The reason for Sujimoto’s boss’ excitement is not unconnected with his mum’s recent visit to the construction site of one of his luxurious edifices known as the Lucrezia.

He couldn’t hide his excitement as Mrs Ogundele surprised him on the construction

site with her presence. The rising money-bag acknowledged that his mum’s visit was timely, as he  and his team were set to complete one of the most intricate and impressive buildings yet, the stunning Lucrezia By Sujimoto.

Sujimoto expressed so much delight with the glimmering pride that filled his mum’s heart as she prayed for him while calling on God to oversee the successful completion of this project.

Sijibomi’s singular desire is to touch the sky and redefine Lagos with gigantic luxury projects that can rub shoulders with other great architectural wonders of the world.

Meanwhile, it is no longer news that the property merchant has continued to blaze the trail and he is not resting on his oars anytime soon with the recent success recorded with his Lucrezia By Sujimoto building currently undergoing construction on Banana Island.

For those who don’t know Layal Jade Tinubu, she is the founder and CEO of Tots Toys, a children’s educational toyshop and learning space that provides a range of educational items all intended to aid children’s development and learning through play.

Though Layal isn’t one that cuts controversy or the public spotlight, this mother of one has an impressive profile that is intimidating. The University of Surrey graduate, who also holds a bachelor’s degree in Politics and African Development, has held several positions in PricewaterCoopers UK and PricewaterCoopers Nigeria, where she resigned as the Senior Associate, Country Management in 2018.

On Thursday, March 23, Layal turned 33 and she used the opportunity to thank her creator, family, friends and associates.

To celebrate her day, Layal was hosted to a luxurious dinner in company with her close associates and family members.

As the co-founder of Noella Foundation,  a philanthropic organization,  she has impacted on several individuals around Nigeria.

According to her, the ethos of the Noella Foundation is focused on fostering entrepreneurship, building innovations and advancing economic growth and development. This cause is championed by creating opportunities for the Nigerian youth to identify and use their passion to develop solutions that ultimately drive economic growth.

Noella Foundation runs various annual initiatives to achieve this cause.

IF there is one person diligent in his business, Abdulrasheed Bawa the Chairman of the anti-graft agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) readily comes to mind.

The small yet mighty and eloquent youthful detective has remained one of the biggest nightmares of many fraudulent and corrupt persons in the country. Since his confirmation as the head honcho of the anti-graft agency in 2021, he has hit the ground running and has recorded unprecedented success in his fight against corrupt people and economic saboteurs. In fact, he is dreaded by many who live their lives on financial crimes as he and his team will fish them out with their the technological-driven investigation that has caught up with many who are currently serving jail terms or many whose cases are in court awaiting judgement.

While he does not care whose ox is gored, Bawa has remained true to the mantra of President Buhari which is to fight corruption. In the cause of doing his job, he faced a serious crisis as some elements had tried hard to undermine his effort and some even dragged him with several campaigns of calumny but at every attempt to rub him in the mud he comes out victorious and vindicated which naysayers and his traducers are not happy about.

A few months ago, he was alleged to have sold a petrol-bearing truck confiscated from a suspect among other allegations but upon taking a proper investigation into the issues it was discovered that it was just another tactic to ensure Bawa was blackmailed so he could hands off some high-profile cases he is chasing to get a conviction. Alas, that blackmail didn’t stop him as he continued chasing justices with much gusto. A court ordered his arrest for contempt of court over a non-compliance with a court order but he remained firm and unperturbed.

With the numerous good works recorded under his supervision, his detractors have not backed off in their quest to ensure they see him sacked. They devised various means by sponsoring pocket protests, press briefings, and media campaigns just to ensure he does not continue with the work he is doing.

Sources close to the Kebbi-born detective disclosed that he is unruffled and unperturbed as he is aware of the gimmicks of his enemies who want to oust him from office.  

One man, whose benevolence remains dumbfounding, is the man behind The Temple Company and Ogidi Studios, Idris Olorunnimbe. The young creative and one-time aide to former Governor of Lagos State Babatunde Raji Fashola has continued to win more hearts with his acts of benevolence at every given opportunity.

While Olorunnimbe maintains his loyalty to president-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, generosity has become one of the most talked about attributes of the son of retired Justice Ishola Olorunnimbe.

Recently, Olorunnimbe got wind of a young man, who was operating a POS in a neighbourhood in Lagos and  was only charging the sum of N50 per N5000 while his colleagues make a killing. And in his usual way, Olorunnimbe shared the video of the man and requested to meet with him after which he promised that he and his friends would to show appreciation to the POS operator for being a model to all Nigerians.

Olorunnimbe is a consummate strategist and a Law graduate of the University of Lagos, who stands tall with a wealth of experience that span the private and public sector. His name precedes him at different fora – entertainment, sports, tourism, business, public sector, and politics – yet his unassuming mien remains one of his lucky charms.

TONY Onyemaechi Elumelu has been in the news for several reasons ranging from his meeting with President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to turning 60 in a few days.

However, the business mogul has been vindicated over a year after he brazed all odds to expose oil theft in Heirs Holding Oil and Gas Limited, owners of Oil Mining License 17.

Elumelu is the founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Chairman of UBA, Africa’s Global Bank, and Chairman of Heirs Holdings.

In March 2022, Elumelu bemoaned the fact that Nigeria was losing over 95 per cent of its oil production to thieves. The businessman, who holds a controlling interest in Transnational Corporation (Transcorp), narrated how Nigeria keeps losing over 95 percent of oil production to thieves giving several examples.

He went further to query why taxes are being paid if the security agencies can’t stop theft, saying it is clear that the reason Nigeria is unable to meet its OPEC production quota is not because of low investment but because of theft, pure and simple.

A year after, the Federal Government in collaboration with the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps began work to uncover the culprits behind an organised oil theft on the field.

DUPE Olusola, the MD and CEO of Transcorp Hotels is over the moon at the moment. Olusola’s excitement and mood is not unconnected with the recent achievement of Transcorp Hilton Abuja after the hospitality firm won the Booking.com’s Traveller Review Award 2023. The award, which celebrates brands that consistently exceed travellers’ expectations in experience, stay and helping them create lasting memories, has become one of the reasons Olusola is grinning from ear to ear.

It was also gathered that earlier, Transcorp Hilton had won the award in 2022 as the flagship hotel of leading hospitality brand Transcorp Hotels Plc.

The amiable Olusola says the award is the testament to the continued delivery of great services to guests.

“We are happy to receive this award again, highlighting our consistency in delivering exceptional experiences to our guests. We go above and beyond to ensure we provide excellence services, and our ability to maintain very high standards has endeared us to our guests who have always made us their preferred choice,” Olusola noted.

The Transcorp Hotels MD/CEO added that the award is not just recognition, “but it demonstrates how much guests are satisfied with the experiences we offer and how we have been an integral part of the special memories they create at our properties. We remain committed to providing them with exceptional services that exceed their expectations.”

According to a congratulatory letter signed by Glenn Fogel, President & Chief Executive Officer of Booking.com, the award shows how much Transcorp Hilton Abuja’s guests value the special memories the hotel helps them to make. 

NIGERIAN billionaire and benevolent mogul, Femi Otedola, is up to something new.

Not many know that Otedola is currently erecting an imposing edifice on Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Sources disclosed that the new construction project has set the 61-year-old hundreds of millions back.

According to those who should know, the construction project is a project under Otedola’s Zenon Oil and Gas.

Otedola, who has been actively supporting his buddy, Aliko Dangote, has been arranging several projects without attracting attention to himself.

It was further gathered that Otedola is poised to shock several business moguls in 2023 after the completion of all his projects.

Apart from his magic wand as a businessman, Otedola is also a generous money bag who loves to give without blinking an eyelid. His generosity has touched many lives in and outside of the country. At the Independent Award on Saturday, February 18, at the highbrow Eko Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, Otedola was honoured and awarded as Business Mogul of the Decade for his outstanding contribution to business success in Nigeria over the years. Also, his Geregu Power PLC also won Power Company of the Year at the awards for its continuous growth and quest to light up Nigeria.

FATIMA Gumsu Abacha, the wife of Yobe state Governor, Mai Mala Buni, is grieving, and rightfully so following the loss of her brother, Abdulahi Sani Abacha.

Though Gumsu has accepted the loss of her brother in good faith like a thorough and dedicated Muslim, the pains remain to shatter for the beautiful mother and wife.

After Abdulahi Sani Abacha died in his sleep, members of the late Sani Abacha family were shattered by the news that came so suddenly to everyone.

Gumsu, who is known and respected as a big sister to her siblings and younger friends, was more shattered than any other personality close to the late Abdullahi. The reason for this is not unconnected with her closeness and fondness of Abdulahi while he was alive.

The jana’iza prayer for Abdulahi which was held at the Central Mosque in Abuja on Thursday, March 9, saw many associates of the family as well as friends commiserating with the family as the late Abdulahi’s remains moved to the final resting place at the Gudu cemetery.

NIGERIAN businessman, Kolawole Dada has made a bold stand on the coming governorship election in Lagos state.

Though not one that courts public attention, the Managing Partner and Chief Executive Officer of Solid Rock Facility Management Company Limited, has come out to take a stand on whom he believes should win the 2023 governorship elections in Lagos – albeit with a reason.

KD, who has achieved so much in South Africa and Nigeria in over two decades, has pitched his tent with the incumbent governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu.

Dada, who is also the National Coordinator of the Coalition of Young People for Digital Transformation, believes that Sanwo-Olu is loved by Lagos.

In a brief chat, Dada said, “there is no doubt about the fact that Lagos loves Sanwoolu. He is a young and humble technocrat in government, an enterprising and accomplished administrator, and a leader of men and resources all parties respect and understand. Lagosians understand that governing Lagos requires some firmness, and they appreciate overtures and gratuitous reliefs such as releasing lawfully impounded cars and door-to-door campaigns. It shows that people are at the heart of governance, and they understand the need for preserving that way of life for all Lagosians.”