Category: Society

Barrister Tokunbo Wahab exudes the greatness of Zeus the most powerful Greek god and goddess. No doubt his life has been woven with success and perhaps maybe it’s because he is a man born under the proverbial lucky star more reason anything he touches turns into Gold. If TW as he is fondly called was a clairvoyant; he would have predicted what the future holds. During his formative years, he didn’t wait for his father’s deep pocket nor his mother’s pocket money to survive rather, he gave in to hard work, and consistency and carved a niche for himself which has moulded him to become the man he is today. Become Babajide Sanwoolu’s administration’s proverbial ‘Swizz Knife’ with his ability to perform in different capacities under intense pressure and also provide sterling results.

 It’s almost impossible to hear anyone make adverse comments about him or his persona. Although he is human which makes him vulnerable to some mistakes but he is a near perfectionist who loves to do things with finicky and finesses like a copperplate writing style. If one thing the Lagos Special Adviser to the Governor on Education loathes with burning passion it’s the sight of those around him in distress; he is always ready to extend his warm helping hand to bring succour. This is one thing we gathered he imbibed from his parent who were opinion leaders and grassroots politicians in Epe.

 While many of his clout and calibre would complain vehemently about tasks; he is ready for the challenges with pragmatic solutions. The real reason why education under Governor Sanwoolu took a new dimension. While many schools across the country were shut from academic activities; Wahab ensured schools were up and running as they ensured no break in transmission in the academic calendar. He has also been lauded for assisting Mr Governor on reforms in the education sector with the upgrade of Lagos State Polytechnic to a full fledge University of Technology and Micheal Otedola College of Primary Education and and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education as a University of Education among others.

 When Wahab arrived on the 5th floor last year on the 17th of May; he was super excited as many were ready to share in his joy to celebrate his 50th birthday. His Banana Island, Ikoyi home was turned into a fun ground as two of the biggest Juju artists; King Sunny Ade and Ebenezer Obey performed at his outdoor birthday shindig. The birthday boy in an elated mood danced like David danced as he showed appreciation to his creator.

Those who attended could not stop commenting on the premium treatment they were given and the endless supply of the biggest French champagnes and Dublin-made 30-year-old limited edition whiskey like it’s going out of fashion. On Tuesday the 17th of May as he celebrates his birthday it was devoid of fanfare but he rather used the moment to pray for his creator and also hosted a few family and friends to a small celebration. The cosmopolitan debonair’s effort in Govern Sanwoolu’s re-election and also overall performance earned him a space in the transition committee. He has remained a loyal poster boy who put the current Lagos administration on the map. Many wonder how at the age of 51 his accomplishment has remained unprecedented like that of 80 years of man but he is a man committed and loves to shoulder responsibility that’s why he has remained highflying in all he has ventured into.

Weeks ago, a rumour filtered around town most especially on social media that Elegushi of Ikate land, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi’s wife Olori Sekinat was seriously ill and was in a critical state as a result of an alleged botched Brazilian Butt Lift BBL surgery. The rumour went around and started to gain ground until the Elegushi palace released a statement to clear the rumour that the Olori is fine and not in any way sick which put the sickness rumour to an abrupt end. But it seems  Olori Sekinat’s detractors went back to their drawing table to re-strategise and struck again. This time, they went ahead and announced that the light-skinned mother of three had kicked the bucket. This further threw caution into the air as people started calling and visiting the Ikate Palace to show concern and solidarity with her family. Alas, they were shocked to see Olori Sekinat in her full glare looking regal and ravishing as usual in her calm demeanour wearing a charming smile welcoming those who came. This served as a sign of relief to those who are scared.

The false alarm of her alleged demise was raised by Toluwalope Olowolagba known as ‘Abike Jagaban’ who started the rumour on her Facebook live where she announced that she has a breaking story with a grapevine source that confirmed to her that Olori has transited to the world beyond as a result of complications from a BBL surgery.

 According to sources, Olori Sekinat was said to have embarked on a trip to visit one of her daughters who currently study in the United States which led to the rumour. For her well-wishers online, it took frantic effort from popular makeup artiste Banke Meshida Lawal to visit the Olori in her husband’s palace where she did a live video of the Olori to debunk the rumour.

 While the easy-going and affable Olori Sekinat has also been wondering why Abike will raise such a false alarm to mislead the public without confirmation many wondered why she would want her dead. According to close sources, she has been envious of Olori Sekinat’s magic wand as an entrepreneur, philanthropist, fashion connoisseur and wife of the revered monarch.

Billionaire businesswoman and popular Architect; Princess Fifi Ekanem Ejindu permeates Nigeria’s high society, like the proverbial breeze sweeping across fortune’s marsh and the spirited meadow.

While boardroom giants and veterans of industry clutched at straws, on a steady free-fall to insignificance, the head honcho of Building Support System has remained afloat staging an enviable ascent on the ladder of fortune. Her business as a building consultant and architect; who boast of world-class medieval and renaissance type design with a touch of modern designs with housing projects littered in and outside the shores of Nigeria shows she is indeed a shining light in construction space. Many would compare her to the fresh verdure of the field that leads the dancing Naiads through the dewy meads. Her astronomic rise, according to those close to her, is actually worthy of her exertions and diligence in her patient, steady march along the path of ambition and entrepreneurship. Despite not being an ostentatious person in nature but she is delectable, enviable, jovial, cosmopolitan, loving, caring and of all she radiates grandeur laced with sartorial elegance

 While she enjoyed celebration all her life due to her originality and ability to break impeccable records living and thriving excellently in a male-dominated industry, The Starcrest Boss is down to earth as she believes all achievements were made possible by her creator more reason when she sauntered into age 60 last year she gave her creator all the glory. When many of her peers would have called praise singers and rolled out the drums in celebration mood to celebrate their birthday the graduate of Architecture from Pratt Institute School of Architecture, United States of America opted to keep it a very low-key affair where she evaluated her life and also look on ways to be a better person to serve humanity all her life.

She opted for a very private celebration in a yacht sailing in the company of her close circle where she threw a small 60th birthday bash. While many think things will change as she clocks age 61 on Sunday, May 21, we gathered the Ibadan born Awka-Ibom woman will not celebrate amid fanfare rather she will use the occasion of her birthday for prayers and reach out to the needy.

Despite working round the clock lately to deliver jaw-dropping state-of-the-art projects that will further cement her place as one of the best, she also wants to use the rest of her life to intensify her charity works, make an impact in the lives of humanity and serve her creator with much dedication. As she celebrates on Sunday, we gathered that friends and family who could not celebrate with her on her 60th birthday are planning to surprise the woman who loves celebrating others. Sources say; Princess Fifi will be using that opportunity to just give thanks cause it falls on a Sunday and she will also host a small parlour celebration for friends either at her Abuja or Akwa-Ibom residence.

An Africa, billionaire businessman, Alhaji Aliko Dangote deserves a gigantic monument that would be erected in different locations across African soil.

Also his business strategies of staying afloat needed to be studied by students looking to get a degree in business-related fields.

The generous moneybag does not court media attention needlessly. Yet, almost every move he makes, either in his business or private life, has never escaped the attention of newshounds. He has remained a delight to professional journalists and biographers across the continent. If you choose to scribble his uncommon feats as a businessman, you will come up with volumes of work that will most likely intimidate a bibliophile. In the same way, if you choose to document his philanthropic acts, in black and white, your hand may grow tired.

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 Although, his life in entirety is a compelling study in determination, focus and ambition. Like every creature, this amiable billionaire too has his own humble beginning. But his humble beginning, will inspire any ambitious soul, any day and any time. As a young man, he had a clear vision of what he wanted to do later in life and he pursued it with unwavering doggedness. Though he started out as a trader at 21, he is today Africa’s leading businessman. His chain of companies is spread across 16 countries around the world and he has over 15,000 people on his payroll.

 As an entrepreneur, he always sees vast opportunities, while others are bogged down by morbid fear of failure. A few years ago, in his quest of cutting out Nigeria’s import of refined crude products, he conceived the Dangote Petroleum Refinery. The Forbes rated Africa’s richest man invested over $20b to ensure the project is complete to meet Nigeria’s crude need and also for exportation. The project will see Nigeria save $10 billion and also generate another $10 billion in export.

As the project is set to commission for full operation by President on May 22, business pundit has averred that when production and operation take off at full capacity of 650,000 barrels per day, the refinery will be a game changer that will put Nigeria on the world map and also open the country to more trade and life-changing opportunities because it’s designed to process large varieties of crude including many African crude, middle east crudes and the US light tight oil. Today, the visionary businessman has built the largest sugar factory in the whole of Africa, the largest cement factory in the continent, largest flour mill in the continent while his completed refinery is one of the largest in the world.

 Apart from his business acumen, he is also a philanthropist of note. He has collaborated with the Bill Gates Foundation to invest in the provision of health, especially the eradication of polio in Africa and other parts of the world, where the disease is still prevalent.

The CEO of Medicaid Cancer foundation and Kebbi State Governor’s wife Dr. Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu has done well for herself in her quest to impact her immediate environment with her passion for humanity fighting against the deadly life-threatening cancer. 

All her life, she has dedicated her life to saving the lives of children; women with her knowledge as a trained medical doctor with an MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine) degree from the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria then went on to specialize in Pediatrics and Neonatology in the United Kingdom. The woman of high repute has a Master’s in Pediatrics, a Diploma in Tropical Child Health and is a member of the Royal College of Pediatrics. She is also a consultant pediatrician and an advocate for women’s health, with a particular focus on cancer.

 In the course of her 10-year-career, catering to children and mothers with medical-related issues, she also took her best interest in breast and cervical cancer research. After carefully seeking more knowledge on the deadly incurable sickness; this eventually spurred her quest to kickstart an NGO named the Medicaid Cancer Foundation (MCF), where they create awareness on health matters, train health workers, and fund the diagnosis and treatment of cancer patients in Nigeria. Her passion which started like a play has today diagnosed and screened several women and saved them from an untimely death that is cancer-related. Today, the foundation has raised over 100 million Naira for the treatment and support of cancer patients across Nigeria and by extension Africa.

 She recently attended the 2023 Global Health Catalyst (GHC) Summit, held from May 4th to May 6th, 2023, at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. The GHC Summit brought together healthcare experts, policymakers, and global leaders to discuss innovative strategies for improving global health outcomes. With the theme “Cancer Moonshot 2.0: win-win collaborations to advance global health and development. Dr Shinkafi-Bagudu emphasized the importance of partnerships and collaborations in addressing the challenges facing cancer patients in Nigeria and other low- and middle-income countries.

 Dr Bagudu was recognised with a Global Health distinguished leader award for her numerous achievements in health from the GHC group by David Collinridge, editor of the Lancet journal.

For want of a better description, the Governor of Imo State Senator Hope Odidika Uzodimma is a misunderstood person. If you write a biopic of his sojourn into a movie script, it will make a sold-out box office movie.

 His story can be likened to that of the biblical David, a man after God’s heart. His story in life connotes grace, blessings and sheer luck.

 He started politics early in life when he was elected Imo State Youth leader for the National Party of Nigeria NPN. All his life, he has always wanted the best for his immediate environment thereby impacting them with his resources, time and energy. After paying his dues, supporting different candidates for gubernatorial and trying severally, in 2011 he was elected senator representing Imo West at the hallowed upper National Assembly.

 After much back and forth with legal litigations, Hope finally won at the supreme court which marked the beginning of his political sojourn as a Senator. As a member of the Senate, he ensured salient issues were raised on the floor of the house and lent his voice to bills passed.

 After the 2019 Imo governorship election, Senator Uzodimma approached the court to reclaim his mandate. On January 14, 2020, the supreme court sacked Emeka Ihedioha and declared Uzodinma as governor of Imo State against all odds and to the chagrin of detractors who felt his years of struggles will not pay off.

 While he was carrying out his official duty as Governor of the state, some unscrupulous elements were making the state ungovernable for him trying to destabilize the peace of Imolites. Despite the serious crisis Imo state is facing, Governor Hope is performing excellently by ensuring peace and tranquility returns to the state via dialogue with stakeholders.

 Despite the travails he was battling in the state, his strides in the area of infrastructure, education, security, economic reform, revenue generation, health care, hospitality, and tourism are being felt across the board. With his power of negotiation and his close filial relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari, he was able to ensure federal Government presence in the state opening room for an economic boom and infrastructural development and more investment. His relationship with Mr President has given birth to the establishment of a Naval Base in Ogwuta, Imo State.

 Recently, alongside notable politicians and the Flag-Officer-In-Charge of Central Naval Command, Rear Admiral Ibrahim Shetima witnessed the official flag-off and dredging of the Oguta Lake. This is quite significant because this will be the first Naval base in the whole of South East and the dredging of the lake will open Imo to a Deep seaport that can accommodate large container cargo ships from all around the world which will decongest the Apapa Port. It will also serve the whole South East and open its robust economy.

Egungbohun Omolara Judith, Managing Director, MD of IBD International Hotels and IBD Impex Ltd, subsidiaries of IBD Group, a leading Nigerian conglomerate, is not a woman who loves to be in the center of attraction despite being married to Ilaro big boy Ibrahim Dende aka IBD Dende.

  Omolara loves to operate from behind the scene as she does not give into the razzmatazz that comes with being famous, rather she is committed to her passion for philanthropic works and education.

 Having carved an enviable niche for herself in the entrepreneurial world, breaking the glass ceiling in the Nigerian hospitality space, she is changing the narrative and cliché woven around women.

 After her graduation with a degree in accountancy from the Federal Polytechnic Ilaro, the fashion bluff started her career in the banking sector before resigning to follow her passion for business selling fashion.

 Omolara’s skill set includes the ability to multitask, identify talents and generate revenues by continually increasing the value of her brand. She has been able to inject fresh ideas and innovations quietly leading the IBD brand to global prominence.

  Egungbohun is a humanitarian of international repute. Philanthropy is her second nature. She is the co-founder of the IBD Foundation, the biggest non-profit charity organization in Ogun State. Egungbohun with the backing of her philanthropist husband, Ibrahim Egungbohun aka IBD Dende has invested hundreds of millions in charity works ranging from medical to entrepreneurial initiatives, entertainment and scholarships. She has dedicated her time and money to non-profit organisations all over Yewa land in Ogun state to support her vision. A woman of substance by every standard Egungbohun is quietly making a name for herself both in the entrepreneurial and charity arena.

Then it comes to affordable real estate in Nigeria, Aare Adetola Emmanuel-King, Group Managing Director of Adron Homes, has set a precedent in the country.

 His ideas are so unique that many wonder how he was able to come up with his ways of selling real estate in the country, breaking barriers and disrupting the real estate market with innovative ideas.

 The Otun-Onigbagbo of Remo land started Adron Homes over a decade ago and today the brand has grown to become one of Nigeria’s leading lights in the affordable real estate sector building over 10,000 units of homes across the country with estate littered across the country.

 The brand is notable for its unique selling point which is a flexible payment plan that gives customers the leverage to gradually build a home most especially low-income income earners. What marvels many are their gigantic well-built gatehouse, concrete roads, concrete drainages, central sewage system, Malls, recreation parks, lightning and lots more that comes with their estate at such a low price. But the Estate management and development graduate from the University of Ibadan believes what is worth doing is worth doing well. More reason he has continued to stand out in the most saturated real estate sector, thriving excellently well, remaining a formidable force.

 If there is one thing the Ilishan-Remo-born Property mogul does not joke with; it’s quality. He can’t trade it for anything. He is known for doing due diligence when embarking on a project. After putting so much work into building Adron Home into a very reputable brand with thousands of Direct and indirect workforce and estates littered across the country, some unscrupulous elements are hell-bent on soiling the brand’s reputation by posting unverified news and fact on social media.

 The brand quickly reacted by engaging the individual who started peddling the rumour and found out the person is neither a subscriber nor a customer of the brand but posted to get click baits, clout and engagement.

 Adron quickly debunked the rumour and set the record straight with verified proof via images and audiovisuals on their social media handles and the media space.

 Despite every attempt to cut short Aare Adetola and Adron homes’ luck, they have ended in failure as he keeps coming back stronger like a cat with nine lives.

 A source disclosed that the post was a deliberate attempt to throw Adron home off balance after an impeccable record by their archrivals and competitors in the real estate business who are afraid and feel threatened about their success over the years.

Olori Yetunde Bolajoko Akinrutan has a reason to climb the mountain top and shout hallelujah, and give thanks to her creator for sparing her life till this moment.

 Hitting a new age of 70 is quite a significant milestone that anyone would be happy for, especially at a time when the life expectancy span of Nigerians falls below 52 years.

 Olori Yetunde is the wife of Oba Fredrick Enitiolorunda Obateru Akinruntan, the stylish and wealthy paramount ruler of riverine area Ugbo in Ilaje-Ese-Odo, Ondo State and Chairman cum founder of Obat Oil.

 When Olori Yetunde celebrated her 60th birthday in 2013, she had a loud celebration with a high-octane shindig where she converged those who matter most in the country to celebrate her.

 However, to celebrate her 70th birthday, she has decided to take a different dimension devoid of loud fanfare as she opted for a very private family celebration at her private Lagos residence.

 She was hosted by her children, grand-children and in-laws as Pastor Ituah Ighodalo presided over a small service and prayed for the birthday girl ushering her in the way of God into her new age and also thanking God for the gift of life by sparing her to see many more years on mother earth.

Governor Ademola Nurudeen Adeleke is a man after God’s heart. This has been proved by the recent happenings surrounding his emergence as Governor of Osun State.

 His foray into politics is divine, especially after the shocking demise of his brother and first executive Governor of Osun State, late Isiaka Adeleke aka ‘Serubawon’ in 2017. Since he was elected senator for Osun West, he fits perfectly into the shoes and he became a man many loved for his ingenuity, originality and his ability to combine governance and entertainment. He is one of the politicians in Nigeria who doesn’t shy away from engaging in public dance displays. 

His style of governance and politics resonated with the general populace who have now come to embrace him and love him more. His selling point is his track record. His magic is in his ability to entertain with his Michael Jackson-like dance steps. And he did dazzle the entire country with his energetic dance steps.

 Barely two years into his first major political adventure, the then ‘dancing senator’ gave the governorship of his home state a shot. He lost at a rerun election to Governor Oyetola. Something was spectacular about Governor Adeleke, after losing the election and court battle the first time, he decided to recoil back into his shell, restrategise, and relaunched himself after he had finished studying for a degree course at a reputable University in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States of America.

 In 2022, Adeleke gave the seat of power a shot again and this time, he won and went through the legal redress to also win.

 The last part of the legal redress over the 2022 gubernatorial election in Osun state, happened when the Supreme Court affirmed his victory, hence, bringing his legal battle to a final halt.

 The victory is indeed a sweet one as Governor Adeleke is currently witnessing the proverbial 7th heaven. His victory at the court sets the state in a state of frenzy as victory songs rented the air most especially among civil servants.

 Sources say the victory will allow him to focus more on governance and also inaugurate his cabinet members.

 “The victory at the supreme court is a good birthday gift for the governor as he is set to celebrate his 63rd birthday tomorrow with friends and family planning to host a victory party for him.