Celebs and their wonders on wheels

By Kehinde OLULEYE

 

What is the thing that is common to the real estate mogul, Sir Olu Okeowo, the founder of FCMB Group and Olori Omo-oba of Ijebuland, Otunba subomi Balogun; Prince Bolu Akin- Olugbade, Pastor Chris Okotie and Senator Dino Melaye? Fame? Yes, but what again? Exotic toys!

Some extremely wealthy people splash their cash on clothes, others on and jewelry and accessories. Others yet will splurge on cars, choice wines and private jets. But this week’s celebrities are cut from a different cloth, their playthings are very expensive automobiles which some call wonders on wheels.

Nigeria is home to several expensive mobile toys such as Toyota’s high-end Lexus and Prado jeeps, Range Rovers and G-Wagons, and the most expensive Mercedes Benz and BMWs.

But for this week’s well-heeled gentlemen and ladies, a car is not just a mode of transportation but also a piece of art to be treasured for many years. Some of these cars are difficult to buy even if you have the means.

Take for example, the Ferrari Pininfarina Sergio, this luxury supercar is being  sold only to a list of selective clients specially chosen by Ferrari Company.

And the most expensive cars always come in limited editions. As a rule, auto brands make very limited series of cars (less than 10) with exclusive options. This week, we shall showcase the cars that these super-rich Nigerians like to drive.

 

Otunba Subomi Balogun

Foremost banker and philanthropist, who founded First City Merchant Bank, a bank that later became the FCMB financial services group, Chief Michael Olasubomi  Balogun, has no fewer than 11 bespoke Rolls Royce cars in his garage. He’s one of few silent Nigerian billionaires who love to spend big on luxury cars.

 

Pastor Chris Okotie

From music stage to the pulpit, Pastor Kris is no stranger to glitz and glamour; he’s among the list of celebrity pastors in Nigeria, who drive the best state-of-the art cars. The pastor of the Household of God Church is one of the Rolls Royce devotees in Nigeria. He is among the wealthy Nigerians who don’t make noise about their super expensive lifestyles.

 

Prince Bolu Akin-Olugbade

The Aare Onakakanfo of Egbaland and stupendously wealthy businessman, Prince Bolu Akin-Olugbade is one man who  loves with exclusive automobiles. He bought his first Rolls Royce in 1984 and since then, he has been adding more to his fleet of cars. Report has it that the Rolls-Royce-loving dude  has about 10 in his fleet. The list  includes the 2019 model- sparkling Rolls Royce Cullinan, which he took delivery of in March, this year at the residence of the Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria at Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos, in the presence of top executives of Rolls Royce Motors in England and South Africa, being the first to be made for Africa. The Egba-born prince is one super rich man with taste.

 

Sir Olu Okeowo

The real estate mogul, Sir Olu Okeowo, is an avid Rolls Royce collector. His main garage where he keeps his wonders-on-wheels is fully air-conditioned. And, according to a source, the cars are washed and polished at least once a week. Other cars in his plush car garage include a Range Rover Limited Edition, 1 Bentley Continental GT and 1 Bentley Mulsanne Extended Wheelbase (EWB), Cadillac Escalade Limited Edition, among others. And where else do you expect such expensive collections to abide if not at the Palacio De Okeowo, a three-floor Victorian edifice overlooking the Lagos lagoon?

 

Senator Dino Melaye

Senator Dino Melaye’s penchant for both exotic and expensive luxury cars is well known. His garage is home to a collection of both current and rare models. The former Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District in Kogi State, habitually releases photos of his array of ‘exotic toys’ once in a while on social media. Senator Dino shelled out big time for his toys and he sure knows how to pamper himself with state of-the-art cars. His luxury car collection includes a Ferrari, a Bentley, a Rolls Royce, a Lamborghini, a Porsche, a PT Cruiser and several more. With his Rolls Royce estimated to cost $450,000 (N89.5 million), he is one of the country’s biggest car collectors.

 

Davido

The ‘Omo Baba Olowo’ crooner, David Adedeji Adeleke, has owned several expensive cars in his collections, including a Chevrolet Camaro GS, Range Rover sport, Mercedez Benz G-Wagon and a Porsche Panamera. He recently revealed that he was eyeing a Lamborghini Urus, which is retailed for around N72 million.

 

Tiwa Savage

Tiwatope Savage, known professionally as Tiwa Savage, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and actress. Tiwa joined the league of luxury car owners recently when she  lavished N60 million on a customised Mercedes-Benz v250 (Savage Mobile).

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Mr P

The former half of the superstar musical duo-Psquare, treats himself to expensive toys every now and then. Now known as Mr. P. Peter, after the breakup of the group, Okoye owns and drives several state-of-the-art cars. Like most celebrities in Nigeria, he shares snippets of his life with his fans on social media, posting photos of his garage and exotic taste for four wheels.

 

Obafemi Martins

Obafemi Martins, international and Nigerian footballer who plays as a forward, has a Mercedes Benz, which costs a whopping N91Million.

 

Wizkid

Wizkid is one of Nigeria’s richest superstars. Some of his car collections over the years include a BMW X6, Porsche Panamera, Lamborghini Urus and Mercedes Benz. We leant he spent over  45 million on a Bentley Continental GT convertible.

 

DJ Cuppy

In early 2019, the popular daughter of Nigerian billionaire, Femi Otedola, DJ Cuppy, showed off a silver Ferrari. The car is reportedly worth ₦500 million. And she also picked up a customised Rolls Royce Phantom.

 

Burna Boy

Nigerian Afro singer, songwriter and rave of the moment, Burna Boy, once owned six luxury cars at once. He made this revelation in 2015 while showing off his fleet on social media. The singer has also been spotted driving a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon, Bentley and Lexus. Burna Boy has spent millions of naira on his car collection, with his G-Wagon alone costing a whopping N25 million.

 

 

Tekno

Nigerian musician, producer, performer and dancer, Augustine Miles Kelechi, popularly known by his stage name Tekno, surely has a good taste for cars, and he very often updates his garage on brands such as Bentley, Audi, Range Rover and Rolls Royce.