HIGHLIFE
Both of them, for the first time in their lives felt something different, extremely passionate, scary yet enjoyable. They basked and sojourned in the lush, blissful vales of each other’s passion and warmth.
Despite the sneers and sniggers that preceded her wedding many years ago to a Cameroonian billionaire, Mohamadou Bayero Fadil, Gumsu, the beautiful and very outspoken daughter of late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, has weathered the storms and recently celebrated 18 years of marital adventurism. Together, the couple has five children, six stepchildren and one adopted son.
To celebrate the milestone, the social media savvy beauty posted a throwback photo with her husband during their courtship on her Instagram and wrote, “Alhamdulillah…It all started in 1996. We tied the knot in 1999. Alhamdulillah, it’s been a wonderful 18years with 5 beautiful children, six step children and one adopted son. May Allah (SWT) continue to make it easy for us.
Amin.†She continued, this time in vernacular, “18 years of marriage no be chinchin o … Tolerance.. Love… Respect.. Patience… Prayers. To all those tatafo people, i still de inside kampe!! Una say i no fit stay for marriage… some say i be ajebutter that i can’t handle it… I heard all sorts of stories some even said e no go pass one week. There’s nothing i didn’t hear.. Nothing people didn’t say. Well a lot of una never even see husband up till now…… clap for una selves o. I am here and I will be here forever by God’s grace. Insha Allah.â€
MULTIPLE CELEBRATION FOR DAPO ABIODUN
Today would remain indelible in the minds of many of Nigeria’s wealthiest men, especially those in the 40 to 65 age bracket. It is the birthday of debonair Dapo Abiodun, managing director of Heyden Oil and Gas. Actually, Dapo was born May 29th, which falls on a Monday this year. So, today is the day he has set aside to celebrate his 57th birthday and to officially declare open his new venture, an exclusive lounge called 12 Temple. Located in a serene part of Ikoyi, 12 Temple, sources say, would operate a strict members-only door policy to allow an element of discretion and to avoid the raucousness associated with the jet-set and hip crowd. Primed to be a serious networking epicentre, 12 Temple is not for clients competing for the biggest drinks bill with the table next to them – like kids in a sandpit competing to build the biggest castle. It is going to be a regular pit stop for decision makers, private jet-flying businessmen and aristocrats wanting a whirligig of an evening in a cool, chic place.
Trust Dapo, he has brought his cosmopolitan taste to bear on the new lounge. But there is more to be celebrated for Dapo who is eyeing the governorship seat of Ogun State in the next election beyond his birthday and opening of a new lounge. Business just got better as Heyden is among the consortium of indigenous oil companies that recently won the much-talked about Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, oil-for-product swaps. You would recall that the NNPC recently signed the $6 billion worth of deals to exchange more than 300,000 barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil for imported gasoline and diesel. According to reports, for this year, the contract is given to an international oil trader/refiner, who then partners an indigenous oil marketing company. And there were three more oil consortiums than last year, reflecting Nigeria’s increased reliance on the NNPC for fuel imports.
The lucky companies are Trafigura, which is partnering A.A. Rano; Petrocam, partnering Ranoil and Falcon; Mocoh, partnering Heyden; Cepsa, partnering Oando; Sahara, partnering Societe Ivorienne de Raffinage, SIR; and Mercuria, partnering Matrix and Rahamaniya. Others are Socar, Litasco and Vitol, whose indigenous partners are Hyde, MRS and Varo respectively. It has long been established that Dapo knows how to throw a party; and those who were at his birthday soiree last year are still talking about it gleefully. Nothing ever runs out of supply; not even the extremely rare Armand de Brignac Brut Gold ‘Dynastie’ collection of champagne favoured by his billionaire friends. Today promises to be grander.
AMIDST MOJI OLAIYA’S DEATH DRAMA, GOVERNOR AYO FAYOSE GIFTS BROTHER, ISAAC, A HUMMER SUV
You hardly ever see Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti coming, literally. The gangling, brash-talking governor took the wind out of many people’s sail when he decided to gift his younger brother, Isaac, a Hummer ‘truck’. The ‘surprise’ gift was reportedly given to Isaac by his governor-brother as his birthday gift. “He just got a call to go pick the car from the Governor’s residence in Iyaganku (Ibadan),†a source alleged. The elated beneficiary has been celebrating the newest addition to his fleet, like he does his brother’s ‘achievements’ and activities on his Facebook page.
While it is not out of place to get a gift from one’s brother, Governor Fayose and his siblings, especially Isaac, have never been cordial. Barely a year ago, Isaac, a motley businessman who claims to be ‘the first African man to get a phone dealership license via Umbrella Communications in the whole of Ireland with two branches in Dublin city at the age of 23 and as an asylum seeker’, took his brother to the cleaners with a scathing open letter where he accused him of among other things, abandoning his family, notably, their sister, Bimpe, who passed on some years ago.
He wrote, “Gov. Fayose can rush to the media houses to place front page adverts of death wish for Buhari but cannot remember to place a quarter page advert in remembrance of his sister, Bimpe Sorinolu, who died of cancer exactly two years ago today. Shame!†The long-drawn battle of the Fayose siblings is very well documented. However, well-meaning individuals have mediated and they are chummy again. The Hummer Truck, many believe, is one of the dividends of their newfound cordiality.
