BURST ‘BALLOON’… WHATEVER HAPPENED TO FOLA OGUNLESI’S ESTRANGED WIFE, OMOLEWA’S BUSINESS, BALLOON
There are moments in history when brooding over tragedy and its’ dark shadows can be lightened by recalling great moments of the past. Such fruitless pastime has no doubt become the lot of Omolewa Ogunlesi, the estranged wife of Fola Ogunlesi, Chairman of Fantasyland. Until recently, her outfit, Balloons, in Ikoyi, Lagos was an instant success and preferred place for Lagos high society. Like a ghost town, the Balloon highrise, Opebi, Lagos, owned by Chief Ogunlesi, has descended into the back waters of the entertainment world. Before its descent, the entertainment haven, especially for the kids, was unarguably one of the busiest in town, courtesy of its capacity to retain a core section of the jet-set by its offerings. However, these days, the place is fast losing its appeal as one of the front runners in its area of operation in Lagos. Regular patrons of the centre
have stopped patronizing it since it was locked up. Information on what led to the development is still very sketchy, although a number of people have attributed the development to failed marriage of Mr and Mrs Ogunlesi.
Old grief casts long shadow. Often times, it rankles and hurts like a fresh wound. Ask Fola. Investigations revealed that things got awry between the estranged couple after an acrimonious divorce that saw Omolewa relocate to London. This was after the divorce she reportedly instituted while on a supposed leisure trip abroad with Ogunlesi (to Canada). However, many months after, the building remains nothing short of a ghost town, attracting curious stares and pitiful glances and questions bordering on why Fola would flagrantly abandon his property which could well be cash cow if it’s in use. It has been taken over by weeds and ‘area boys’ of all hue. When this writer visited the place last weekend, what greeted him was an environment akin to a graveyard. There was no trace of business going on at the place anymore, except the signboard detailing the services offered by the outfit.