Modupe Ogunlesi’s love for God

When Modupe Ogunlesi set up Adam & Eve about a decade ago, it was with a clear vision. Today, she counts her blessings and gives thanks to God, as the business has grown in leaps and bounds. Adam and Eve has become a Mecca of sorts for corporate women, the high and mighty as well as other women who truly to love to make their homes a paradise of sorts. Quite impressively, those who are close t the wife of Lanre Ogunlesi, Sofisticat boss, say that her love for her husband beggars description. It will be recalled that when the Ogunlesis celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary, many of the guests went home with an impression about them: marriage built on a solid foundation of love. Though many acknowledge her love for business and humanitarian gestures, little is often said about her love for God. Spy glass gathered that if you want to enter the business tycoon’s bad book, just make a joke about her belief or speak bad of the Pope or any Catholic priest.

Without a doubt, the history of Nigeria’s financial institutions will never be complete without a mention of Tunde Ayeni. Now in his 50s, he started making waves in the banking industry at a relatively young age, while also controlling major shares in many financial institutions as well as other sectors of the economy. In 2011, Ayeni became chairman of Skye Bank, following the merger of five banks, including Bond Bank founded by him in 2000. Prior to that time, Ayeni, in 2007, had become a majority stakeholder and vice chairman of ASO Savings & Loan. In 2013, as vice chairman of Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing Ltd (IEDM), he led a successful bid to take control of the Ibadan and Yola Electricity Distribution Companies. This marked the first privatization of a national energy asset in Nigerian history. Given his status, not a few had envied him. But today, the story of Ayeni, who is also chairman of JJK (Nigeria ) Plc., to put it mildly, is unpalatable. Ayeni, who sits on the board of several companies, was recently removed from his Olympian height. This came on the heels of the Central Bank of Nigeria order to the management of Skye Bank, following an alleged cash liquidation. He was sacked alongside other top management of the bank. For a long time, beautiful and high- flying Olakunbi Oyelese, the Creative Director, April by Kunbi, had set tongues wagging owing to her single status. However, the daughter of a former Minister of Power, Chief Wole Oyelese, took a bold step that momentarily silenced her critics, when she started wearing an engagement ring. For some inexplicable reasons, this again sparked another interesting discourses about her, as many desperately wanted to know the identity of the man whom she was engaged to. In fact, some of her friends were said to have sneered at her, saying it was all hoax. Spy Glasses, however, gathered she pleasantly shocked her critics a few weeks back when she unveiled her love simply identified as Lanre during her wedding introduction at her family home in Oyo State, recently. As Managing Director of the defunct Oceanic Bank Plc, Cecilia Ibru had her hands in so many pies. She was the toast of many in the aviation and real estate sectors, either as a direct investor or as an indirect player through one of her proxies. She reportedly targeted lucrative high-end properties located within exclusive suburbs of cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port-Harcourt. For this reason, she formed relationships with anyone who could offer her not just a congenial friendship, but also a profitable business deal. Spyglass gathered that when she approached some property owners in the posh district of Ikoyi, where she needed a few plots to erect another high-rise tower, she found a listening ear in Mrs. Oseni, the widow of the late Tunji Oseni who was Press secretary to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. Their meeting soon fruits, with a property on Adeyemi Lawson Road, Ikoyi, Lagos. However, just as the papers were about to be signed, the EFCC swooped on the former banking guru, thereby throwing spanners in the plans. Consequently, Cecilia quickly hopped away from the transaction, leaving the widow bewildered. Spy Glass learnt that Mrs. Oseni’s widow has not stopped praying for Ibru, her business partner, to come back to the limelight, so that they can at least finish up the property deal they started.

Senator Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, aka Yayi, representing Lagos West Senatorial District, has proven to be a man driven by reasonable ambitions. He is an incurable dreamer. Luckily, most of his dreams have come true, as evidenced by his current position. All he needs to do, as he is wont to say, is to believe in his dream, pursue it with unbent determination and seek God’s favour to turn it into reality. Though many would give an arm and a leg to occupy his current position, he believes he can serve his people better in a more elevated position, politically. Perhaps, this explains why he is reportedly nursing the dream of becoming the number one citizen of Ogun State come 2019. A source hinted that there have been serious consultations among the people who matter across the state towards the actualisation of this dream. It was further revealed that he might likely be considered for the number one job of the state considering the fact that many are agitating for power shift to Yewa that has not tasted power since the creation of the state. Again, he is being favourably considered because he literally has the financial muscle to prosecute his ambition, in addition to being an experienced politician. The source hinted further that the elders and stakeholders in the state are urging him to throw his hat into the ring after the tenure of Governor Ibikunle Amosun.

Adeola, a distinguished Chartered Accountant-Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria, (ICAN), established his own company, SOOTEM Nigeria Limited, after many years of working for several companies, Following his decision to join active politics, Adeola, also a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation as well as a Member of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), pitched his tent with the progressive arm of Nigerian politics by joining the then Social Democratic Party, SDP. In spite of the daunting challenges occasioned by the military interregnum, Adeola bravely continued with his foray into politics at the dawn of the 4th Republic. Adeola was nominated and won the primary of the then ruling Action Congress, AC, and was subsequently elected as a member to represent Alimosho State Constituency 2 at the Lagos State House of Assembly from 2003 to 2007 and again from 2007 to 2011. A man of immense financial and political skills, he is reputed to have been instrumental to the enactment of the law that strengthened the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, a legislation that catapulted the revenue of the state from N5bn to over N20bn monthly! He was also part of the team that passed the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Public Procurement Act of Lagos State. Without doubt, his sterling performance in the Lagos State public service naturally promoted him to the Federal Legislature when he was elected to represent Alimosho Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives in 2011, which will culminate in 12 years of unbroken legislative experience at both the state and federal legislatures.