BROTHERS AT WAR... IFEANYI UBAH, EMEKA OFFOR SET TO LOCK HORNS
The drumbeats of war resound across the nooks and crannies of the Igbo nation, like the stirrings of medieval blood-fests between warring ethnic giants. But unlike the carnages of old that shaped and malformed the histories of great icons and civilisations, the ongoing spat between Ifeanyi Ubah and Emeka Offor may incite no bloodbath. Weeks after he was released from detention, Capital Oil and Gas founder, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, is finding it easier to forgive his acclaimed enemies than to forgive his purported friends; those that smile and eat with him yet, orchestrated more harm with a smile plastered on their faces. Ubah was arrested by the State Security Service May 5 over alleged diversion of petrol kept in his tank farm in Lagos by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. He spent six weeks in detention.
Late last week, he allegedly coughed out N2billion out of the N11bilion he owes the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. That is however not the story. The Anambra State native is reportedly very peeved with the role another prominent Igbo businessman and vice chairman of Chrome Group, Sir Emeka Offor, allegedly played in the whole saga. Aside that a man he calls his own brother as both hail from the same village didn’t lift a finger while his ordeal lasted, Ubah allegedly has privileged information that Sir Offor allegedly gave sensitive information to the security agents leading to his arrest. This was one betrayal too much, Ubah reportedly contended.
As things stand, Ubah is spoiling for a showdown and he has good grounds for his grouse, his posse told this reporter. It was gathered that Ubah would do anything at this juncture to recover a loan he was said to have advanced Sir Offor when he buried his father late 2016. Knowing his controversial predilection, there is no gainsaying that this portends a fight the battleweary Offor might find hard to win.
Like the early dew which moistens blooming bougainvillea, Ladun Akin Olugbade ornamented Nigeria’s high society with uncharacteristic verve and aplomb. So dazzling was her presence and her gait that she effortlessly became the centre of attraction at every social event she graced.
Being married to one of Nigeria’s wealthiest men is by no means a criterion to throw gaudy parties at will, especially if you have a hubby that panders to such whims. Chief Ladunni Akin-Olugbade, the wife of billionaire Aare Bolu AkinOlugbade, is a different kind of billionaire’s wife after all. When she turned 60 recently, the self-effacing lawyer opted for a low key but quality gathering.
As age is strictly a case of mind over matter, she didn’t mind what many might say about her decision not to roll out the drums in typical wealthy family fashion, what matters to her is the attainment of 60 in good health. But her family still caused her to be celebrated because attaining age 60 is by no means a little achievement.
To set the ball rolling, a dinner party was held for the ‘birthday girl’ who has a Master’s degree in International Law and Diplomacy by her husband and three sons at the luxurious George Hotel, Ikoyi, Lagos, which prides itself as a signature hotel in the tradition of the finest hotels in the world. This was followed by a thanksgiving service at First Baptist Church, Lagos, where the family are ardent worshipers. Another classy breakfast party followed, attended by only close family friends, a clear departure from when her husband clocked 60 in April, 2016.
Dr Akin-Olugbade, a successful lawyer with a doctorate degree in Company Law from Cambridge University, and an unabashed lover of high-end Rolls Royces, ferried relatives, friends and associates to exclusive Brazilian Restaurant, FOGO DE CHAO, in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles for his own birthday. It was a typical billionaire ball with exotic entertainment on display for the privileged guests. However, don’t commit the faux pas of addressing Dr Akin-Olugbade a billionaire as he once stated in a dated interview that he does not like the appellation because he is worth only $250 million in cash and a few more millions in other currencies!!!