EX-TOP CUSTOMS OFFICIAL, IBRAHIM MERA, WAKES UP FROM HIBERNATION
As a Deputy Comptroller-General, Nigeria Customs Service, Prince Ibrahim Mera was very powerful and influential.
He was undoubtedly the richest in the Customs while many wondered about the source of his stupendous wealth, those close to him maintain that his wealth could be traced to the vast estate bequeathed to him by his father.
Mera, who is also described as a car freak, has properties in some states in Nigeria, including Argungu in Birnin-Kebbi, Lagos, Kaduna, Abuja as well as in London.
According to our findings, Mera was perceived to be haughty in some quarters, and has been locked in a fierce battle with his former immediate boss, Alhaji Abdullahi Inde, the then Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, over some undisclosed issues.
In fact, he was rumoured to be the likely successor to the former Comptroller-General, Inde, when his tenure was winding down.
However, before his very eyes, his balloon of hope in the Customs was burst, as President Muhammadu Buhari refused to look in his direction, following the appointment of Col. Hameed Ali (retd.).
In the wake of that development, Mera, among other top officials, turned in their letters of voluntary retirement from the service.
However, those in the know confirmed that they were actually frustrated out of the organisation.
Well, that is not the story, as the Argugun, Kebbi-born prince, who is known to be an extrovert, has completely gone underground and has not been seen at any social event since
he left the service.
While some alleged that he decided to keep a low key as to keep away from the prying eyes of the anti-graft agency for his alleged atrocities in the Customs some insinuate that he is still frustrated over the way he was treated.
Unknown to many, this is not the first time his dream had been shattered. It was revealed that when his father, Alhaji Mohammed Mera, the then Emir of Argungun, died, he had hoped to succeed him as Emir of Argungu, in line with his royal title of Ciroman of Argungu (Crown Prince). He, however, lost out in the battle of succession to his elder brother, Samaila Mera, who was allegedly imposed on the Emirate by the then Military governor of the old Sokoto State under whom he had served as Commissioner for Water Resources.
Mera, who is said to have been the choice of their late father, felt betrayed by the imposition of his elder brother, but he resigned to fate.
Just as many were wondering about his whereabouts. It was gathered that Mera had woken up from his ‘hibernation’ and he is throwing his hat into the ring for the number one job of the state in 2019. A source revealed that he is currently consulting elders and political leaders in the state for his ambition.
‘’ Although Mera is a billionaire with lots of influence in the state he has no clout to wrestle power from the incumbent, Abubakar Bagudu, who will be seeking for his second term in office in 2019. Bagudu is being loved by the masses especially farmers who he has empowered tremendously. Before now Mera has no meaningful contribution to the development of the state. So, it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the Chairman of Mera Agric and Foods to become governor of the state’’ a source said.
That Senator Gbemisola Rukayat Saraki is keeping a low key profile in the political and social circles is no longer a secret.
For some time now, nothing much has been heard about the beautiful senator, in spite of the fact that she holds an influential office as the Chairman, Governing Council of the Federal University, Otuoke.
Although Gbemi, as she is fondly called, is a chieftain of the APC, she has opted to operate in the background.
The former senator, until now, had held sway both in the social and political scene, especially in her state, where she was tipped to take over from her late father, Olusola Saraki.
She contested on two occasions the Kwara State guber seat, first in 2011 and then 2015. While she was able to secure the ACPN ticket in 2011, her bid for the PDP ticket failed to materialise in 2015.
Also, many are still waiting for the gorgeous woman to take another shot at marriage, since her union with Segun Fowora collapsed many years ago.
We gathered that when she clocked 50, many expected her to introduce her new man, but it was not to be.
A source claimed that she might have bidden farewell to marriage, as she recently called it quits with the only man in her life. Gbemi and the man, who is said to be married, were an item on the social scene for years, and many had thought that it would lead to wedlock. But the relationship has now reportedly collapsed like a pack of cards.
The light-skinned beauty attended the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics. She did her mandatory national service at the Nigeria Bank for Commerce and Industry, Lagos. She worked for the Societe Generale Bank (Nigeria) as Head of Money Markets and later as Head of Domiciliary Accounts. From 1994 to 1999, she was executive director of Ashmount Insurance Brokers, Lagos.
Where is Tony Onoh, the CEO, Eurafric Oil and Coastal Services? This question may remain unanswered until probably he gets back his groove on the social scene.
However, if you are wondering why the question is so important to those asking, it is perhaps because Onoh was one of the big boys
in the oil and gas sector during the administration of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
In fact his last major outing, it was gathered, was in February, 2016 when his company signed a 300 MW Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with Cummings Cogeneration Ltd, as part of plans to build one of Africa’s largest gas-fired power plants.
But since the Jonathan administration wound up in 2015, Onoh has literally taken cover for some inexplicable reasons.
Obviously, his story will continue to astound many who know him to be a businessman and chief executive with an unusual gut. As a businessman, he does not cringe, even in the face of difficulty. Perhaps, this unique attribute was the impetus that made him go into the oil and gas business at a time when many had not given him any chance of survival.
Indeed, when Onoh set up Eurafric Oil and Coastal Service in the 90’s, many had sneered at him, but he simply refused to allow his dream die. A couple of years after, the owner of Sapele Power Plc in Ogorode, Delta State struck a deal to provide over 10 million litres of diesel to the landlocked West African country of Chad. Then, the only way to get the fuel delivered was to send it by truck through Nigeria’s northern borders.
He was, therefore, advised to bring in the fuel by sea, store it in the Apapa depot owned by the old African Petroleum Plc in Lagos and engage a third party logistic firm to handle haulage of the product by road.
This arrangement worked so well for him that he not only became a multi-millionaire, but he also empowered most of the other firms and commercial partners working with him at that time.