He has been dubbed by many as a ‘big masquerade,’ an appellation used to describe cultural ancestors or gods believed to hold mystical powers. These gods (masquerades) are not only considered important but also reverred as they hardly make public appearances except the event where they chose to make an appearance is of utmost importance.
Billionaire businessman, Otunba Mike Adenuga has mastered this art of maintaining a ‘masquerade’ stance in order to create a mystical aura around him. Unlike many of his kind, the chances of bumping into him at an average Nigerian society party, even at his self-sponsored events, is as slim as experiencing an eclipse of the sun. But two weeks ago, during a reception held in honour of President Bola Tinubu at the palace of the Awujale of Ijebu-ode, Oba Sikiru Adetona, as part of a two-day-visit to Ogun State, the lone wolf stunned many by making a very rare appearance. Many assumed he did so perhaps because of his filial relationship with the Awujale. Others seemed to think, since he didn’t make it to the Lagos leg of the reception held for Tinubu and hosted by the state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, he may as well show some solidarity by attending the Ogun State reception, afterall, Ogun is his home state.
Still, others were quick to jump to the conclusion that both Tinubu and Adenuga were close pals and that the latter must have contributed hugely to the president’s campaign coffers hence his presence at the reception. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Adenuga was at the reception at the behest of the Awujale. THEWILL reliably gathered that Adenuga allegedly threw his weight behind Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the last general election. This is quite unlike how his fellow billionaire businessmen, save for Femi Otedola, kept their preferred candidate close to their chest. Naturally, word got back to Tinubu.
After he was announced president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Adenuga allegedly began making frantic moves to bridge a presumed divide that his preference may have undoubtedly caused in order to prevent the gulf from further widening.
Just like he approached the monarch to broker peace between him and former president Olusegun Obasanjo in the past, the same scenario played out again. The monarch allegedly reached out to the President asking to see him. He was willing to travel all the way to Abuja for the sake of Adenuga. But the President, who was shuttling between France and London, agreed to meet with him in his palace instead. As soon as he got back from his trips, he fulfilled his promise.
Just before the reception party was flagged off, the monarch allegedly pleaded with him not to hold any grudge against Adenuga for his indiscretion even if that is the only request, he (Tinubu) would grant him all through his time in office. Naturally, the President couldn’t turn down the revered monarch’s plea and immediately accepted to let bygones be bygones. He in turn allegedly made a request which the monarch quickly granted him; asking that the Mayegun of Yorubaland, Wasiu Ayinde Marshal take over the ‘Olori Omo Oba’ title, previously held by late Otunba Subomi Balogun. So when the reception party officially kicked off, President Tinubu had no inhibition pouring encomiums on Adenuga for being a game changer in Nigeria’s economy and thanking him for ‘being there.’
“The rest we are going to talk in privacy,” Tinubu ended his speech.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
