Connect with us

News and Report

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW OONI OF IFE, PRINCE ADEYEYE ENITAN OGUNWUSI……+ Never Seen Pix!

Published

7 years ago

on

Forty-one years ago in the ancient city of Ile-Ife, a prince was born into the Giesi Ruling House, Ojaja Royal Compound of Agbedegbede in Ile-Ife. He was named Adeyeye Enitan.
Many years before the birth of the young prince, it was predicted that a child of prominence that would impact the lives of mankind would be born into the family at exactly 1pm. Indeed, Adeyeye came into this world at exactly 1pm on a Thursday, the 17th of October, 1974. With the news of the arrival of a new born prince, he was specifically named Adeyeye by his grandfather Pa. Joseph Olagbaju Adewole Ogunwusi Jnr. The name Adeyeye in English translates to ‘A Crown Befitting for a King’; Pa Ogunwusi on setting his eyes on the new born prince began to call him Adeyeye Ooni from that very day till he passed away. The young prince’s late mother also named him Enitan which in English translates to ‘A child of great story’.
Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is the 5th direct descendant of the Giesi Ruling Family (Ooni Ojaja Orarigba – Ayikiti ninu Aran reigned form 1878-1880, he was the 44th Ooni of Ile-Ife to rule. He begat Adegosan Adewole Ogunwusi, who was an extremely powerful prince in Ile-Ife and a war veteran that never lost any battle for Ile-Ife and the Yoruba race. He begat Pa Joseph Olagbaju Adewole Ogunwusi (Jnr.), a very bold prince who took after his father. He begat Prince John Oluropo Ogunwusi, a radio and television anchor and star presenter that spanned the entire mid-1980s to early 21st century in the South-Western part of Nigeria. He begat Prince Adeyeye Enitan.
Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi was quietly delivered into the humble family of Prince Ropo and late Margaret Wuraola Ogunwusi (Ile Opa family compound, Ile-Ife). Like the proverb, “A golden fish has no hiding place”, young prince Ogunwusi’s excellence and outstanding acumen would soon start to announce it for the world to see.
Prince Adeyeye is best described as an astute entrepreneur driven by turning impossibilities to ‘possibilities’. The Young Prince’s power of imagination has set him aside, hence, revolutionizing his approach to creativity and innovation. He is a distinct achiever with the conscience of youthful excellence.
The ambitious young Prince with exceptional business ideas delved into Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) locally and abroad for over 12 years. He is also actively involved in the development of over 2,500 housing units with various consortia of developers within the last 8 years.

In Nigeria, he set up and fostered strong trade relationships through the Association for International Business (AIB) with presence in over 200 member countries across the globe. One of the laudable achievements of this body includes the trade facilitation between the United Arab Emirates (Jebel Ali Free Trade Zone Development) and the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC).

Furthermore, Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi led the Government delegation to Canada in 2002 that promoted strategic alliances through a partnership with the Ondo State Government on solid mineral (Bitumen, Dimension Stones, Granite, etc.) potentials of the state, which gave rise to the formation of the ‘Amalgamated Mining and Exploration Company Limited’ – wholly owned by the Ondo State Government. In addition, he facilitated the development of Sparkwest Steel Galvanizing Plant (the only steel Galvanizing Plant in Nigeria), National Iron Ore Mining Company Limited and Jakura Mines resuscitation projects, which has eventually become the major limestone feedstock to Obajana Cement Plant in Kogi State, Nigeria.

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi was involved in the trading and marketing of commodities as the main facilitator for Dangote Group’s break into the ‘up-country supply chain consortium’ between 1996 and 1999. To mention a few, he also traded for Dohagro Allied, Global Apex, Olam, Clemco, Stallion Group and Milan Group at about the same period. This was where he gained his expertise in marketing which till date is one of his core strengths. He also facilitated the biggest Lead and Aluminum recycling plant set up in Nigeria by the National Steel Company of India in Ota, Ogun State.


In 2002 Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi was able to revitalize the processing of rice and setting them into different groups and sub categories. In addition he was able to donate rice and tilling equipments to the Oyo and Ogun State chapters of the “Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria”. The Young Prince was a major force in propagating the Ofada rice production; which was made possible under the chairmanship of Alhaji Abubakar Wodi of the “Rice Farmers Association of Nigeria”.

The industrious Prince began his strides in the Real Estate sector with various dredging and land reclamation projects in Lagos State. Prince Adeyeye is the initiator of Essential Homes, a real estate product launched in January 2014, formed to deliver affordable upscale homes to middle and low income earners. The 1st phase of the product (the Southpointe Estate, Lafiaji Road-Lekki, Lagos State) started in February 2014 and has been successfully delivered within a year with approximately 60% occupancy recorded. This attests to the huge market demand and acceptability of the Essential Homes brand. He also led the team that developed the prestigious Northpointe Estate Phases I, II, III and Midland Court on Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos.

In addition, Prince Adeyeye has successfully undertaken numerous multi-billion Naira projects across Lagos and its environs; Jacob Mews Estate Yaba, Lakeview Park I and II Estate Lekki, the ongoing Golden Leaf Estate, Lekki and Grand Lake Estate Ajah, Lagos. The Lord’s Estate which is in partnership with Oba Adedapo Tejuosho, the piling of Lagos Home (a residential project powered by Lagos State Government), Ilubirin, Lagos and the upcoming Ife Grand Resort and Leisure.
Prince Adeyeye has a clear track record of community development starting with his home town. Four years ago, during the occasion of his Mum’s funeral, the community was without any form of electricity. The Prince embarked on a ‘Power Project’ to install transformers and light poles that generated electricity which till date is serving the good people of that community.

This ‘Power project’ was also extended to the other parts of the town. The Lafiaji community, off Orchid Hotel road, Lekki – Epe expressway, Lagos also benefitted from his community development projects with the opening up and reconstruction of 6.5km road, with a 1.1km green extension without Government intervention. He also made possible the electrification of this whole stretch powered by his company, Gran Imperio Group.

Within a year, to actualize his dream of the development of one of the best resorts in Nigeria, he led a team that opened up a remote jungle called Inagbe Island in Amuwo-Odofin LGA, Lagos. His vision and creativity transformed Inagbe Island into a whole new community offering world class relaxation and recreational facilities. The multi-billion Naira Inagbe Grand Resorts and Leisure, Lagos, Nigeria is the first of its kind in the whole of West Africa bounded by the Lagos Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean. With this feat, he is set to increase the country’s GDP through tourism and reduce unemployment by providing direct and indirect employment. At the launch of  this magnificent project in December 2013, The Managing Director of First Bank plc., Mr.Bisi Onasanya, told The National Newspaper(published on December 13,2013) that tourism remain a veritable means of  entrepreneurship and a source of revenue for Nigeria. Hence, it should be given necessary support. At the unveiling of the signage of the resort, Mr Bisi Onasanya said” It is a shame to some of us that we have waited this long for a younger person to come and wake us up and show us what we are able to do.”

Prince Adeyeye is very passionate about people and their pursuit of happiness. Alongside his vibrant personality, he is very down to earth and enjoys being in the midst of his workers. He celebrates and dances with them, dines with them, cracks jokes and of course gets on the work grind with them.

Early this year, Prince Adeyeye disclosed his plans to take Ile-Ife to greater heights by rebranding the ancient town and replicating the Grand Resort in Ile-Ife, having already acquired a good land mass for the project. On the 7th of March 2015, Prince Adeyeye was a recipient of the prestigious NIDSA (National Ife Descendant Students’ Association) GOLD AWARD for 2015 on the occasion of the Ife Day celebration.

He is a grassroot fellow to the core, whose humility is second to none and a lover of youths. As a philanthropist, Prince Adeyeye has sponsored numerous less privileged children and youths in his hometown of Ile-Ife and likewise in Lagos where he lives. Many youths till date are beneficiaries of Prince Adeyeye’s scholarship platform.
Prince Adeyeye is currently an employer of over 300 indigenous youths at the Inagbe Cocowood Factory-Essential Homes Furniture brand, which is the first of its kind in Nigeria using 100% indigenous raw materials for production. He has over 450 direct employees across his various companies and over 3000 indirect employees.

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is a Director on the Board of Imperial Homes Mortgage Bank Limited, (formerly GTHomes) which is a leading National Mortgage Bank and former subsidiary of one of the biggest banks in Africa; GTBank plc.
He is also a Director at Fina Trust Microfinance Bank Limited; one of Nigeria’s foremost Microfinance Banks focusing on SMEs and micro credit facilities.
He is the founder and Managing Director of Gran Imperio Group, which is the holding company of his Real Estate and Construction, Manufacturing, Facilities Management, Leisure and Tourism companies in Nigeria.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND & FAMILY LIFE
Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi attended Sobuola Memorial Nursery and primary school, Ibadan and completed his primary school education at Ibadan District Council (IDC), Akobo, Ibadan. He then attended the prestigious Loyola College, Ibadan in 1985, led by Reverend G.B Daramola, the principal of the college. He later proceeded to Ile Ife at Saint Peter’s Secondary School, Omi Okun, Ile Ife led by Late Johnson Adebisi.

He holds a Higher National Diploma in Accountancy from the Polytechnic Ibadan, where he started cutting his teeth in outstanding entrepreneurship, even as a student. To mention a few, the royal prince of Ile-Ife (the source) is a member of some dignified professional bodies namely; Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), an Associate Accounting Technician and a certified member of the Institute of Directors (IOD) Nigeria. He is also an active member of the Global Real Estate Institute (GRI) having participated at various levels.

He is married to Adedokun Adebisi Ogunwusi and blessed with a daughter, Adeola Aanuoluwapo Ogunwusi.
To be a Prince in Yoruba land in itself is outstanding. However, to be a prince of the source, Ile-Ife, the Cradle of Civilizations is to be truly blue-blooded. The young Prince is very passionate about what he believes in; people and possibilities and thus has achieved giant stride from his very youthful age.

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi over the years has fostered numerous remarkable partnerships with dignified Royal Fathers of Lagos(Yoruba Land) in some of his Real Estate developments; HRM Oba Saheed Elegushi, Kusenla III, Elegushi of Ikate Land, Lagos(Development of Lake View Park 2, Lafaji, Off Orchid Hotel Road, Lekki-Epe expressway), HRM the Ooni of Ife, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, (development of Northpointe Estate, Chevron Drive, Lekki, Lagos), HRM Oba Oyekan, Onilado of Ilado-lnagbe Island, Lagos(Development of Inagbe Grand Resorts and leisure, Lagos), HRM Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, The Oranmiyan Osile Oke Ona of Egba Land, Abeokuta (development of the Lord’s Estate, Buckswood College Abeokuta), HRM Oba Oloruntoyin Saliu, The Oloworo of Oworonsoki, Lagos (partners in the proposed Oworonsoki Redevelopment Scheme, Lagos), HRM Oba Akinloye, Ojomu of Ajiran Land, Lekki – a host to several developments which Prince Adeyeye has embarked on. HRM Olofa, Oba Mufutau Muhammed Gbadamosi (partnership during the rice and sugar merchandising for Dangote Group and others).

Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi is indeed a highly dignified man, fearless and daring, a self-made man who not only has passion for his home town but for his country as a whole. He has forged respectable alliances with some of the most esteemed Royal fathers, leaders and kings of our time. It is without doubt that the young prince of Ile –Ife through his vision to impact the lives of everyone around him and his fervent passion for humanity has broken grounds as an investor in people and a preservationist of the cultural heritage of Ile-Ife. He is loved and highly admired by the people of Ile-Ife and importantly, he remains in tune with his roots and tradition.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Advertisement

News and Report

N3bn Fraud Trial: Court permits Yahaya Bello’s accused nephew to travel abroad

Published

3 days ago

on

July 23, 2024

By

 

The Federal High Court in Abuja has permitted an accused nephew of former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello to travel to the United Kingdom for medical attention.

 

To enable the defendant, Ali Bello, to embark on the foreign medical trip, the court ordered the release of his passport seized from him as part of his bail conditions.

 

Obiora Egwuatu, the trial judge, issued the order on Monday, overruling the objection of the prosecution agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to grant the accused person’s request.

 

He said the prosecution failed to present convincing evidence to back its claim that Ali would jump bail or tamper with evidence if allowed to embark on the medical trip.

 

He said he had no reason to believe Ali would jump bail, having fulfilled previous undertakings to return to Nigeria to continue his trial on two separate occasions.

 

“Since the grant of bail, he has not breached the terms of bail and has been coming to court to stand his trial.

 

“It is not controverted that this court had on two previous occasions granted the applicant similar prayers.

 

“On those two occasions, that is, between the 1 to 31 August 2023 and 17 December 2023 and 10 January 2024, the applicant did not breach the terms of the permission granted,” the judge said.

 

Stressing the need to ensure a defendant is healthy to stand trial, the judge said, “I wholeheartedly subscribe to the view that a defendant should be alive to stand trial” and face the consequences of his crime if found guilty.

 

Mr Egwuatu ordered the court’s deputy chief registrar who keeps Ali’s passport to release it to him, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

 

He also ordered the defendant to return the passport on or before 15 September.

 

Series of charges relating to Kogi funds

Ali and three others are standing trial on money laundering charges involving N3 billion allegedly diverted from the Kogi State coffers during former Governor Bello’s tenure.

 

The three co-defendants in the case are Abba Adaudu, Yakubu Siyaka Adabenege and Iyadi Sadat.

 

The case is only one in a series of prosecutions the EFCC brought against Ali, Mr Bello and their associates over their alleged fraudulent handling of Kogi State Government’s funds.

 

Ali and a co-defendant, Dauda Sulaiman, are charged with money laundering in another case involving the alleged diversion of N10 billion of Kogi State’s funds. The case is before a different judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja, James Omotosho. The prosecution has already called seven witnesses in the trial.

 

Mr Bello, the former governor, faces money laundering charges involving an alleged diversion of Kogi State’s N80 billion in a separate case before Mr Omotosho. Both Ali and Mr Suleiman are named as accomplices in the case.

 

EFCC brought the charges against Mr Bello after completing his two terms of eight years as governor in January but has been unable to get him to court for arraignment.

 

Since April, Mr Bello has shunned six court sessions scheduled for his arraignment, which has now been rescheduled for 25 September.

 

Ali’s medical trip request

On 5 April, Ali filed an application in the trial before Mr Egwatu seeking an order to release his passport from the deputy chief registrar of the court to enable him to travel abroad for medical consultation and examination.

 

He said the trip was to fulfil a routine cardiologic follow-up to review his medication and undergo cardiac tests.

 

He said he received medical advice to undergo the process annually.

 

He also recalled that the judge had granted him similar permissions to embark on the foreign medical trip on two occasions – first between 1 and 31 August 2023 and second between 17 December 2023 and 10 January 2024.

 

He said he returned to Nigeria on both occasions and returned his passport to the court’s deputy chief registrar as he was ordered to.

 

He pleaded with the judge to order the release of his passport again, undertaking to return it to the official upon his return from the UK to Nigeria.

 

The defendant also gave an assurance to be law abiding in the UK.

 

EFCC opposes request

The EFCC opposed the application.

 

Arguing against the request in court, EFCC’s prosecuting counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, a SAN, cited a five-paragraph counter-affidavit detailing reasons for the commission’s objection. An EFCC official, Abubakar Salihu Wara, swore to the facts in the document on 19 April.

 

Mr Oyedepo argued that Ali failed to place any medical report before the court to show the health condition that necessitated the medical appointment.

 

Mr Oyedepo said Exhibit ‘A’ attached to the application did not disclose the email address of the sender and the receiver of the said medical appointment.

 

He added that the applicant did not present anything to show that Exhibit ‘A’ emanated from the London Centre for Advanced Cardiology as claimed.

 

He argued that Ali might tamper with evidence gathered for his prosecution if his application is granted.

 

However, Ali filed a further affidavit to dispute the prosecution’s claims.

 

Ruling

Apart from banking on the reputation Ali had earned by fulfilling his promises to return to Nigeria when granted the foreign trip permissions on two previous occasions, the judge also ruled that EFCC’s reasons for objecting to the request were not convincing.

 

Mr Egwatu held that EFCC failed to show that the name of the London hospital Ali planned to visit and its address “are not in existence”. He said there was no contrary evidence disputing the fact that the applicant “has a scheduled appointment with the said cardiologist.”

 

According to him, there was also no evidence presented by the EFCC to show that while Ali was on bail, he did or attempted to interfere with evidence or collude with any person to tamper with evidence.

 

The judge further said that a defendant ought to be healthy to stand the rigours of trial.

 

Former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor Godwin Emefiele, facing multiple corruption trials, recently applied to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to seek medical attention in the UK, but the court rejected the request.

 

The judge in the case upheld EFCC’s objection, which was argued by Mr Oyedepo, the same prosecutor in Ali’s trial.

 

(NAN)

 

 

Continue Reading

News and Report

Reps ask FG to suspend NMDPRA boss over anti-Dangote refinery comment

Published

3 days ago

on

July 23, 2024

By

 

The House of Representatives has called on the Federal Government to suspend the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, pending the conclusion of the investigations of allegations against what it called the unguarded statement by the CEO.

 

The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance sponsored by the member representing Esosa Federal Constituency, Edo State, Esosa Iyawe, during Tuesday’s plenary on the need to address issues arising from Farouk’s utterances about the nation’s local refineries.

 

The lawmaker reminded his colleagues that claims of adulterated fuel in the Nigerian market must be thoroughly investigated, stating that fuel quality can impact engine hardware.

 

This he said, is the reason ultra-low sulphur diesel is recommended for all types of power plants, storage tanks, industrial facilities, fleets and heavy equipment, and even ships, as high sulphur content in fuels, causes damage to engines and contributes to air pollution.

 

He said considering the various risks associated with sulphur, countries across the world have taken steps to regulate it by setting standards that require maximum reduction of emissions of this chemical compound, which diesel producers are expected to adhere to.

 

The Labour Party lawmaker, however, noted that the NMDPRA permits local refiners to produce diesel with Sulphur content of up to 650 parts per million until January 2025, as approved by the Economic Community of West African States.

 

He quoted the NMDPRA boss as saying that the diesel produced by the Dangote Refinery is inferior to the ones imported into the country and that their fuel had a large content of sulphur, which he put at between 650 to 1,200 ppm.

 

 

“In their defence, Dangote called for a test of their products, which was supervised by members of the House of Representatives, wherein it was revealed that Dangote’s diesel had a Sulphur content of 87.6 ppm (parts per million), whereas the other two samples diesel imported showed sulphur levels exceeding 1800 ppm and 2000 ppm respectively, thus disproving the allegations made by the NMDPRA boss.

 

 

“Allegations have been made that the NMDPRA was giving licences to some traders who regularly import high-sulphur content diesel into Nigeria, and the use of such products poses grave health risks and huge financial losses for Nigerians.

 

“The unguarded statements by the Chief Executive of the NMDPRA, which has since been disproved, sparked an outrage from Nigerians who tagged his undermining of local refineries and insistence on the continued importation of fuel an act of economic sabotage, as the imported products have been shown to contain high levels of dangerous compounds.”

 

He condemned what he called the careless statement by Farouk, noting that “Without conducting any prior investigation, he was not only unprofessional but also unpatriotic, especially in the face of the recent calls for protest against the Federal Government.”

 

Recall that a joint committee of the House on Monday, July 22, 2024, commenced investigations into Farouk’s allegations against Dangote Refinery.

 

The panel, made up of the Committees on Petroleum (Downstream and Midstream) is also conducting a legislative forensic investigation into “The presence of middlemen in crude trading and alleged unavailability of international standard laboratories to check adulterate

d products”, among others.

 

 

 

Continue Reading

News and Report

Democrats Raise Over $40 Million Online Following Biden’s Presidential Race Exit

Published

5 days ago

on

July 22, 2024

By

In a remarkable display of financial support, Democrats raised more than $40 million online following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he would be exiting the presidential race. This surge in donations, which occurred on Sunday, marked the most significant single day of online contributions for the Democratic Party since the 2020 election.

According to a New York Times analysis of ActBlue’s online contribution tracker, the wave of donations began shortly after President Biden’s withdrawal and coincided with Vice President Kamala Harris gaining momentum in the nomination race. Prior to Biden’s announcement, donations were averaging less than $200,000 per hour. However, within just one hour after the news broke, donations soared to $7.5 million.

The ActBlue platform processes contributions for various Democratic candidates and causes, not limited to Biden or Harris. It includes donations to Democratic House and Senate candidates as well as political nonprofits. The overall increase in donations highlights the unified support within the party during a pivotal moment.

Kenneth Pennington, a Democratic digital strategist, expressed his enthusiasm on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “This might be the greatest fundraising moment in Democratic Party history.” The previous record for single-day donations on ActBlue was set after the death of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in September 2020, with approximately $73.5 million processed. Sunday’s donations, reaching over $50 million by the end of the day, made it one of the platform’s most successful days ever.

The influx of contributions comes at a critical time for the Democratic Party, which has been grappling with internal conflicts and a need to regain momentum in the race aga inst former President Donald J. Trump. Fundraising had significantly slowed among major Democratic donors following President Biden’s underwhelming debate performance, but his departure from the race seemed to galvanize the party’s base.

Biden’s exit and his endorsement of Vice President Harris appeared to unify Democratic supporters, resulting in a dramatic spike in contributions. As Harris builds momentum to secure the nomination, the financial backing will undoubtedly play a crucial role in her campaign.

President Biden’s withdrawal had been anticipated by many, although the timing came as a surprise. He announced his decision while recovering from Covid at his Delaware beach house. In a letter posted on X, Biden reflected on his presidency, calling it the “greatest honor of my life.” He emphasized that stepping down was in the best interest of the party and the country, allowing him to focus on his duties for the remainder of his term.

Biden’s endorsement of Harris was swift and unequivocal, with his campaign quickly rebranding to “Harris for President.” Prominent Democrats and potential rivals, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, promptly voiced their support for Harris.

The surge in donations following Biden’s exit signifies a critical juncture for the Democratic Party. With substantial financial resources now at their disposal, the party aims to leverage this momentum to overcome recent challenges and strengthen their position in the upcoming election.

 

Continue Reading

Trending