When the
going was good, Nike Animashaun and her friend, Tunji Olowolafe, cut the
picture of perfect harmony. They were bosom friends and they made no effort to
hide their liking for each other. But few years into their friendship,
redundancy set in and the bond of comradeship that held between them withered
to a frail strand. Then even this last strand got impaired. Consequently, Tunji
and Nike are no longer extremely close friends. They have gone their separate
ways after falling out of companionship with each other.
While
their friendship lasted, mischief makers made a big deal out of their
friendship but the duo maintained their friendship despite the persistent
barrage of gossip and malicious rumour that trailed their relationship as
friends. Nike, a former Permanent Secretary of Lagos’ Ministry of Science and
Technology and estranged wife of Lagos socialite, Banky Animashaun, remained
unperturbed despite the unpalatable rumours being spread by rabble rousers and
idle celebrity junkies who couldn’t just accept that sometimes, a woman and a
man can be very close friends without indulging in romance. She proudly showed
off her friendship with Tunji who reciprocated her gesture.
Tunji, a
prominent member of the Lagos high society is also popular on account of his
friendship with former Lagos State governor and incumbent Minister of Power,
Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola. Tunji is the Managing Director and
Chief Executive Officer of Deux Project Limited. A medical doctor by training,
he is a major investor in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) infrastructure
projects initiative and he has served as Chairman of Lekki Concession Company
and Eko Rail in the past. He also acts on the boards of several companies
across sectors of the Nigerian economy. His passion for medicine culminated in
the formation of Deux Project Limited – a company initially focused on
restructuring and fitting world class hospitals across various parts of
Nigeria. Deux Project Limited has expanded its focus to include general civil
engineering, construction and consultancy.
Nike on
the other hand is the current General Manager, Nigerian Petroleum Development
Company (NPDC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC). Until he recent appointment, she served as Permanent Secretary with the
Lagos State Ministry of Science and Technology. But she was relieved of her
duty soon after Governor Akinwumi Ambode assumed office in the Lagos State
House.
It will
be recalled that she enjoyed a mercurial rise from the position of Junior
Magistrate in the Lagos State Judiciary to become Permanent Secretary and power
broker in the administration of former governors, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and
Governor Babatunde Fashola. But in what appears to be a total cleansing of the
coastal city’s corridor of power, incumbent governor of the state, Governor
Ambode, sacked Nike following discovery of misconduct by the former permanent
secretary. No sooner did he sack her than she was appointed NPDC’s new boss.
This infuriated the powers that be and her detractors within Governor Ambode’s
administration. But every attempt to scuttle Nike’s current appointment
amounted to naught.
Nike and
Tunji have been friends for years and their relationship was well documented in
the mainstream and new media. They parted ways recently and Tunji reconciled
with his wife, after earning her forgiveness and winning her heart all over
again. It is unclear whether Nike will go into any relationship anytime soon
but sources close to the NPDC boss revealed that she has never been known to be
without a lover for long.
...thecapital
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