Party across the Seas…As Wife Clocks 40, FCMB Boss, Ladi Balogun, Hosts Classy Shindig in London

HIGHLIFE

• Bank chief fetes high society in honour of wife

London will not forget in a hurry the day Ladi Balogun feted friends and family in his wife’s honour. England’s metropolitan capital became the masque of high festivity and the pleasant place for rare merriment as Ladi celebrated his wife, Banke’s 40th anniversary in a classy shindig. Despite the hard times, Ladi endeavoured to give his wife a treat befitting royalty as he hosted the crème of Nigeria and global high society to his wife’s 40th birthday party.

The First City Monument Bank’s managing director held a dinner at the Dorchester Hotel in London to celebrate the occasion and his closest family and friends thronged the venue like a flock of sheep responding to the shepherd’s summons. Grapevine has it that Banke plans to throw a bigger party in Lagos to celebrate her new age. Perhaps unsatisfied with the relative exclusivity of the London event, she plans to hold the celebration in the full glare of the approving Lagos social scene.

It will be recalled that the beautiful lady, whose husband is one of the sons of banking guru and Olori Omooba of Ijebuland, Otunba Subomi Balogun, had her wedding over a decade ago amidst fanfare and glitterati. The upcoming celebration is set to match or surpass that August event.

THE HUMBLING OF CHRIS UBA
•PDP OVERLORD RETREATS INTO SHELL IN THE WAKE OF SHAMEFUL DEFEAT
When failure snuck up on Chris Uba, it crept under his skin, onto his back and wrapped its slimy hands around his rib cage. In its vice grip, Chris Uba cannot breathe. The ex-People’s Democratic Party (PDP) godfather is in serious need of a CPR. Ever since the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) gave him and his party the bloody eye, Uba has been inconsolable. His party’s failure at last year’s general elections presents a very hard emotional hurdle for him to overcome. It means the end of his party and his political adventure. It means a creased brow, fidgety soul and knotted stomach. It means humiliation and admission of defeat. This has led to the humbling of Chris Uba. And this is quite unlike him.

The controversial political godfather, since his party’s ouster, has not given the media any reason to get busy. It would be recalled that the Anambra-born politician was once the pivot on which the axle of the PDP rotated. Endowed with the confidence of 10 kings and the panegyric that accompanies their appearances, the PDP caught cold each time he sneezed.

Since the dramatic defeat of the PDP by the APC in last year’s general election, however, the controversial politician has recoiled into his shell. Some people say he is still licking the wounds the elections left on his ego, while others say he has only taken a retreat to strategise for a comeback. Or have you heard about him lately?

STELLA ODUAH’S ESTRANGED HUBBY, ETOROMI, STIRS UP A HORNET’S NEST
Anger curdles with regret and leaps out of his distressed soul, like lance from the palms of a troubled knight. Indeed, tragedy afflicts the soul of Lt. Col. Satchie Emmanuel Etoromi (Rtd.) A rushing stream of nerves corrupts his senses, stalling his joy and arousing his fury in a fistful of misery. That Etoromi, ex-husband of Senator Stella Oduah, was ravaged by fury when he told the ex-aviation minister to return his late son to him in Warri, Delta State for burial some weeks ago, is a stale gist. In a recent letter to his traditional ruler, Etoromi urged the royal father to intervene for the sake of peace.

In the letter titled: “Appeal To Intercede To Ensure Senator Stella Adaeze Oduah Brings My Son, Maxwell Chinedu Obiechina Wereyesigha Toritseju Etoromi To Me In Warri For Burial,” Etoromi urged the traditional ruler to order his estranged wife to return his son’s corpse to his native Delta for appropriate burial rites. Despite his recent measure, Stella refused to budge. Etoromi wailed and wept but Stella wasn’t moved a bit. In cahoots with his mother, Tuoyo Etoromi Oduah, the second son of Etoromi’s marriage with Stella blasted his father.“Buwa and I were the product of a short and abusive marriage that ended almost 30 years ago to a man with many other wives and children.

Stella Oduah is the only father, mother, carer and provider that my brother has ever known…Mr Satchi Etoromi, I beg you with God to please leave us alone forever and let Buwa rest in peace. May God have mercy on your soul for what you have just done. I wanted to forgive and reconcile but your recent actions and character have revealed that it is better to be a bastard than be your son.” Today, the news making rounds is that the father has eaten a humble pie while the controversy-prone senator is gradually coming into her own.