Yes, his phones are no longer buzzing like high-pitched alarums. Indeed, friendship is overrated. Oftentimes it leaves a man vulnerable to the elements. It was a firm belief in friendship that cost the legendary Julius Caesar his life; eventually, he was betrayed by Brutus, his bosom friend and confidant. Likewise, a trust in friendship has left Jide Omokore, the Chairman of Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited, an easy mark for treacherous friends. Today, the gallant, civilised and generous man is betrayed and subjected to a ruthless heartache courtesy his friends. In the same vein, billionaire businessman, Jide Omokore’s knack for thinking on his feet and plying a visionary course may be described as suitable for the times.
The good times seem to have started rolling in for Omokore. You would recall that the Kogi State-born billionaire was said to be involved in multi-billion dollar oil deals, including a kerosene scam that reportedly dented Nigeria’s treasury by over $3billion. Omokore, one of the allies of former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, reportedly benefitted immensely from the relationship. He was subsequently arrested by the Economic and financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and now facing a four-count charge of money laundering. What his detractors didn’t know was that a blunted sword need only come into contract with a whetstone and it will become sharp again.
Jide Omokore has emerged from his travails, bruised and battered but not broken. He has learned to numb the pain in his heart as he slowly gathers the scattered fragments of his broken reputation. Things are gradually looking up for the Kogi-born businessman. Not too long ago, he put his determination to begin afresh into action. His old office on Glover Road, Ikoyi, owned allegedly owned by Chief Sunny Odogwu, was swiftly abandoned in favour of a new, aesthetically pleasing edifice on Jide Oki Street, also in Ikoyi. The new structure is a beauty to behold.
