By Según Oderinde
Gradually, Fola Ogunlesi, the prosperous proprietor of popular events centre, Fantasyland on Kingsway Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, is getting his groove back. In the wake of his bitter separation from his ex wife, Omolewa, Fola was shown the physical interpretation of hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
When the going was good, Fola and Omolewa were the model Romeo and Juliet – going everywhere and doing everything together, vowing to grow old and grey together. They were like two peas in a pod – inseparable, and blissfully in love. She had unfettered access to his property portfolio which would augur well for her when their union went south.
The true story of what actually went wrong between Omolewa and Fola is only known to a few close friends and relatives, what everybody heard however was that things got so deplorable that the couple engaged in fisticuffs in public. It was a sad way for their once enviable union to end.
Interestingly, the Kogi-born Omolewa was actually friends with Fola’s first wife, Idowu, then a popular fabric dealer at the Alade Market, Ikeja. When Fola set eyes on Omolewa, he dared all odds and damned all consequences to marry her, leading to the collapse of his first marriage about 22years ago. It was a whirlwind union that was presumed would stand the test of time.
Unlike Idowu who left without much fuss, Omolewa decided to have her pound of flesh. Sources say she has refused to let go of some of the choice properties in her care, including the Balloons building on Opebi Road, Ikeja, and a few others outside Nigeria.
However, Dr. Mike Adenuga, the billionaire chairman of Globacom Nigeria Limited, bought one of his properties – a high-rise building in Banana Island, and paying handsomely for it. The building now houses a Globacom office.
To exorcise the ghosts of his old marital adventures, he got married to Ireti, a middle-aged mother of two whose husband also abandoned her for her friend. She was on the cusp of a meltdown when, like a knight in shining armour, Fola came into her life. The eldest of the famous Ogunlesi brothers, including Lanre and Kayode, Fola is now enjoying marital felicity and renewed liquidity, thanks to Adenuga.
