Man with the money habit…How Sahara Energy billionaire co-founder, Tope Sonubi celebrated his 50th birthday last week.

As recession creeps on Nigeria, holding the country down in a vice grip, like a kite caught under the wheels of a waste truck, industries collapse and merchants wallow in excessive decay and ruin. But billionaire oil magnate, Tope Sonubi, one of the three wise men behind Sahara Energy, stays immune to the ravages of the declining economy.

Tope is one of the richest young men in Nigeria today. Everybody lives in awe of  Mr. Sonubi. Maybe it’s because of his brilliance and dazzling excellence. Perhaps it’s because he is about as smooth as a stucco bathtub and yet a giant of a man, given to a life of quiet dignity.

Call him what you want, but recognize him for what he is: a futuristic magnate cum problem solver. And an effective one at that. He’s soft-spoken, but driven by a fierce determination to bring progress to his beloved Nigeria and the African continent. Forget the rumor that Tope is extremely stingy to friends, associates and acquaintances. Tope is  not a miser. He lives a charmed life, unlike the proverbial miser.

However, according to the reports doing the rounds, “Tope Sonubi disappointed a lot of his friends who had thought his 50th birthday would be a grand celebration like that of his friend and partner, Tonye Cole, who staged a lavish party some months ago to announce his 50th birthday. Tope re-affirmed his simple nature as he celebrated his big day in an unusual but classy manner.

However, according to the reports doing the rounds, “Tope Sonubi disappointed a lot of his friends who had thought his 50th birthday would be a grand celebration like that of his friend and partner, Tonye Cole, who staged a lavish party some months ago to announce his 50th birthday. Tope re-affirmed his simple nature as he celebrated his big day in an unusual but classy manner.

There was a brief thanksgiving service at Syrian Mosque in Ikoyi, Lagos, and later staged a quiet pool party at his Banana Island, Lagos home. Tope’s home  is a testament of class. Outside, it is garlanded with carven imageries of archs and flowers, and bunches of knot-grass. Inside, it is ornamented with panes of quaint decor, embroidered fabric and devices. It’s ambience of splendid dyes and luxury titivate like the damasked wings of the tiger-moth.

Tope, a brilliant young man with a clinical business vision and uncomplicated moral background, he was introduced into the oil business many years ago and started selling to a number of companies including Wale Tinubu’s OANDO. Business was good and before long, Tope became a looming fixture among the jet set and bourgeoisie, the powerful and popular.

Then, in 1996, alongside Tonye and Ade, they started Sahara Group which incubates companies like the Sahara Energy Field, Sahara Gas, Sahara Farms, and Sahara Trade and Sahara Bulk Storage Facilities among others, all of which have their core fields of endeavour centered within the oil and gas industry and its associated sub-sectors.