• NPDC boss and Deux head honcho quit close friendship
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.
