₦airaland Forum

Meet The Chagourys - The Most Powerful Foreign Family in Nigeria
Being wealthy and influential in a foreign country says a lot about the success of such a person. This is the story of a family that has not only identified with the Nigerian populace but has immersed themselves in the culture and practices of the country. The Chagourys are arguably the most powerful foreign family in Nigeria, considering their strong ties-ancestral, investment, and business-with the country. Over the years, the family has been known to contribute to the GDP of Nigeria, creating numerous job opportunities and financial support for the country.

Family History
The family history can be traced back to the early 1900s, when the family migrated to Nigeria from Lebanon. Ramez and Alice Chagoury were of Lebanese descent, but moved to the giant West African nation, and here they birthed and raised all of their children in Nigeria. Nigeria became a country they both adored, giving their children a second citizenship. Ramez and Alice gave birth to Gilbert and Ronald Chagoury, who would make their family name very famous.

Gilbert Ramez and Ronald Chagoury
Gilbert Ramez Chagoury, the Chagoury Group's founder, was born on January 8, 1946, in Lagos, Nigeria. Though a Lebanese by ancestry, he is a Nigerian by birth, as he is often described as a Nigerian-Lebanese.

Gibert was sent to Lebanon to complete his university education at the College des Freres Chretiens in Lebanon, before returning to Nigeria. According to reports, Gilbert was close friends with General Sani Abacha, the dictator of Nigeria, who supported Gilbert's commercial endeavours there. In order to protect himself from potential criminal charges, Chagoury returned to the Nigerian government approximately $300 million after Abacha's passing in 1998.

The millionaire is wed to Rose-Marie Chamchoum, a Lebanese woman with ancestry in the Niger Republic. Ramez, Gilbert-Antoine, Christopher, and Anne-Marie are the couple's four kids.

Ronald Chagoury, the younger brother of Gilbert, was also born in Nigeria on January 8, 1949. He completed his education at the College des Frères Chrétiens in Lebanon and his business studies at California State University, Long Beach in the US before returning to Nigeria, which he considers his home.

The Chagoury Group
Gilbert and Ronald had the vision to build the businesses into a self-sufficient group structure in order to sustain their competitive advantage in a world economy that was changing quickly. The Chagoury Group of Companies has thrived thanks to this solid foundation. The Chagoury business, which started in the 1970s, has grown to become the Chagoury Group, a diverse conglomerate.

With the help of developing and utilising Nigerian professionals and the Nigerian workforce, The Chagoury Group has expanded to become one of the top businesses in Africa. The organisation employs tens of thousands of Nigerians, as well as other Africans and non-Africans.

The Chagoury Group's first company was the Grands Moulins du Bénin Flour Mill, which was founded in 1971 and is located in Cotonou, Benin Republic. Every day, the mill produces 250 metric tons of wheat flour.

Construction, real estate, manufacturing, water bottling and purification, insurance, hotels, flour mills, telecommunications, IT, catering, and international financing are among the activities undertaken by the Chagoury group's subsidiaries. Services provided by some subsidiaries of the group include:
Hospitality:
Included among its subsidiaries are Courdeau Catering, the Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt, and the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos.

Eko Hotels & Suites
Eko Hotels & Suites is a five-star hotel in Nigeria, the largest hotel in Nigeria and one of the biggest in West Africa. It was established in 1977 as Èkó Holiday Inn and built on Victoria Island. It has the largest Convention Centre in Nigeria which can cater to 6,000 people and hosts popular events such as weddings, concerts, conferences and many more. Eko Hotels & Suites' sister hotel is Hotel Presidential in Port Harcourt.

Courdeau Catering
Incorporated in 1995 is an hospitality arm of Chadoury group that provides full service catering, facility management, laundry and chandling to both onshore and offshore clients. The company is based in Port Harcourt and can provide services throughout the Niger Delta and further afield. It currently operates at 14 locations around the country, including Port Harcourt, Warri, Eket and Abuja. Courdeau Catering's clients include Exxon, Total, Shell, Agip, Mobil, Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria and Michelin.

Construction:
C&C Construction Company Limited
The first company in the Chagoury Group of Companies' construction division. It has built many notable projects, including the Nigerian Eagle Flour Mill, the DSS Headquarters in Abuja, the Foreshore Development Project in Osborne, and others. The company built Ideal Flour Mills in Kaduna, which is the first of four flour mills the company has established in Nigeria since 1978. Ongoing projects done by the C&C include the Nigerian Defence Academy and Ocean Parade Towers, an opulent residential complex on Banana Island in the Lagos Lagoon.

ITB Nigeria Limited
A civil engineering and construction firm headquartered in Lagos. The company constructs high-quality buildings for both residential and industrial purposes. The company also makes pilings and offers electro-mechanical services and products, such as generators. This company was responsible for the construction of EcoBank head office, Eko Towers 2, Four points, Kuramo Beach Residence, Akwa Ibom International Convention Centre, etc.

Hitech Construction
A company that specialises in civil engineering and works on infrastructure projects like building roads, railroads, bridges, and water supplies. Additionally, they have expertise in drainage systems, earthmoving, dredging, irrigation plans, and marine installations. One of the completed projects done by Hitech is a sea wall along Bar Beach, in Eko Atlantic. Hitech have executed projects for clients such as the Federal Ministry of Works, Abia State Government, Bayelsa State Government, Lagos State Government; Nigerian Breweries PLC, amongst others.

Real Estate Development:
The construction of Eko Atlantic City, a planned 250,000 residential and commercial centre is their major project in this category. The project is privately funded by South Energyx Nigeria Limited, a subsidiary of the Chagoury Group, which is working in strategic partnership with the Lagos State Government and the Federal Government of Nigeria.The project which was initiated in 2003 saw construction work begin in 2008. Former Lagos State Governor, Akinwumi Ambode commissioned the project in 2016.
Eko Atlantic City, projected to be the size of Manhattan's skyscraper district, stands on 10 million square metres of land reclaimed from the ocean. It is protected by an 8.5-kilometre-long sea wall. A self-sufficient and sustainable city, includes state-of-the-art urban design with its own power generation, clean water, advanced telecommunications, spacious roads, and tree-lined streets. A few structures have been finished as of November 2020, most notably the Eko Pearl Towers.

Transportation:
Chagoury Group has a transportation subsidiary called Fleetwood Transportation, established in 1989 and headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria. Grain carriers, flatbed trucks, and tipper trucks are all part of the company's fleet of trucks and flatbeds. Fleetwood is a member of the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).

The Chagoury family has become very powerful over the years and highly influential, not just in Nigeria but globally. Through their ownership of the Chagoury Group, the Chagoury family has an estimated wealth of $4.2 billion.

Other Members of the family
As a family business, members of the Chagoury family are actively involved in the running of the company. Popular members of the family are Rose Marie Chamchoum, Ronald Chagoury Jr, Christopher Chaghoury, Gilbert Antoine, Anne Marie Chagoury, Ramez Gilbert Chagoury.

Nazgul:
This is one of the reasons why despite everything people say about Abacha, he still remains one of Nigeria's best leaders for me.

During his tenure, US, Britain, France...etc, all closed down their embassies in Nigeria and left.

Abacha's children schooled here in Nigeria. Abacha himself never toured Europe and America, he ruled in Nigeria, lived in Nigeria and died in Nigeria.

It's good to see other African countries getting rid of European parasites. They don't mean well for you. All they do is come to your country, build their military base, find a way of accessing your resources and ship it back to their country whilst leaving you in abject poverty.

But the same Abacha took money to keep with European Parasites abi just dey play

Just dey play

BigYash:
All these 2002 children sef.. Anyways its well with all of you...

Gen Z People

waledeji:
Stop crying more than the bereaved my friend 😂😂

Jokes on you son

I find it difficult to comprehend the fuss surrounding a ministerial appointment for an individual who has previously held positions as both a Minister and a Governor.

Is it considered a promotion to become a Minister after having a strong desire to be President or Vice President?

To me, it appears to be nothing more than a comfortable landing or a form of compensation in the form of a pension.

I had expected Governor Wike to take a cue from Dr. Peter Odili, who understood his own value, mission, and passion and quietly transitioned into an advisory role when he failed to become President or Vice President.

No ministerial appointment could possibly compensate Odili for the substantial funds he invested during his unsuccessful journey to Aso Rock, especially not under the incorruptible leadership of the late Umaru Yaradua.

There comes a time when one should speak up and a time when one should gracefully retire from the political stage.

Attempting a desperate bid to become a Minister under the politically astute Tinubu and his associates would likely only leadto disaster. The individuals associated with Tinubu in Lagos spare no one who tries to undermine their authority.

It would indeed be a futile pursuit to spend a considerable amount of money supporting an opposition party, only to end up as an aide accountable to those whom you once financially supported while they revered you as a political godfather.

Apart from his substantial wealth, Wike's primary desire seems to be power and control.

However, can the Tinubu-led government afford to grant Wike such blatant authority and control beyond his home state? If power and control are the only benefits to be gained, then it may be a waste of both space and time.

Instead, Wike should focus on rebuilding his party, the PDP, and prepare to face the likely presidential candidate of the APC in 2027, if that is the path the divine providence leads him on.

The APC will never serve as a platform for the Rumuepirikom strongman to establish a solid foundation for his future ambitions, beyond are curring ministerial appointment.

Perhaps, had Wike abandoned his plan to challenge Atiku in the presidential primaries of the PDP, he might have found himself in the position currently occupied by Akpabio, as the Senate President.

Wike's significant financial resources and strong alliance with the Tinubu group could have potentially changed the dynamics of electing the leadership of the National Assembly.

By humbling himself and setting aside his ego and thirst for power, running for the Senate could have placed the former governor in the prestigious position of the nation's number three leader.

However, by allowing his bruised ego to guide him, he will only receive a portion of the benefits without the full rewards.

Those who cheer and celebrate Wike's nomination into President Tinubu's cabinet might have overlooked the fact that Wike should not settle for anything less.

If he must serve in a government whose party he has been at odds with since 2014, then he undoubtedly deserves a more prominent role. The position of Secretary of Government would have been a suitable option.

It appears that Wike's celebrated appointment is no different from Amaechi, who also should have been given a role like Chief of Staff or Secretary of the Government.

However, credit must be given to Amaechi for his exceptional performance as the Transportation Minister. In the end, someone will inevitably be sacrificed for the sake of political maneuvering and power dynamics.

Despite the significant energy and resources invested in preventing Atiku from winning the election, it seems that there are no substantial new developments or achievements for the GS group to celebrate.

Despite their efforts, the desired outcomes may not have been achieved, leading to a sense of disappointment or frustration.

Bluntemperor:
If you think Nigeria is where all the troubles are residing,,just try the East African Countries of Kenya,Uganda and some Southern Countries of Mozambique, Zimbabwe and now even South Africa!
They act with impunity! But If only Nigerian Leaders can just be truthful and kill Corruption in Public Places, including Labour ,Nigeria will be a True Place to be boasts of by our Youths anywhere they go!

Those places you listed are something else

Omoawoke2:
What if he refuses to dance.

he must dance

The Law has caught up with him and he must dance its music

Recently, a Japanese man named Toco embarked on a journey of self-transformation to become a Dog.

With a $20,000 investment, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of becoming a border collie with the aid of hyperrealistic dog costume crafted by the a Japanese company, Zeppet.
Taking 40 days to perfect his canine disguise, Toco was eager to step into the world as a dog for the very first time.

Documenting his extraordinary experience in a video, he ventured out into the streets, embracing his newfound identity.

To his delight, Toco made an unexpected connection during his stroll.
He managed to befriend some fellow canines along the way, as passers-by and their furry companions were captivated by the uncanny realism of his costume and lifelike movements.

It seemed as though they couldn't differentiate him from an actual four-legged friend.

In candid notes accompanying his unusual transformation, Toco revealed that his fascination with becoming a dog had been an enduring part of his life since childhood.

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CvRckXXtR2u/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Former US president Donald Trump said Friday he would not end his run for the White House if he were convicted and sentenced in any of the criminal investigations mounting against him.

The 77-year-old Republican frontrunner was asked about his reaction to the federal and state charges he faces as he bids for a second term in 2024, a day after federal prosecutors added three felony counts to the indictment against him over his handling of classified documents.

Asked by right wing radio host John Fredericks if being sentenced would stop his campaign, he quickly responded: "Not at all. There's nothing in the Constitution to say that it could."

"And even the radical left crazies are saying not at all, that wouldn't stop (me) - and it wouldn't stop me either. These people are sick. What they are doing is absolutely horrible," he added.

Trump said previous presidents including Barack Obama and George W. Bush "took documents," suggesting falsely that his predecessors had engaged in conduct similar to the alleged crimes for which he has been charged.

"Nobody has ever gone through this. This is crazy," he added, mischaracterizing the law and a previous civil dispute over presidential documents to argue that he had done nothing wrong.

The twice-impeached former president was first indicted in the classified documents case last month, accused of endangering national security by holding on to top secret nuclear and defense information after leaving the White House.

Meet US lady who moved to Ukraine to strip for Ukrainian soldiers as 'emotional support' during war against Russia

An American model moved to Ukraine to become an "emotional support stripper" for troops fighting against Russia.

Fan-Pei Koung, 33, is a beauty pageant competitor and erotic star from Houston, Texas.

She says her OnlyFans account doesn't require any subscription fee for Ukrainian fighters and she describes herself as a "globe-trotting girlfriend".

She says her online content ranges from "free emotional breastfeeding to soldiers and volunteers" to collecting donations to help the war effort against Russia.

She also claims to have been in sexual relationships with Ukrainian soldiers.

Speaking to The Daily Beast, Koung said: "I'm the sexy girl in Ukraine who wants to volunteer, and will probably put out."

The report says Koung first visited Ukraine in November 2022 to volunteer in women's shelters and orphanages in Lviv, a city in the west of the country.

She left after a month and had plans to move to Mexico to live with another racy influencer. She said: "But as soon as I left, I desperately wanted to come back to Ukraine. I was losing my mind trying to get back."

So in February 2023, she returned, this time moving to Kyiv much closer to the fighting.

Koung has amassed over 50,000 Instagram followers since she started dancing for Ukrainian soldiers and has been posting consistently about the war for some time.

In some photos, she is seen posing in skimpy outfits alongside weapons.

She said Ukrainian men treat her much better than men in America.

She says at the moment she is dating a Ukrainian drone operator, a power plant worker, and two information technology workers.

Koung even recalled sitting with a British volunteer fighter for six hours, talking while stroking his hair.

She claimed: "He said: 'I feel precious like a kitten. I haven't been touched in two years.'

The estimated $1 billion annually spent on the maintenance of aircraft outside the country by indigenous airlines may drop following the completion and use of Ibom Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities, Mr. George Uriesi, the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Ibom Air has said.

This is as the Federal Government has been called upon to domesticate aircraft maintenance and training in a bid to reduce the pressure on foreign exchange.

Speaking with Nairametrics in an interview, Uriesi said that the Ibom MRO could occupy two Boeing 747 aircraft side by side, while the facility could contain about eight aircraft at a go.

He regretted that most Nigerian airlines carry out maintenance of their fleet in other African countries like Ethiopia, South Africa, Europe and America, thereby further depleting the value of the naira.

Statistics released recently by the Aviation Round Table (ART), indicated that there are about 104 aircraft among 11 scheduled Nigerian operators.

The brands comprise Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, ATR, Q400 and others.

The 104 aircraft are however apart from the private jets, which are Bombardier, NetJets, Gulf Stream, Cessna and Dassault Falcon, which are equally about 100 nationwide.

The Director- General Civil Aviation (DGCA), Capt. Musa Nuhu, also a few weeks ago, said that the aircraft fleet registry of the aviation apex body had increased from 175 in 2015 to 358 aircraft.

Uriesi explained that the Ibom MRO is the largest in West and Central Africa and remains the fourth largest on the continent.

He said: "This is a major facility that you can find anywhere in the advanced world; one of only four in Africa, which are the MRO of South Africa Airways in Johannesburg, Ethiopian Airlines in Addis Ababa, Egypt Air facility in Cairo and this one in Uyo. 

"We can take two Boeing 747s each, standing side by side with the door closed and climate control. Also, our aircraft type Airbus A320 is really large and it is what very big airlines have.

"Depending on what aircraft you are maintaining, you can have eight of them at once under maintenance. That is a huge capacity and that goes for all aircraft in the range of A320 and Boeing 737 series. We can take all of those.

"The MRO facility is very important not just for Ibom Air or Akwa Ibom, it is the only facility that you have in West and Central Africa.

"But, more than that, it presents the opportunity for us to a different era in the industry because all the facilities from wheels, aircraft brakes, tyres, and all the different avionic shops are ours.

"We have the opportunity to provide this MRO to all the airlines in the entire Africa.

"We intend to create a centre of excellence with this facility that will allow us to provide the services that our airlines have to fly across the world to carry out.

"They either go to Ethiopia or worse still, they go to Europe and pay a lot of euros to maintain their aeroplanes. With this facility, we are now able to provide commercial maintenance for other airlines right here in Uyo."

He explained that the successive governors in Akwa Ibom State had helped to ensure continuous growth in the aviation industry through investments.

According to him, the governors had invested in Ibom Air, the airport and MRO, describing it as a game-changer in Nigeria's aviation industry.

"All of these come together to form a tripod; Airport, MRO and airline. What that means is that we are creating a world-class airport ecosystem in Uyo for the benefit of Akwa Ibom and the country at large.

"Of course, it offers Akwa Ibomites so many options for their future. They can be pilots, engineers, cabin crew, sales agents, marshallers, managers and more.

"What we are trying to do is to create an ecosystem that works in a world-class manner to help the rest of us in the country to see what aviation can do," he said.

Meanwhile, the President, of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association of Nigeria (AOPAN), Dr. Alex Nwuba, said that it was necessary for Nigerian airline operators to stop the culture of foreign aircraft maintenance.

He explained that it was necessary for the government to domesticate aircraft maintenance or training of personnel development.

Through this, he said the search for foreign exchange among Nigerian operators would reduce.

Pep Guardiola is in Japan to begin the team's tour of friendly matches. In this pre-season, the coach wants to observe all the Manchester City players to assemble his squad. The goal of the club is to win the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup again.

Guardiola has been working at Manchester City for more than seven years and he has already fulfilled his objective in this team, which was to win the Champions League. At the end of the final against Inter Milan he said, "the job is done."

Now in the Manchester City pre-season, The Sun newspaper revealed that Guardiola will end his contract with the club until the 2025 season but he does not intend to renew and will leave the team that year. Now, in one more season, the club's managers will have to look for Pep's replacement.

In an interview with Radio Catalunya, Guardiola confirmed the news. "I will not be City's Ferguson. Being 25-28 years old, no", said the coach. Pep has won more than 35 championships in his career and is one of the best coaches in history.

The club that seeks to sign Pep Guardiola
Mundo Deportivo reported that FC Barcelona dreams of a possible return of Guardiola to the club. Xavi Hernández ends his contract with Barca in the 2025 season. Pep could work again with the team that formed him as a player and coach, also where he is a leg

Italy has started removing lesbian mothers' names from the birth certificate of children.

The Italian government started removing the names of "non-biological gay mothers" from their children's birth certificates under new legislation passed by the "traditional family-first" government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Surrogacy is illegal in Italy, and gay marriage has not been legalized. Because same-sex relationships aren't recognized in law, the non-biological parent has to make a special case for legally adopting their child.

The measure also stops men in a same-sex relationship from registering the birth of their child with both fathers' names. Instead, they have to choose one to be the legal father.

The changed birth certificates belong to 33 children of Italian women who underwent artificial insemination abroad and then registered their children under the city's center-left government, led by Sergio Giordani, in 2017.

The prosecutor's office in Padua confirmed on Thursday, July 20, 27 mothers had been removed from 27 birth certificates.

Giordani came to power promising to remove the traditional "mother" and "father" designations on birth certificates, but this was overturned when Meloni's government ordered local authorities to stop registering the children of same-sex parents with both of their names.

The new ruling means that only the biological parent of a child can be named on a birth certificate.

"There is no discrimination against children," Family Minister Eugenia Roccella told parliament when she introduced the bill in June,

The effect of the move is to limit certain rights for the non-registered parent, and requires them to have permission to carry out everyday family tasks, such as picking the child up from school, or using public services on their behalf.

In March, Meloni's government also introduced legislation to extend the national ban on surrogacy to couples who use such services abroad. If it passes, anyone breaking the law could face a two-year jail term and a fine of more than $1 million.


https://www.torizone.com/posts/2023/07/113428-italy-starts-removing-lesbian-mothers-names-childrens-birth

No DNA Needed

Ahmed Ololade, known by his stage name Asake, recently opened up about a not-so-pleasant encounter during a performance. In an interview with the Ginger Yourself podcast, the singer narrated how he attempted to gain attention and popularity by emulating the late Fela Kuti's style.

Asake decided to wear only pants, reminiscent of Fela's iconic look, and performed alongside scantily-clad ladies on stage. His intention was to capture the audience's attention, but the action ended up backfiring terribly.

Recalling the unfortunate incident, Asake shared, "I packed like six girls on stage and asked them to be half-naked. You know, one thing about Nigerians is that once people are naked, they just forget about all the things that are happening and just focus. But these people at the concert were stubborn."

As he made his grand entrance, expecting a positive reception, the audience's reaction caught him by surprise. He explained, "I just walked in majestically as a star boy. I did not know where the first clap come from. The audience was like, 'No, no, no.' Everybody, like 9,000 capacity, clapping that they don't want it."

Asake's attempt to gain attention through a bold performance style ended in an unexpected rejection, leaving a lasting memory of the challenging journey he had to undertake to find acceptance in the music industry.

https://www.torizone.com/posts/2023/07/113359-asake-stage-wearing-pant-perform

lifezone247:
Yes, yes and yes. AC has nothing to do with fuel consumptions. It’s uses gas when the engine is running. Make una stop that mentality abeg.

When you turn on the AC in your car, it uses energy from the engine to power the compressor, which compresses the refrigerant gas and circulates it through the AC system. This process requires additional power from the engine, which leads to increased fuel consumption.

Congratulations to him

Coven of Witches bleeding the country dry

This guy doesn't even trust Buhari, he is looking so Buhari wont go and press control spoil

Jacobsontwelve:
Add number 4) people that want to die

hahahaha

Emmaomotob:
YOU'RE VERY SMART

Gracias

use and dump
what a royal simp
they don cash out for him head

A and D

They are no longer interested in the country. I don't condone criminality, if the country is a sane one every penny will be accounted for but even the so call TET people are all together in the scam.
You will be shocked that they didn't sponsor anyone but rather is audio sponsor.
It is funny people won't know what conditions will push them tomorrow until they are tested with the following
1. Money
2. Power
3. Fame
4. Sex
Besides 3 set of people that can never hid to advise are
1. person that follow prophet
2. person that have money
3. person in love