Didier Drogba is a member of what might be the world's greatest sporting WhatsApp group.
Along with fellow global icons Tom Brady, LeBron James, Virat Kohli and Rafael Nadal - as well as actor Will Smith - the former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker owns a team in E1 Series, the world's first all-electric international powerboat racing competition.
Having taken to the waves last year, E1 is nearing the chequered flag on its second season and is about to pay its first visit to Africa, with Lagos' lagoon set to host the nine teams over the weekend of 4-5 October.
"When we decided to jump on the journey with E1, the main goal was always 'let's bring the race to Africa'," Drogba told BBC Sport Africa.
"We want people to discover our culture, to discover our history. That's why Lagos is for us a good choice, because it's a vibrant city."
Drogba's partner Gabrielle Lemaire, who is a co-investor in their team, also believes Nigeria's largest city fits the bill.
"The people are very young and it's an opportunity for us to advocate for sustainability," said the entrepreneur and vice president of the Didier Drogba Foundation.
Billing itself on its website as "pioneering a sustainable future in marine sports", E1 claims to "regenerate coastal waters through innovative clean technologies".
Venice, Monaco, Dubrovnik, Doha and Lake Como in Italy are among the venues so far visited by E1, with Miami scheduled to round off this season.
It also aims to promotes gender equality, with every team consisting of one female and one male pilot.
"As a symbol it is really strong to show that men and women can do sports," said Lemaire.
"We would like to advocate for this, for the young people, for the young ladies to understand how important it is today.
"It's not only a sport that we're talking about here."
Competitors come from a variety of motorsport backgrounds, exemplified by Team Drogba's line-up.
Teenage British powerboat champion Oban Duncan is partnered with Micah Wilkinson, who won sailing bronze for New Zealand at last year's Olympic Games.
Duncan is the youngest pilot in E1, but Drogba says he has built a strong relationship with the 19-year-old.
"Oban is full of talent but her confidence was a bit low," he revealed.
"I said 'We put our trust in you, we are behind you, and you're a superstar because you race with a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm'.
"I'm really happy with her because she applies the same principle that I used to apply during my career: give everything, do your best."
Despite Duncan's young age, Drogba and Lemaire are already looking to the future, hoping the upcoming race in Lagos might inspire African talent.
"This is the goal, to be able to have African people interested in the sport, interested in sustainability, in racing, in discovering new cultures," explained Drogba.
"I think this is the opportunity for young people who want to succeed, who want to become a part of the E1 team.
"We would love to have an African pilot. It would mean a lot to us."
Despite a glittering career which saw Drogba win four Premier League titles and the Champions League with Chelsea, the two-time African Footballer of the Year has so far decided against a move into coaching.
But the 47-year-old says he is now channelling the leadership qualities of his former coaches and team-mates into his new position.
"I'm lucky to have had a diversity of managers, a diversity of knowledge, and I learned a lot.
"Even players who showed great leadership, like John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Petr Cech - all these guys.
"I try to be like a sponge and take the best out of them, as a leader trying to reproduce it, but in my own way."
While competition in E1 is fierce on the water, it is just as intense away from it, according to a smiling Drogba.
"I decided not to bring too much of my competitiveness, otherwise I will destroy them like I destroyed all the strikers I was in competition with," he laughed when discussing his rivalry with the other owners.
"These guys are really nasty on this WhatsApp group.
"I thought Rafa [Nadal] was a nice guy, always gentle, polite. But I've read what he said a few times and I'm not happy about it so I will have to change gears."
With DJ Steve Aoki and Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony, huge names in North America and beyond, also team owners, the rivalry between the stars is clearly one of E1's biggest draws.
It has led organisers to target a valuation of £500m ($675m) for the competition in the next five years.
"It can only grow with the energy that all the owners are putting in," said Drogba.
"When we first started, I think it was me, Rafa, Marc and Steve.
"Now the list is becoming bigger with Tom Brady, Will Smith, LeBron James. Hopefully we'll have a female owner too because this is really important."
Also on Drogba's list is a race in Ivory Coast, with Abidjan a likely venue because of its lagoon which mirrors Lagos' waterways.
"There's some technical specifications that you must require to organise the race, but I think we have everything here [Abidjan] to host," he added.
"We proved it with the Africa Cup of Nations. This is something that must happen."
The E1 Lagos GP is the African edition of the UIM E1 World Championship. The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) is the international governing body of powerboating and it organises the UIM E1 World Championship.
Sports legends like Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast and Chelsea football legend), Lebron James (Los Angeles Lakers and American basketball legend), Virat Kohli (Indian cricket legend), Tom Brady (American football legend) and Rafael Nadal (Spanish tennis star) own teams in the competition.
Photos: Governor Sanwo-Olu, Aliko Dangote, Rafael Nadal, Didier Drogba and other guests at the Monaco E1 Grand Prix. The E1 Championship will stage a race in Lagos which will be the first ever E1 race in Africa.
Lagos To Close Part Of Lekki Expressway And Ozumba Mbadiwe Way For Electric Power Boat Race
Oriental Hotel will be one of the main viewing and take off points for the race and the portion of Lekki Expressway in front of the hotel (inward Victoria Island) will be closed (all the way to Law School Junction). Motorists can use the alternative road (Yesufu Abiodun Oniru Road) or the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road to leave Lekki (the Coastal Road will be open to traffic).
Motorists going from Victoria Island to Lekki will not face any restrictions, it's only the carriageway outward Lekki that will be blocked.
The restrictions will be in effect on Saturday, October 4th and Sunday, October 5th, 2025.
Lagos State Ministry of Transportation @LagosMOT1
LASG ANNOUNCES TRAFFIC DIVERSIONS AHEAD OF OCTOBER ELECTRIC POWERBOAT RACING CHAMPIONSHIP
To facilitate the smooth hosting of the Electric Powerboat Racing Championship E1 Series Event, (Africa’s first electric powerboat race) set to take place on Lagos Inland Waterways of Victoria Island Lagoon from Saturday 4th to Sunday 5thOctober, 2025, the Lagos State Government wishes to inform the motoring public of the planned traffic diversions.
There will be total road Closure at 1st Lekki Junction inward Ozumba Mbadiwe, in view of the traffic implication, motorists are hereby enjoined to use alternative routes as follows;
1. Motorists from Ajah heading to Lekki will make a U-turn at Lekki 1st Junction by the Pedestrian Bridge to link Yesufu Abiodun to Maroko Police Station to access City of David to Ligali Ayorinde to connect Ajose Adeogun straight to Eko Hotel Roundabout to Ahmadu Bello Way to Independence Bridge and McEwen/Onikan to continue their journeys.
2. Alternatively, Motorists from Ajah inward CMS could go through Abraham Adesanya to link Ogonbo Road to access Okun Ajah Road to connect Coastal Road to Ahmadu Bello Way to Independence Bridge and McEwen/Onikan to continue their journeys.
3. Motorists from Lekki and its Environ going to Ikoyi/Mainland could go through Admiralty Way to access Lekki Link Bridge to Alexander road/Bourdillon Way to connect Gerrard Road and Osborne Road to continue their journeys.
4. Alternatively, Motorists from Lekki and its Environ going to CMS can connect Yesufu Abiodun to link Oniru Road to access Aboyade Cole Road to Ligali Ayorinde Street to Eko Hotel Roundabout and Ahmadu Bello Way to continue their journeys.
5. Motorists on the other side (from CMS/Independence Bridge and Ozumba Mbadiwe inward Lekki-Epe Expressway) will have a through traffic to Ajah and its environs.
Assuring Motorists of adequate parking made available for the event at; Fidelity Bank, Access Bank and Law School Premises, Victoria Island, the Lagos State Government urged all participants to cooperate with officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), who will be strategically deployed along all event routes to ensure smooth traffic flow.
The statement further added that during the period of the 2 days road diversion, the coastal road will be open to traffic.
ADVISORY; Motorists are implored to be patient as the diversion is part of the traffic management plans for the E1 Boat Race Event to take place on waterways at Victoria Island, Lagos State.
E-signed; Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation.
Didier Drogba is a member of what might be the world's greatest sporting WhatsApp group.
Along with fellow global icons Tom Brady, LeBron James, Virat Kohli and Rafael Nadal - as well as actor Will Smith - the former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker owns a team in E1 Series, the world's first all-electric international powerboat racing competition.
Having taken to the waves last year, E1 is nearing the chequered flag on its second season and is about to pay its first visit to Africa, with Lagos' lagoon set to host the nine teams over the weekend of 4-5 October.
"When we decided to jump on the journey with E1, the main goal was always 'let's bring the race to Africa'," Drogba told BBC Sport Africa.
"We want people to discover our culture, to discover our history. That's why Lagos is for us a good choice, because it's a vibrant city."
Drogba's partner Gabrielle Lemaire, who is a co-investor in their team, also believes Nigeria's largest city fits the bill.
"The people are very young and it's an opportunity for us to advocate for sustainability," said the entrepreneur and vice president of the Didier Drogba Foundation.
Billing itself on its website as "pioneering a sustainable future in marine sports", E1 claims to "regenerate coastal waters through innovative clean technologies".
Venice, Monaco, Dubrovnik, Doha and Lake Como in Italy are among the venues so far visited by E1, with Miami scheduled to round off this season.
It also aims to promotes gender equality, with every team consisting of one female and one male pilot.
"As a symbol it is really strong to show that men and women can do sports," said Lemaire.
"We would like to advocate for this, for the young people, for the young ladies to understand how important it is today. "It's not only a sport that we're talking about here."
Competitors come from a variety of motorsport backgrounds, exemplified by Team Drogba's line-up.
Teenage British powerboat champion Oban Duncan is partnered with Micah Wilkinson, who won sailing bronze for New Zealand at last year's Olympic Games.
Duncan is the youngest pilot in E1, but Drogba says he has built a strong relationship with the 19-year-old.
"Oban is full of talent but her confidence was a bit low," he revealed.
"I said 'We put our trust in you, we are behind you, and you're a superstar because you race with a lot of energy, a lot of enthusiasm'.
"I'm really happy with her because she applies the same principle that I used to apply during my career: give everything, do your best."
Despite Duncan's young age, Drogba and Lemaire are already looking to the future, hoping the upcoming race in Lagos might inspire African talent.
"This is the goal, to be able to have African people interested in the sport, interested in sustainability, in racing, in discovering new cultures," explained Drogba.
"I think this is the opportunity for young people who want to succeed, who want to become a part of the E1 team.
"We would love to have an African pilot. It would mean a lot to us."
Despite a glittering career which saw Drogba win four Premier League titles and the Champions League with Chelsea, the two-time African Footballer of the Year has so far decided against a move into coaching.
But the 47-year-old says he is now channelling the leadership qualities of his former coaches and team-mates into his new position.
"I'm lucky to have had a diversity of managers, a diversity of knowledge, and I learned a lot.
"Even players who showed great leadership, like John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Petr Cech - all these guys.
"I try to be like a sponge and take the best out of them, as a leader trying to reproduce it, but in my own way."
While competition in E1 is fierce on the water, it is just as intense away from it, according to a smiling Drogba.
"I decided not to bring too much of my competitiveness, otherwise I will destroy them like I destroyed all the strikers I was in competition with," he laughed when discussing his rivalry with the other owners.
"These guys are really nasty on this WhatsApp group.
"I thought Rafa [Nadal] was a nice guy, always gentle, polite. But I've read what he said a few times and I'm not happy about it so I will have to change gears."
With DJ Steve Aoki and Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony, huge names in North America and beyond, also team owners, the rivalry between the stars is clearly one of E1's biggest draws.
It has led organisers to target a valuation of £500m ($675m) for the competition in the next five years.
"It can only grow with the energy that all the owners are putting in," said Drogba.
"When we first started, I think it was me, Rafa, Marc and Steve.
"Now the list is becoming bigger with Tom Brady, Will Smith, LeBron James. Hopefully we'll have a female owner too because this is really important."
Also on Drogba's list is a race in Ivory Coast, with Abidjan a likely venue because of its lagoon which mirrors Lagos' waterways.
"There's some technical specifications that you must require to organise the race, but I think we have everything here [Abidjan] to host," he added.
"We proved it with the Africa Cup of Nations. This is something that must happen."
The Five Cowrie Creek is that body of water that begins at the Lagos Lagoon and separates Banana Island from Lekki.
The Creek flows southward and separates Lekki and Victoria Island from Ikoyi and then it empties into Lagos Harbour at the Onikan and Bonny Camp area.
The Independence (Onikan), Five Cowrie (Falomo) and Lekki-Ikoyi Link Btidges cross over Five Cowrie Creek.
The Lagos State Government will close parts of Five Cowrie Creek to boats from the 2nd to the 5th of October 2025 for the E1 Lagos GP electric power boat race.
The E1 Lagos GP is the African edition of the UIM E1 World Championship. The Union Internationale Motonautique (UIM) is the international governing body of powerboating and it organises the UIM E1 World Championship.
Sports legends like Didier Drogba (Ivory Coast and Chelsea football legend), Lebron James (Los Angeles Lakers and American basketball legend), Virat Kohli (Indian cricket legend), Tom Brady (American football legend) and Rafael Nadal (Spanish tennis star) own teams in the competition.
Babajide Sanwo-Olu @jidesanwoolu
From the 3rd to the 5th of October, for the first time on the African continent, Lagos will host the world’s all-electric powerboat championship, the E1 Series.
The E1 Lagos Grand Prix is a demonstration of innovation and progress, showing how sport can inspire sustainable solutions for the future. It is also a celebration of the creativity and resilience that define our people.
This occasion gives us the opportunity to showcase Lagos to the world as we know it: welcoming, dynamic, and determined to embrace the future with confidence.
I extend a warm invitation to you to be part of this historic moment. The E1 Lagos Grand Prix is a chance for Lagos, and for Africa, to stand proudly on the global stage.
Get your tickets at e1lagos.com
From the 3rd to the 5th of October, for the first time on the African continent, Lagos will host the world’s all-electric powerboat championship, the E1 Series.
The E1 Lagos Grand Prix is a demonstration of innovation and progress, showing how sport can inspire sustainable… pic.twitter.com/nhMLIdY4Yf
Hakeem Belo-Osagie is the son of the legendary Professor Tiamiyu Belo-Osagie. He is a former Chairman of UBA. He is also a former Chairman of Chocolate City Records. He is currently a senior Business Administration lecturer at Harvard University. He is also a member of the Harvard University Global Advisory Board. Additionally he serves as Chairman of the board of trustees of Harvard’s Centre for African Studies where he and his wife have endowed the Hakeem and Myma Belo-Osagie Distinguished African Entrepreneurship Lecture series.
Professor Tiamiyu Belo-Osagie attended Edo College, Benin, King's College, Lagos, Howard University and McGill University. He was appointed a Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist on his return to Nigeria and he worked at Island Maternity, General Hospital and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital all in Lagos.
Osagie Medical Centre
Professor Belo-Osagie established the Osagie Medical Centre at number 30, Catholic Mission Street, Lagos Island in the 1960s (that's where he delivered my brother ). There are interesting connections between the last post (about Dr Majekodunmi), this post and the next post. The Osagie Medical Centre is right beside St Nicholas Hospital (which was established by Dr Majekodunmi) and Professor Belo-Osgie's daughter-in-law works there. Professor Belo-Osagie is also the uncle of the famous Professor Osato Giwa-Osagie, who also worked at the Osagie Medical Centre at a point in time.
University of Benin Teaching Hospital
He moved to Benin in the 1970s and established the University of Benin Teaching Hospital. He worked (at various times) as Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Provost of the College of Medical Sciences at the University of Benin between 1972 and 1979.
Dodan Barracks
He served as the personal physician to the president in the 1980s. In this position he was involved in the births of Saudatu Shehu Shagari in 1981 and Halima Babangida in 1989.
Professor Tiamiyu Belo-Osagie returned to the Osagie Medical Centre in the 1990s where he was in high demand.
Away from the medical world, he also served as the chairman of Societe General Bank and was on the board of many companies. He was the father of Hakeem Belo-Osagie who is a former chairman of UBA (Keem Belo-Osagie started out as a special assistant to President Shagari). He recieved the national honour of Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in 1982.
Professor Tiamiyu Belo-Osagie died in March 2005.
Hakeem Belo-Osagie is a Nigerian businessman. He is chair of Metis Capital Partners an organisation focused on brokering and delivering attractive, large-ticket transactions in Africa to select blue chip international investment partners.He was listed by Forbes Magazine as the forty-first richest man in Africa in 2014.
Belo-Osagie and his wife, Dr Myma Belo-Osagie (a founding partner of Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie), are philanthropists. The couple are also supporters of Harvard University's Center for African Studies, and Belo-Osagie has established a scholarship to support African students studying at Balliol College, Oxford.
Belo-Osagie and his wife are both members of Harvard University's Global Advisory Council. Belo-Osagie also serves on the Yale University President's Council on International Activities and the New York University President's Global Council. In addition, Belo-Osagie sits on the International Advisory Council of the Brookings Institution and the Global Board of Advisors of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Belo-Osagie and his wife are among the largest donors to the African Leadership Academy (the "ALA" ), a residential secondary school in Johannesburg that works to educate Africa's brightest students. Founded in 2008, the highly selective ALA immerses promising young people in a rigorous two-year curriculum of leadership, service and African studies. The ALA network of alumni includes almost four hundred young leaders drawn from forty three countries across the continent. In 2012, the academy unveiled the "Hakeem and Myma Belo-Osagie Wing", named in recognition of the couple's support of the ALA and their advocacy on its behalf.
Personal life and education
Belo-Osagie was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1955. His father was a professional gynaecologist and his mother was a nurse. He is the father of Yasmin Belo-Osagie. He attended King's College in Lagos and completed his secondary education at the United World College of the Atlantic in Wales.
Career
Oil industry
Belo-Osagie returned to Nigeria shortly after graduating from Harvard in 1980. He began his career in the service of the Federal Government of Nigeria working in various capacities in the energy sector ranging from Special Assistant to the Presidential Adviser on petroleum and energy, to Secretary of the Oil Policy Review and LNG Committees. He subsequently worked in the Petrochemicals Division of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation. He resigned his appointment in 1986 to set up CTIC, which became a leading energy consulting firm. He also chairs the board of Vitol Nigeria, which is a subsidiary of the Swiss-based Vitol Group, a multinational energy and commodity trading firm.
Telecommunications and other recent ventures
Belo-Osagie until recently, was the chairman of the board of directors of Emerging Markets Telecommunications Services Ltd, a mobile telephone operator which operates in Nigeria under the Etisalat brand. He is the ultimate beneficial owner of a significant stake in the company, which is operated as a joint venture with Mubadala Development Company and the Etisalat group.
Belo-Osagie is the chairman of and main shareholder in Duval Properties Limited, a real estate company currently engaged in developing a major new residential and commercial district at Jabi Lake in Abuja. He also chairs the board of Vitol Nigeria, which is a subsidiary of the Swiss-based Vitol Group, a multinational energy and commodity trading firm.
Belo-Osagie has also recently invested in Andela, which is developing a network of high quality computer science education programmes across the African continent. Andela operates a self-financing model of education: it funds the training of promising young programmers, and generates revenue by supplying its graduates' services to a range of global clients.
Philanthropy
Belo-Osagie and his wife are among the largest donors to the African Leadership Academy (the "ALA" ), a residential secondary school in Johannesburg that works to educate Africa's brightest students. Founded in 2008, the highly selective ALA immerses promising young people in a rigorous two-year curriculum of leadership, service and African studies. The ALA network of alumni includes almost four hundred young leaders drawn from forty three countries across the continent. In 2012, the academy unveiled the "Hakeem and Myma Belo-Osagie Wing", named in recognition of the couple's support of the ALA and their advocacy on its behalf.
The couple have recently established the "Hakeem and Myma Belo-Osagie Fund for the Promotion of Africa" at Yale University, and are supporters of Harvard University's Center for African Studies. Belo-Osagie has also endowed a fund to provide scholarships for African students studying at Balliol College, Oxford.
Belo-Osagie serves on the board of Alfanar, a charity which applies the principles of private sector investment to charitable giving to help build sustainable social enterprises throughout the Arab world. He also chairs the Nigerian National Committee for the United World Colleges, which assists the organisation's member colleges in identifying suitable candidates for their two-year International Baccalaureate scholarship programmes. Mr Belo-Osagie has also funded several scholarships to the United World Colleges.
Adebayo "Bayo" O. Ogunlesi CON (born 20 December 1953) is a Nigerian lawyer and investment banker. He is currently chairman and managing partner at the private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Ogunlesi was the former head of global investment banking at Credit Suisse First Boston before being promoted to chief client officer and executive vice chairman.
Early life and education
Ogunlesi comes from Makun, Sagamu, Ogun State, Nigeria. He is the son of Theophilus O. Ogunlesi, the first Nigerian professor of medicine at University of Ibadan. His family is of Yoruba origin.
Ogunlesi went to King's College, Lagos, a secondary school in Lagos, Nigeria. He received a B.A. with first class honors in philosophy, politics and economics from Oxford University in England. In 1979, Ogunlesi received a JD–MBA from Harvard Law School and later Harvard Business School. During his time at Harvard, he was on the Harvard Law Review.
Career
From 1980 to 1981, Ogunlesi served as a law clerk to associate justice Thurgood Marshall of the United States Supreme Court. Ogunlesi was an attorney in the corporate practice group of the New York City law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he had been a summer associate while studying for his M.B.A.
In 1983, Ogunlesi joined the investment bank First Boston as an advisor on a Nigerian gas project. At First Boston, he worked in the Project Finance Group, advising clients on transactions and financings and has worked on transactions in North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. From 1997 to 2002, he was the Head of the Global Energy Group of the by then renamed Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB). In 2002, Ogunlesi was appointed Global Head of CSFB's Investment Banking Division. Also in 2002, he served as a member of Credit Suisse's Executive Board and Management Committee. From 2004 to 2006, Ogunlesi was Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Client Officer of CSFB.
In July 2006, Ogunlesi started the private equity firm Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a joint venture whose initial investors included Credit Suisse and General Electric. He currently serves as chairman and managing partner.
In 2006, GIP bought London City Airport. In 2009, GIP acquired a majority stake in London Gatwick Airport in a deal worth £1.455 billion. The Nigerian press has given him the nickname, "The Man Who Bought Gatwick Airport." GIP also owns Edinburgh Airport, which they bought in 2012, and Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori, which they bought in February 2018.
In January 2024, BlackRock agreed to buy Global Infrastructure Partners for about $12.5 billion. BlackRock will pay $3 billion in cash and 12 million of its own shares as part of the deal to buy GIP. The 400 people directly employed by GIP will receive some of the stock, and five of the six founding partners, including chief executive Ogunlesi, will join BlackRock as part of the deal.
Additional work
Ogunlesi is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association. While working at Credit Suisse First Boston, he was a lecturer at Harvard Law School and the Yale School of Management, where he taught a course on transnational investment projects in emerging countries.
In October 2012, he was appointed to the board of directors at Goldman Sachs. On 24 July 2014, he was named lead director.
In December 2016, it was announced that Ogunlesi, among other business leaders, would be part of Donald Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, which was disbanded on 16 August 2017.
In January 2025, Ogunlesi joined the board of directors of OpenAI.
Personal life
Ogunlesi has been married to British-born optometrist Dr. Amelia Quist-Ogunlesi since 1985. They have two children. In his song "Wonderful," Burna Boy pays tribute to Adebayo, citing his hard work. As of 2025, Forbes estimates his net worth at US$2.5 billion.
Awards and honors
Recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence. Ogunlesi was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2019.
Executive Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, Chief Executive Officer, Global Infrastructure Partners and Senior Managing Director Blackrock, Mr. Bayo Ogunlesi, President Bola Tinubu, former Managing Director/Chief Executive of UBA, Hakeem Bello-Osagie and Professor Afolabi Ogunlesi during an audience with President Tinubu at his Lagos residence on Monday, September 29, 2025
I didn't want to respond to that guy because I know that he is a troll and I know why he was on this thread.
But now that I have blocked him, I can clearly say that Asisat Oshoala did not take Gift Monday's place. In recent years Gift Monday has played on the wings and Asisat Oshoala has played in the center forward position. The person that was picked instead of Gift Monday was Francisca Ordega.
Last night, I received a friendly visit from His Excellency, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Professor Nentawe and I spent some years together at university while he was pursuing his Master's degree.
We reminisced and laughed about our university days. We also discussed education, economy, governance, and upcoming mother's burial, among many other topics.
We are appreciative of the National Chairman's visit.
Last night, I received a friendly visit from His Excellency, Professor Nentawe Yilwatda, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). Professor Nentawe and I spent some years together at university while he was pursuing his Master's degree.
Photo 1) Gift Monday and Deborah Abiodun arriving for the match.
Deborah Abiodun was seriously injured in the previous match, but she wanted to continue playing and some fans were praying that she would be substituted so that it won't get worse. You can see the plaster on her head.
Photo 2) Journalist Colin Udoh and other Nigerians went to watch the game.
Foreign Affairs › Re: Lagos To Close Part Of Lekki Expressway For Electric Power Boat Race by naptu2(op): 2:54am On Oct 01, 2025
). There are interesting connections between the last post (about Dr Majekodunmi), this post and the next post. The Osagie Medical Centre is right beside St Nicholas Hospital (which was established by Dr Majekodunmi) and Professor Belo-Osgie's daughter-in-law works there. Professor Belo-Osagie is also the uncle of the famous Professor Osato Giwa-Osagie, who also worked at the Osagie Medical Centre at a point in time.
