Pastor Ashimolowo creates new luxury experience Charismatic clergyman, Matthew A. Ashimolowo is unarguably an anointed minister of the Gospel. But he’s different. He is first a pastor, then a businessman. He was called to ministry over 50 years ago, while business has been his secondary and ancillary calling. As one of Nigerias biggest ministers and Senior Pastor of the popular Kingsway International Christian Centre, KICC an international ministry he founded in London in September 1992 Ashimolowo believes he was called to do both business and ministry. Decades after, he has proven to have the heart, motivation and wisdom to combine both church and business realms. And he is having the best of both worlds.
The 74-year-old preacher has wisely navigated these two juxtaposing worlds by displaying a series of entrepreneurial skills which has disrupted the mindset that being a pastor means you have to be impoverished. This is long gone. As a recognised global Christian leader and pioneer of wealth creation and management message, Ashimolowo lives by example. He is a serial entrepreneur who has built a successful portfolio in the media, publishing, agriculture and especially, in the real estate sector, where he has been making cool money from a series of investments.
About two years ago, Ashimolowo elevated his mogul status when his eponymous firm, Makarios Luxury Properties Limited, launched a multi-billion naira luxury estate at Aiyeteru, Ibeju along the bustling Lekki-Epe Expressway in Lagos. The swanky housing estate called ‘The Makarios Luxury Place’ has multiple 10-Storey Towers with over 800 living spaces of various chic apartments and elegant terraced/detached houses with a sprawling shopping mall.
While that project is ongoing with a growing number of subscribers, Ashimolowo launched another major luxury residential project in the same Ibeju-Lekki corridor. The new project, with its official launch and groundbreaking ceremony held last week amidst fanfare, is named Makarios Champions Place.
Ashimolowo said the new development follows the earlier Makarios Luxury Place but with a focus on community living, sports-themed design and flexible housing options. It has been designed to bring Nigerians together through what he described as four core pillars: family, friendship, fun and football. The new 450-plot estate sitting on 23 hectares will have 14 internal streets to be named after some popular English Premier League clubs. There is also going to be another distinct luxury apartments called ‘The Villagio Apartments’ designed to be “an estate within the estate” and strategically being marketed to Nigerians in the diaspora.
For Osun State-born Ashimolowo, his whole essence is not just to make quick money but creating an impact in Nigeria. He has for long nursed a dream of transforming Lagos into a global hub of sophistication and leisure a place Nigerians home and abroad will boast about. And thats why the pastor cum real estate mogul has been plotting legacy estates with his Makarios brand.
Oba Saheed Elegushi hits golden milestone
There is no gainsaying that the month of April is quite significant in the life of Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi Kusenla III, the highly-revered king of Ikateland a ritzy coastal community in Eti-Osa, Lagos. The urbane monarch deifies the fourth month of the year as it holds a special place in his heart: it is the month of his birth and that of when he was crowned as the 21st Elegushi.
But this year will be different and special. On Friday April 10, the monarch will hit the golden age. Yes, it calls for a grand celebration. But the ebullient monarch is, however, opting for a low key celebration, as the royal family is still mourning the death of one of their princes Wahab Elegushi who passed on recently after a long battle with illness.
Otunba Temitope Oyefeso, the Special Assistant, Public Affairs to His Royal Majesty told Spotlight that the golden celebration has been shifted to a later date in the year. “We are not having a big celebration at this time, though a planning committee has been meeting over the months, until the unfortunate passing of Prince Wahab,” Oyefeso said. But as a noble and compassionate monarch whose benevolence knows no bounds, especially his commitment to community development and welfarism, Oba Elegushi, through his foundation, will be supporting some public schools with upgraded facilities to mark his birthday.
Oba Elegushi is a prime illustration of visionary power and people-centred monarchy. While his 16th coronation anniversary on 27 April will also be marked with low-key activities, his brother kings and associates have been reaching out to commiserate with him on the passing of his brother, and holding on to when plans for his golden milestone celebration will be made public.
Abubakar Audis quiet revolution at the NSCDC
In the turbulent landscape of Nigerias security sector, where loud pronouncements often overshadow tangible results, Dr Abubakar Ahmed Audi operates with a distinctive calm. Since his appointment as Commandant General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in 2021, this Nasarawa State-born administrator has become a nightmare for vandals and economic saboteurs. Not with grandstanding, but with methodical, frontline leadership.
When President Bola Tinubu reappointed him to a second term in February, it triggered wild jubilation across the corps a testament to a leadership style that prioritises team play, integrity, and an encyclopaedic knowledge of the agency.
A trained administrator and a natural listener, Audis approach is deceptively simple: lead from the front. While many of his peers remain behind desks, Audi is often found strategising at operational bases, overseeing the destruction of illegal refineriesover 400 to date or coordinating the protection of critical oil rigs. His hands-on philosophy has yielded extraordinary results, including the arrest and conviction of over 1,000 economic saboteurs. Under his watch, the NSCDC has become a formidable barrier against oil theft, working in seamless synergy with sister agencies to protect the nations economic lifeline.
But Audis legacy is also being built on innovation. Recognising the nexus between illegal mining and banditry, Audi unveiled the Mines Marshals as a dedicated unit that has since arrested scores of illegal miners, cutting off a crucial funding source for insurgency. Audi is also dragging the corps into the future with the recent introduction of modern technological gadgets, including drones for aerial surveillance. This has made the NSCDCs operations data-driven and technologically agile.
The rewards of his hard work have been met with even more responsibility. When the federal government assigned the Corps the additional task of VIP protection, Audi did not flinch. He has meticulously crafted a tactical strike force, arming and kitting them to the teeth while ensuring they received specialized training.
As he settles into his new tenure, Audis charge to his officers is clear: remain professional, stay upright, and uphold the ethics of the service. For the man who wears the badge of integrity above his sleeves, the work of rebuilding the nations security fabric continues, one quiet, giant stride at a time.
Oil tycoon, Wale Tinubu as a proud nephew
The bond that links true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. These wise-words can best be associated with the Tinubu Family of Lagos as their family tree is, indeed, rooted in love and elation. That energy tycoon, Dr Jubril Adewale Tinubu holds deep admiration for his uncle, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is hardly surprising as it is a bond that has long been evident in both private and public moments.
During the Presidents 74th birthday celebrations last Sunday, the Oando Plc head honcho took that veneration a step further, turning his social media platforms into a rolling tribute.
Rather than a single ceremonial message, Wale Tinubu curated a series of heartfelt posts on his social media platforms, each offering a different lens into the life and legacy of Nigeria’s President. From nostalgic throwback photos to carefully worded tributes highlighting leadership, resilience, and vision, the oil tycoon painted a portrait of a man he clearly revers not just as a national leader, but as family. What stood out was the consistency. Even three days after the official celebrations, the co-founder and Group Chief Executive of Oando Group a quoted company that is currently Sub-Saharan Africas foremost integrated indigenous energy conglomerate continued to share messages, underscoring not just pride, but a sustained sense of gratitude and loyalty.
In an era where public figures often limit such gestures to obligatory posts, his extended celebration suggested something more personal and deeply rooted. Observers note that beyond the optics, the gesture reflects the enduring influence of President Tinubu within his inner circle a figure whose impact transcends politics and resonates strongly within family ties.
For Tinubu a trained corporate lawyer and globally-respected energy executive the birthday was not merely a date on the calendar; it became an opportunity to reaffirm admiration, celebrate legacy, and publicly honour a man whose journey continues to inspire him. In the end, it wasnt just about the messages it was about the sentiment behind them: a proud nephew, an enduring legacy, and a celebration that lingered well beyond the day itself.
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