Lanre Alfred writes that beyond the sensational tabloids that have trailed the life of Tunde Ayeni, a lawyer, businessman and once-golden boy of Nigeria’s financial sector, there always lived a man of vision, misunderstood, yet fiercely resolute in his belief that enterprise is the most enduring expression of faith.
Like an indefatigable mariner, Tunde Ayeni rode the storms and tumult of industry till he chanced on pliant waters. His unyielding spirit certainly paid off; it has seen him through the teething and oft-tumultuous phases of enterprise. He survived the ravage of false starts and defeat, keeping faith in his capacity to triumph.
“Let the record show,” said Ayeni, between the lines, “that I am not what they painted.” Once cast in a harsh, controversial silhouette, the billionaire magnate is set on the path of renaissance; one anchored in depth, greater purpose and permanence. The empire he now dreams of is not driven by noise, but by necessity: ethical, enduring institutions meant to outlive rumour and outlast those who once misread him. If the past must be acknowledged, let it be only in passing—for Ayeni has long turned the page. “I am not what they painted,” he reiterated. And this time, he is writing his own portrait.
Yes, Ayeni is building again. But this time, not just towers of profit or partnerships with fleeting shelf lives. This time, the billionaire mogul with vast stakes in banking, energy, security, telecoms and infrastructure, is intent on building permanence: structures of steel and ethos that will outlive gossip and endure beyond the news cycle. He dreams of ethical institutions, rooted in national renewal, and immune to the virus of cheap sabotage. And yes, in a fleeting detour, he spoke briefly of Adaobi Alagwu. “Meeting her,” he confessed with a shrug weighted by grace, “was one of the greatest mistakes of my life.” But he does not dwell there. That story, he insisted, has been “mercifully closed.”
Not a few people mistake him for the ghost of a fallen empire, a relic of a collapsed bank. But Ayeni is no ghost. Call him “Mr Renaissance” – a businessman whose story was never truly told, whose fall was overstated, and whose rise remains one of Nigeria’s most compelling chronicles of grace under siege.
There is no gainsaying Ayeni flowered amid a storm of intrigues; where men are swiftly mythologised and then mercilessly maligned, he stands as both legend and lesson. His name, once synonymous with the heights of banking and telecommunications, was dragged into the gutters of gossip and misrepresentation. For a season, Nigeria mistook the silhouette of a scandal for the sum of a man. But Ayeni’s real story begins long before the cameras clicked and long after the headlines faded.
Truth Stranger than Fiction…
The truth about Skye Bank’s fall is more political than procedural, he asserted. “Very soon, I will tell the full story. But for now, let it be known: the bank did not fail because it was mismanaged. The license was withdrawn. That’s all.”
As chairman, he insisted he had no executive role in loan disbursements or operational decisions. Most failures in Nigeria’s financial institutions stem from poor governance and corporate deceit, he said. According to him, he has seen a credit that was designed for real estate investment, but was made to look like it is a credit for an oil and gas business. And they—non-executive directors—were none the wiser.
Despite public scrutiny and regulatory harassment, Ayeni has emerged from that episode with his entrepreneurial fire intact. He can still feed his family, he said. “I’ve never held a government position. Everything I own, I earned by the grace of God and through legitimate means.”
The Shallowness of Tabloid Impressions
The Ayeni the tabloids captured is but a shallow sketch. Yes, he had encounters with the EFCC. Yes, he was investigated. But his version is sobering: “I’ve never held a government office. I’ve never been a political appointee. I’ve never laundered money. What I own, I can explain—line by line, deal by deal.” But perhaps his greatest frustration was the misrepresentation of his essence. “I am not what they painted,” he said. “I’m not reckless. I’m not arrogant. I’ve made mistakes, yes. But my life is not a headline, it is a book. And they read only the scandalous chapter.”
For Ayeni, the personal storm arrived wearing a smile. It is no longer a saga he wishes to relive, but he admits that his entanglement with Alagwu remains a personal nadir. “She represents a season of blindness,” he said. “And like all blindness, it cost more than I realised.”
He continued, “Let it be known, once and for all,” he declared, “that I was never married to Adaobi Alagwu in any true, legal, cultural, or moral sense. That story, that illusion, has been allowed to fester for too long, and I will no longer dignify it with silence.”
He dismissed claims that he is being pressured by his wife, business associates, or friends to publicly disown Alagwu or the child she claims he fathered. “No one is pushing me. No one has ever pushed me. This is not about external influence, it is about truth and closure,” he said, his voice a blend of steel and restraint.
“I will never accept Adaobi’s daughter, today, tomorrow, or forever. She’s not my child. I only have three children, and they are known, loved, and acknowledged by me,” Ayeni stated, unflinchingly. “It’s sad that I must address something so deeply personal in public, but I cannot continue to be shackled by rumours built on fiction. This is about safeguarding my name, my children’s legacy, and the truth that outlives noise.”
There was no marriage. There is no child. Let that lie rest.” Ayeni clears the air with surgical clarity. No more whispers. No more spin. “My name, my legacy, and my truth will not be hijacked by noise.” “No one is pushing me—not my wife, not business partners, not my friends”. This is my decision, and mine alone.” Ayeni slams claims that he was pressured to disown Alagwu and her child. “I am protecting my truth, not performing for headlines.”
With that, Ayeni closed the door on yet another ghost from a past he insists no longer defines him. What lies ahead, he affirms, is clarity, and the undistracted pursuit of a future crafted in peace, integrity, and purpose.
Their connection—once private—exploded into public acrimony. Accusations. Legal threats. Property disputes. Paternity tests. And finally, the court ruling: there was no marriage, no child, no truth to her claims. “I regret ever meeting her,” Ayeni said plainly, not out of anger, but from the deep sadness of misjudgment.
Cutting Losses and Moving on
For a man who once helmed one of Nigeria’s most prominent banks, Ayeni is not unfamiliar with high-stakes losses. But none, he claims, have wounded his spirit as deeply as his entanglement with Alagwu. In his own words, their relationship—if it could be called that—was choreographed by deceit. The ending came not with fanfare but with legal finality. “As we speak, the Magistrate Court in Dawaki, Abuja, on March 11, 2025, ruled to the effect that there was no marital affair between the lady and me, and that I am not responsible for her child. In any case, I was never the father; the child is not mine, and her desperation to pin the child on me goes to show the level of her classlessness. It is, therefore, clear that the episode has ended,” Ayeni revealed.
The marriage, or what the world imagined as one, is no more, he stressed. “It was never a proper marriage to begin with, and now it has been formally dissolved in the presence of our attorneys and family representatives.”
“When people refer to her as my ex-mistress, I hate hearing it because it’s one of the darkest moments of my life. I regret ever meeting that lady,” he said. “Initially, I was trying to manage the entire episode to protect my family, reputation, and legacy, but it quickly became obvious to me that I was dealing with a lowlife who would go to any length to take advantage of and blackmail me with the support of her family,” said Ayeni.
Reacting to conflicting narratives suggesting that despite his categorical denials, he continued to visit Alagwu and the child in question, Ayeni was blunt in his response: “No, that’s behind me. Perhaps once, when I was trying to manage her, to prevent her from going to the streets. But not anymore. I’ve truly moved on from that ill-fated relationship, and it’s important for her to understand and respect that decision.”
For Ayeni, such insinuations only serve to distract from his current focus—retrieving what is lawfully his and preserving the dignity of his legacy. “If she has any evidence that I still come around, let her publish it. I’ve made my position clear in the courts, in the media, and in every private conversation: I want no part in that chapter of my life. It would be silly of her to keep engaging me after all this.”
For someone like him, who often avoids social media drama because of the reputational fallout it raises for local and international business, he said, he did not want anything that could negatively affect his image when checks are being cleared out. “Unfortunately, characters like this lady know this and take advantage of it, believing that people like me cannot come out like them on social media platforms. However, sometimes, it gets to a point where, as a man, you have to come out and fight your battle, and that’s exactly what I had to do, and it’s what I’m still doing. Like I said earlier, it’s a regrettable episode for me, and I never wish such for even my enemy.
“It’s all behind me now,” Ayeni said, his voice steady, yet laced with the weary poise of a man who has walked through the fire and came out scorched but standing. Today, two properties once occupied by her and her mother are subjects of recovery proceedings. For Ayeni, it is no longer about possession but closure. “She’s a footnote in my story,” he said. “One I’ve turned the page on.”
Having closed the tumultuous chapter with Alagwu, Ayeni now finds himself confronting another unwelcome distraction steeped in the grime of alleged betrayal. In a petition dated June 13, 2025, Ayeni formally called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate a socialite, Gail Fajembola, for what he describes as a calculated and sustained fraud involving his property.
According to Ayeni, the luxury apartment located at K9-2, Ocean Parade, Banana Island, was offered to Ms. Fajembola strictly on compassionate grounds. “It is important to emphasise,” he said, “that I initially permitted Fajembola to temporarily reside in the apartment strictly on humanitarian grounds based on her pleas of homelessness at the time. This act of kindness by me was never intended to confer tenancy rights or authority to sublet on her.” Yet, without his knowledge or consent, he stressed, Fajembola, through her company, GIF Energy Resources Limited, allegedly leased out the apartment for over three years, amassing rental income estimated to exceed 100 million.
“She has continuously collected rent on the apartment for over three years, despite having no legal right, title or authority over the property. This fraudulent conversion has caused me significant financial loss and reputational damage,” said Ayeni.
For Ayeni, the pursuit is not just about restitution, but reputation. He is intent on silencing every lie, correcting every shadow, and reclaiming every inch of truth, one fact at a time.
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