•When City People Started In Nov. 1996
(1) GRACE EGBAGBE-In those early days Grace Egbagbe was one of the Glamorous women we wrote about. She was in charge of Marketing at NTA. She was one of the most visible women in NTA. Before then she was incharge of Programmes at NTA which she joined in 1978. She was the one that created Cock Crow At Dawn years back when the government placed a lot of emphasis on farming. She started her career as a Principal Education Officer in Benin City before she transfered her services to NTA. She has 2 lovely kids, a boy and a girl. They are now grown ups.
(2) NIKKI KHIRAN-She was always been a designer. Nikki is no stranger to the haute couture world in London. She was born and brought up there. She is a trained tailor from the London College of Fashion, with a degree in Fashion Design and Tailoring.
(3) JOKO ONI-She was one of the celebrity ladies who rocked City People in the early 2000s. Her nickname has always been GoldRush. She used to live in Ibadan before she relocated to Lagos.
(4) DUPE JEMIBEWON-She is the wife of Gen. David Jemibewon the then Minister for Police Affairs. She was a top society woman.
(5) QUINCY AYODELE-She had a popular nickname then. She was called QUINCY, The Herbal Slimmer. Chief Mrs. Quincy Ayodele operated from her 16 Awolowo Road, Federal Civil Service Club, Ikoyi. She was into General Herbal Slimming, Burst Reduction, Bust Firming/Enhacement, Losing 4kg in 6 hours, all treatments with natural herbs without side effects. She is today the No 1 Herbal Slimmer & many more.
(6) SIMI ONABANJO-She is the beautiful woman behind Stop Centre around Opebi/Allen/Toyin Street Roundabout. She is married to Dipo Onabanjo, a real estate guru.
(7) KIKI OKIGBO-She is one of the 3 lovely daughters of renowned Economist, Dr. Pius Okigbo. She ran a flourishing printing company called TORCH in Ikeja Lagos, owned by her father. She was the MD and her dad was Chairman. She was a banker in her early years. She started banking from IMB in the 80’s. She then moved on to 2 other banks. She wore lowcut. She just woke up one morning and said she wanted to be blonde.
(8) TOKUNBO OGUNSANYA-She was one of the top society women then. She is nee Ajanaku. She is married to Tayo Ogunsanya, the owner of Ivory Health Club. She is a lawyer. She is the sister of Chief Victor Ayela, the rich businessman who owns Iwopin Paper Mill.
(9) LANRE OJORA-She is the widow of late Prince Bade Ojora of MOBIL. In her younger days she was very popular. She was sociable and stylish. She was so in love with her husband who told her not to remarry before he died. That is the understanding she had with her late husband who made her the sole beneficiary of his estate. “My husband has given me everything any man can give to a woman he loves. He actually asked me not to marry again. He would also want me to keep his name…”, she told City People in year 2000.
(10) JUMOKE AKINJIDE-She is the beautiful daughter of late Chief Richard Akinjide, the Minister of Justice during Shagari regime. We wrote about her then. She is a lawyer like her late dad and then she used to run her dad’s Akinjide & Co. She used to be married to Stephen Balogun, the son of Chief Kola Balogun in Ibadan. Both of them were lawyers in the same firm before they both went their separate ways.
(11) FOLAKE ST. MATTHEW DANIEL-She was a top society woman in those days. She is the widow of late Dr. St. Matthew Daniel. She was once married to late Femi Babalola Johnson, Chairman of an Ibadan based Insurance company, Femi Johnson & Co. who died of Stroke at the age of 53 in Weisbaden, Germany in 1987.
(12) TEENA OKOTIE-She is the beautiful ex-wife of Pastor Chris Okotie. Until they parted ways. She lived abroad in the U.S. They got married on the 27th March, 1984.
(13) FUNMI AJILA-25 years back, everything that this beautiful lady did then was news worthy. This was because at that time, at a relatively young age, she had risen to become not only a top celebrity, but a top fashion designer who was the designer of choice for all the top society woman in Nigeria. She was also a super model. Just mention Funmi Ajila in those good old days and see how heads would turn. She was then called Funmi Ajila-Ofik but today, after remarrying she is known as Funmi Ajila-Ladipo. She is the founder of Regalia.
(14) CHITO MARK-Oh! We wrote a lot about her in those days. She is the lady behind Graces Hats on Toyin Street. She has been making hats for 41 years and she is still up and standing. Over the last 25 years she has been silently keeping the women’s head graceful with her hats. She is a renowned milliner.
(15) LAILA ST. MATTHEW DANIEL-She is the widow of late Dr. Bode St. Matthew Daniel, a Lagos dental surgeon and successful businessman. In those good old days she looked stunning. She had this well-sculptured face that would make a man take a 2nd look. She is the mother of Femi Kuti’s ex-wife Funke. She is part lebanese, part Sierra Leone and part Efik.
(16) YINKA OSOBU-She is the delectable daughter of late human rights lawyer, Kanmi Ishola Osobu. She is a big player in the Furniture business. She came into the country in 1996, at the time City People was founded, after the death of her father and decided that she was not going back to the US. She set up Chicago Merchandising Company Ltd (CMC) which has over the years been redefining style & high taste.
Though she specialised in Child Therapy at Loyola University Chicago, her choice of Furniture and Interiors is because of her mum, Susan Ruth Pomeranc. She is Swiss. She has been into interiors for the past 25 years.
(17) THE LANVAL SISTERS-We wrote about this set of beautiful sisters. They are the Lanval Sisters. Let’s tell you about them. The eldest of them is Mrs. Ajoke Mohammed, wife of late head of state, Gen. Murtala Mohammed There is also Toberu, Nene, Ireti, Seyi & Annabel Fine country.
(18) We also wrote about The KAS Chicken Chicks: Folake & Sade. They are an exciting duo. KAS Chicken was one of the hottest food joints in town then. In those good old days the 2 Kassim sisters, Folake Kassim-Kuku, popularly called Folly and Sade Kassim-Obioha. They successfully managed the Ikeja & Itire outlets of the business they inherited from their late father, while their brother, Ade Kassim, also runs another outlet. They got into the business after their father died in 1994. It was a business which was started in 1972 by their dad.
(19) PRISCILLIA SHOYEMI-At that she was one of the hot celebrity ladies of that era. Pretty looking Priscillia Shoyemi worked with the Federal Ministry of Information. She is a close friend of Senator Daisy Danjuma. She was a top society woman of that era who attended all the major high profile parties of that era.
(20) HAJIA MAIRO BASHIR-In those good old days in the banking world, she was big. Who didn’t know Hajia Mairo Bashir, one of the 3 top General Managers at UBA. She is in charge of General Administration and Corporate Affairs. She is deeply religious.
(21) DUPE MAKO-ALABI-She is beautiful. She is stunning. She is the beautiful lady who owned Style Boutique on Awolowo Road.
(22) ALALI HART-She is the lady behind the beauty clinic called The CLARINS Place, located within the Eko Hotel Shopping Complex, Lagos. Alali ran a skincare place. She owns a company called Montague Ltd and they are the exclusive agents of the Clarins brand.
(23) SHOLA ELEGBEDE-She is the widow of Vice Admiral Tunde Elegbede who was assasinated in Lagos in the 90s, by unknown persons.
(24) The WELLINGTON Sisters-She is one of the 3 lovely Wellington Sisters made up of Sade, Titi and Gbemi.
(25) NANA DE SOUZA-She was a top celebrity then. She wrote a regular weekly column for City People. She has been in the media for decades. She wrote Naana’s Bite.
(26) DEBBIE OGUNJOBI-Haaa! who didn’t know Debbie Ogunjobi in the late 90s and early 2000s. She is a city clothier who built a 25 year old brand called Everywoman. Her shop was No 1 in Lagos.
(27) Dr. IFY NWAKWESI-She ran The Health House in Victoria Island then. The Health House was the one stop shop for Unique Health Programme and products. She was anti stress doctor. She used to consult for many celebrity woman.
(28) Rosemary Okeke-WRIGHT- Do you remember her? Can you still remember the lady called Rosemary Okeke? She was a former beauty queen. She won Miss Nigeria crown in 1984.
(29) NORAH ANUSIONWU-Where is the Delta Soap TV Girl? She was only 25 then. From Imo. The UAC Supreme Ice Cream TV Advert which she did in 1993 shot her to lime light as a model. Though a model, Norah doubled as an actress. She participated in the 1997 edition of Silverbirds Most Beautiful Girl Contest.
(30) TOYIN FAGBAYI-She was only 36 then when City People began to write about her. She is the daughter of late Civil Engineer, Chief Modin Fagbayi who in his lifetime was a close associate of top Yoruba politicians like late Senator Abraham Adesanya. She rose from being a ordinary member of the Alliance for Democracy to the leadership of the party as the National Welfare Officer of AD. She was seen as the political daughter of Senator Abraham Adesanya.
(31) AYO OBE-At that time she was the petite and pretty CLO President. She is beautiful and intelligent. She was neck deep in the human rights group. She is married to AD Obe. Many don’t know she is Yoruba from Ibadan in Oyo State.
(32) BIMBO OLOYEDE-Does the name ring a bell? Do you still remember her? She was known as Bimbo Roberts in those good old days. She later got married to Tunde Oloyede, a collague of hers NTA. He is late now.
(33) IBINABO FIBERESIMA-Many known her as an Actress. We knew her way back as an ex-beauty queen and owner of Pyramid Nite Club on Aboyade Cole in Victoria Island, Lagos.
(34) JENNIFER MADIKE-Tough woman. Do you still remember Jennifer Madike, the tough and pretty lady who got herself entangled with former NDLEA boss, Chris Oyakhilome? She was to later fall in love and married Navy Commander Mike Ojo (rtd).
(35) HAJIA BOLA SHAGAYA-City People started 25 yrs ago with the story of this woman who is less than 10 years built up for herself a solid business empire. She grew up in Ilorin. She schooled in Ilorin. She brought in Iconica Films to Nigeria. She was into Base Oil. She did Property and Commodity trading.
(36) DERIN OGEDENGBE-She is the very beautiful daughter of late T.A Braithwaite, the Insurance Brokers. She is the first child of her family. She is so prim & proper. She is a product of Finishing School in Switzerland. She spent 9 months there. She was only 17.
(37) BIMBO CARDOSO-She is the wife of Yemi Cardoso, veteran banker and former Lagos Communer. She is the daughter of late Otunba T.O.S Benson.
(38) ALERO EDU-She is still very much around, she presents a programme on Channels TV every Saturday. She was a topshot at Quadrant and left to set up PR Distinction, her own PR Firm. She studied German & French at U.I. Shes had stints with FRCN.
(39) RUTH BENAMAISIA-OPIA- Until she dropped off the scene, she was one of Nigeria’s most celebrated newscasters. For very many years she wore rasta hair.
(40) ADESUWA ONYENOKWE-At that time this beautiful lady presented one-on-one on NTA Channel 5 with Ohi Alege. She has had a successful career in broadcasting. Adesuwa is a native of Oredo in Edo State but was born in Ibadan in 1963. She grew up in Benin.
(41) MOJI DOKPESI- She is the beautiful and ageless looking wife of the owner of DAAR Communications (AIT and Ray Power) Chief Raymond Dokpesi and sister to veteran broadcaster, Kenny Ogungbe. This pretty lady was quite visible within the social circle back then and featured prominently in many editions of City People. Today, she has slowed down and prefers a more quiet lifestyle.
(42) TONIA OGBORO-She is the wife of Polo player Francis Ogboro. She had a thriving business then called Face Facts Salon is Victoria Island, Lagos with a resolve to change the face of the beauty industry in Nigeria. She set up Face Facts in 1990. She is Edo but was born in England. She was partially raised in England. She got married in Lagos in 1990 though their relationship started in 1979. They courted for 11 years.
(43) FRANCIS OGHENE-She was one of those City People wrote about then. This charming lady ran a shop at Foreshore Towers. She was a very successful lady that time.
(44) ANGELA ONYEADOR-She ruled the social scene in those good old days. This hazel eyed lady had that charm. She is always tastefully dressed.
(45) PELEBO BANIGO-She is the lovely wife of Chief Ebitimi Banigo, the then Minister of Science & Technology. She was in her early 40s then. She looked stunning. Now she is in her late 60s. She is an extremely beautiful Cross River woman, blessed with lovely large eyeballs, that are alluring.
(46) RITA KUKU-Oh she was hot then. She looked stunning. She was a highflying female lawyer, the ex-wife of Chief Dr. Olorogun Kuku.
(47) COMFORT OBI-She is one of Nigeria’s leading female journalists. She was Editor of Chris Anyanwu’s defunct TSM Magazine. She left to set up her own weekly magazine The Sourcee of which she is the Publisher/Editor-In-Chief.
(48) MARY INEGBE-The lady who spent on Hats. At that time wherever the wife of Chief Mike Inegbese walked into any party all eyes usually go in her direction. She wears wide brim hats.
(49) LAVONNE CELE TAWO-She was a popular Milliner of that era.
(50) NKIRU ANUMUDU-She has always been in a world of her own. She has always been one of the most fashionable women of her generation. She is the wife of auto merchant William Anumudu, who is the owner of Globe Motors. She spends a fortune looking good. She dresses so gorgeously and she stands out with her captivating look. She loves to wear contact lense of different colours giving her eyeballs different colours as she desires.
(51) NIKE OGUNLESI-She is the beautiful woman behind Ruff N Tumble. Adenike Ogunlesi is one tough businesswoman with a strong staying power. She is the wife of Ade Ogunlesi. She has been running Ruff & Tumble for close to 30 years. She specialises in Children’s clothing.
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