3rd August, 2015
Funsho Arogundade
Photo: Pulseng
For those lucky enough to get invited to the blow-out bash and the opening of DJ Cuppy’s first-ever Pan-Africa 8-Country tour inside the plush Marquee of Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday night, they were treated to the hedonistic side of Nigeria’s billionaires.
Many of these powerful figures had turned up in drove at the star studded Lagos edition of the tour tagged #CuppyTakesAfrica put together by Florence Ifeoluwa Otedola aka DJ Cuppy, talented DeeJay daughter of Lagos business mogul, Femi Otedola. And from their very restrictive elevated section of the venue (which nearly caved in due to overcrowding), the titans proved to all that they were not all about making money, but also know how to party hard.
The partying-power circle included top politicians, investing titans, oil barons, banking magnates, private equity mavens, media moguls and other celebrities led by Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote.
Also present were Dangote’s younger brother, Sanni; Edo State governor Adams Oshiomhole and pretty wife, Lara; former Cross River and Ekiti State governors Donald Duke and Otunba Niyi Adebayo respectively; Nigerian Stock Exchange CEO Oscar Onyeama; Tony Elumelu; Wale Tinubu; Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Herbert Wigwe; Segun Agbaje; Dapo Abiodun; Tayo Ayeni; Dele Momodu; Kunle Bakare and Mo Abudu among others.
Photo: Pulse
They all became eyes of attraction as they mingled, pumped hands, shared finest champagne and other gourmet treats they can get down their gullets while the hostess, DJ Cuppy, alongside other top DJs, dropped high energy hit songs from local and international music stars.
“This is more or less a soiree for the big boys and girls than a concert for regular guys. These billionaires have turned themselves to a stunning spectacle and have distracted many as not every day one have opportunity of seeing them together in their raw element,” an entertainment journalist with a national daily said.
Aside the billionaires’ jaunty spectacle, the plush event, hosted by MTV Base VJ Ehiz, lived up to its billing with many of the top DJs and producers including seasoned DJ Jimmy Jatt, DJ Caise, DJ Obi, DJ Xclusive, DJ Olu, DJ Hazan, DJ Nana, Legendary Beatz, Spellz, Studio Magic, Leriq and Young John, were all on hand to perform. They exhibited their mastery of turntable as they delivered electrifying, good music and pure entertainment.
In between the acts, top comedian Ali Baba made a cameo appearance to entertain the top notch guests.
DJ Cuppy, who was the main act of the concert, had a two-part performance. Supported by a dance group, she delivered a cocktail of mix that cut across all genres of music from house to pop, reggae, Afro-pop, garage, Afro beat, and Afro-Juju.
The highlight of her delivery was the performance of the Tunji Oyelana’s classic “I Love My Country”. She was backed by a dance group waving Nigerian Green-White-Green flag and an impressive fireworks display to cap off the gig.
The next stop of the very ambitious #CuppyTakesAfrica tour, supported by GT Bank plc and Dangote Foundation, will be Dakar, Senegal on 5 August. From there, the train will move to Accra, Ghana on 7 August; Nairobi, Kenya on 10 August; Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on 15 August; Kigali, Rwanda on 21 August; Kampala, Uganda on 22 August and made a final stop in Johannesburg, South Africa on 29 August.