Nigerian businessman and former chairman of defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. From the look of things, his woes seem to be growing by the day.

In a classic gentleman style, Ayeni made an attempt to put the recurring episodes of bad press behind him when he issued a statement a few weeks ago addressing some of the issues.

“I wish to state that, indeed, Ms Adaobi Alagwu and I had a relationship, which has since ended and, as well-meaning Nigerians can imagine, it was a mistake that has caused my family much pain, which I regret and I do not wish to continue reliving as a section of the media continues to make me do,” he said while admitting their relationship was a mistake. 

Ayeni’s woes began when news of his romantic escapade with an Abuja-based lawyer, Adaobi Alagwu, said to be classmates with his daughter in law school and who had once dated Ayeni’s friend, hit the press.

According to Sahara Reporters, Ayeni had an extramarital affair with Adaobi Alagwu. Their relationship, though toxic as described by those who know them, led a child that he denied. Even though Ayeni and Adaobi’s relationship was well known in social circles in Abuja despite it being a stain on his reputation and marriage, they flaunted the relationship with reckless abandon, thus making his initial denial of their relationship and alleged child laughable.

“Realising his folly and how badly the relationship impugned on his already battered image, he attempted to save himself by denying the mistake that the relationship was”, one of his associates was quoted to have said.

In his attempt to repair his ailing reputation, Ayeni made a panic move several months ago by issuing a press statement and also denying the paternity of a child he allegedly fathered with Adaobi. The press release was presumed to have opened more cans of worms as over the next couple of weeks, new revelations upon revelations flooded the media space about his affair with Adaobi.  

Multiple media reports about his relationship with Adaobi led to the press digging into his businesses, debts with  the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria and his recent political foray and association with the PDP and, by extension, Atiku Abubakar.

In 2022, AMCON took over the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) Ltd. The action followed a judgement by the Federal High Court which granted orders in favour of AMCON as receiver-manager of Integrated Energy Distribution and Marketing (IEDM) Limited, IBEDC’s core investor, over defaults in a loan service agreement with Polaris Bank involving Tunde Ayeni to the tune of over N230 billion.

It was also reported that during the heat of his media battle with Adaobi, policemen acting on the orders of Adaobi arrested and subsequently detained the editor and a reporter of TheNewsGuru, Ediri Oyibo and Paul Utebor. The journalists were arrested by the officers from Nigeria Police Zone 7 Headquarters, Abuja, on Wednesday, February 22, following a petition by Adaobi. 

She was said to have accused them of publishing a story, which she described to be defamatory, on the paternity of her child with Nigerian businessman and former chairman of defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni.

With all these going on and the failure of PDP at the February 25 presidential polls, Ayeni is now said to have swallowed his pride and begun an extensive consultation, visitations and begging his perceived enemies and allies in the ruling party to seek their good graces. His emissaries are said to be knocking on doors, kneeling, prostrating and begging on his behalf.

Ayeni’s latest moves, even while being the head honcho and strategist coordinating the election petition tribunal team for Atiku, begs the question: would he have been humble had PDP won the elections? Would he be reaching out with olive branches if he was in power, or is it all a move in desperation to save his reputation and dwindling finances? Would he ever be held accountable for being a serial failure at the highest levels with a string of businesses he ran aground, including Syke Bank, NTEL, IBEDC, and AMCON debts? Will men like him continue to represent the values of Nigerians?

Many might wonder why Tunde Ayeni has continued to feature in the media space, and some might even dismiss this news as a calculated vendetta against his person. Truth is, this is a great story not only from the point of a constructive and investigative journalism perspective but also from that of a yearning, growing society of discernment which continues to call for accountability. Any government driven by a value proposition of merit cannot dismiss this story. 

The story is rich in scandals, a top corporate player, a discredited lover young enough to be his daughter, and arrests of journalists. And when you link this self-styled reputable corporate player to the country’s national asset that has been mishandled and ruined by his recklessness in the face of a hungry population crying for accountability you have a great story. Ntel, Skye Bank, IBEDC and more all lie in his wake, yet the man continues to walk around free, representing the country! Where are our values?

One thing is clear in the middle of all the crises Ayeni seems to be facing, he remains one of the few Nigerians with access within the corridors of power, but his reputation with multiple failed businesses, paternity scandals, multiple relationship scandals, debts and insincerity leaves him in a precarious position and moves at seeking peace from perceived foes might be a big effort in futility.

Abu Muhammad wrote from Abuja and sponsored this article.