Watch: Sir Olu Okeowo, Nigeria’s silent billionaire endorses K1 De Ultimate’s 50 years on stage concert

King Wasiu Ayinde Marshall (KWAM1) is gearing up on stage for his 50-years-on stage anniversary.

KWAM1 is a Nigerian Fuji singer and entertainer. His music is a combination of Juju, Apala, and Yoruba blues. He is also known as K1 de Ultimate, Igi Jegede, and Oba Orin, amongst his other monikers.

The veteran fuji musician sent his representatives to deliver a special invite to Nigerian billionaire and business mogul, Sir Olu Okeowo.

A video spotted online captured the moment Okeowo was seated in his expansive living room as KWAM1’s representatives were ushered in amid fanfare.

Popular fuji musician, Ayinde Wasiu, aka K1 De Ultimate, is currently planning an event to celebrate his 50 years on stage.

Slated for August, the event will take place at the Oriental Hotel, Lekki, Lagos, and has been tagged, ‘The Journey’.

K1 started his career as a member of the late Ayinde Barrister’s band between 1975 and 1978, after serving earlier as an ‘instrument packer’.

He went on to release his first album titled, ‘Abode Mecca’, in 1980. Four years later, he released ‘Talazo’ which is still regarded as one of his most successful bodies of work.

But who is Sir Olu Okeowo, Nigeria’s silent billionaire?

Sir Clement Oluwatumininu Okeowo is an illustrious Nigerian and one of the country’s silent billionaires. Unfortunately, not much is known about him besides his famous fleet of cars and a few philanthropic initiatives that he has championed.

Olu Okeowo, as he is more commonly known, is the founder of Gibraltar Construction Nigeria Limited and indeed, there is more to him than meets the eye.

One can say that he was born into affluence. His father, Pa Taiwo Victor Okeowo was a millionaire businessman and a choirmaster at the Methodist Church of Nigeria. Olu recalls that his parents were quite strict and he had to spend significant time indoors after school.

“My father was very conservative and he wanted all of us to be modelled along the same conservative lines. He was a choirmaster and my mum is equally a simple person as well. She was a full-time housewife. I had to go to church on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for choir practice.”

The result of this was that the young Olu did not have any room for childish and teenage adventures until he moved away from home to school in Austria and the Caribbean. He studied Medical Technology briefly in Austria before proceeding to the Caribbean where he studied medicine. He returned to Nigeria in the late eighties and started his house job at St Nicholas hospital in Lagos.

In December 2018, Sir Okeowo was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Science degree by the Wesley University, Ondo State.

Okeowo has also displayed several acts of philanthropy including the Sir Olu Okeowo Physiotherapy Centre which he donated to the College of Medicine, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, LUTH. The centre is said to be the biggest physiotherapy centre in West Africa.

His love for luxury cars is also well-known with his fleet said to be worth about N2 billion. He is known for throwing lavish parties as well, making some folks nickname him the ‘King of luxury.’ According to the billionaire, luxury is whatever gives him peace of mind.

Okeowo makes a great effort to keep his private life shielded from the press, although news about him often filters into the public domain. Some have estimated his net worth to be about $250 million but this cannot be confirmed.

He is well travelled and speaks Spanish, Latin, and Portuguese. His travels, he says, have influenced his personal taste although he tries to keep his designs in Nigeria practical and cost-effective, with British finishings to enhance durability.

Sir Clement Oluwatumininu Okeowo is also a Knight of John Wesley.