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By Funsho Arogundade
For weeks, the low-key fairytale wedding of energy magnate, Femi Otedola’s daughter, Temiloluwa, and Afrobeats star cum entrepreneur, Oluwatosin Ajibade— popularly known as Mr. Eazi— was held with no tabloid news merchants having an inkling or any video leaked. It was a very hush private and classy wedding. Temi and Mr. Eazi’s nuptials was an exhibition of quiet sophistication and class. The bride’s billionaire father spared no expenses to make his last daughter’s matrimonial journey a bliss.
The trilogy of ceremonies —held across Monaco, Dubai, and Reykjavik, the coastal capital city of Iceland— was demure but very riveting. It carried a $15 million price tag, making it the most expensive wedding in African history. Not only that, the wedding set a fresh benchmark for how wealthiest families and cultural figures commemorate love. The spectacle has redefined the boundaries of luxury and cultural celebration on the African continent. Africa’s richest man and one of the privileged VIP guests, Aliko Dangote, described it as the most important wedding of the year. Indeed, there’s money and there’s wealth.
It started on Friday May 9 with their official legal wedding ceremony at Mairie de Monaco in Monte Carlo. There were no distractions, no fanfare at their low-key legal wedding: just the couple and two witnesses. But after their civil celebration, Temi and her hubby decided to let their family and friends in on the fun and have two more wedding days! Then came Saturday July 5 when they had their traditional engagement at the Otedola family’s villa in the exclusive Dubai Hills Estate.
The celebration had select family members and friends in attendance. The engagement evening peaked with a performance by music legend King Sunny Ade inside a grand draped tent at the villa backyard followed by a massive after-party held in the family home’s basement, which was turned into a shisha lounge. It was controlled by DJ Edu and Diplo.
The grand finale took place a month later —precisely August 8— with a white wedding at Reykjavík’s Hallgrímskirkja Cathedral Church where they exchanged vows amidst most beautiful solemn energy officiated by Holy Trinity Brompton, HTB Church London’s Pastor Tash Kusi. The reception followed at Kleif Farm in Mosfellsbær, Iceland, with an exclusive guest list of 80 persons including Dangote; Abdul Samad Rabiu, Tunde Folawiyo as well as some of leading fintech moguls Shola Akinlade, Iyinoluwa Aboyeji, and Chika Nwobi.
Amidst the festivities, the bride and most guests took notice of a solo piano floating on water and were wondering who could be coming. But Mr. Eazi had a surprise for his bride: he had secretly booked John Legend to serenade Temi. The American Grammy-winning soul singer and pianist performed ‘All of Me’ for the couple to have their first dance followed by other hit songs.
Eight years ago, Mr. Eazi was bold enough to walk up to a billionaire’s daughter and ask her out. As their relationship leaked, the internet mocked and dragged him. He was labeled a gold digger. But the dude stood firm in what he believed. He found love and stayed with love. Today, that billionaire’s daughter is so proud to carry his surname without attaching her father’s name. But Mr. Eazi isn’t a carpetbagger. He is not just a music star but a visionary entrepreneur, a strategic investor, and a true big boy making a global impact.
Long before the 34 year-old EMPAWA Inc boss achieved fame as an artist, he had already established himself as an entrepreneur. He built his own empire in entrepreneurship and thrived. Not a few would remember his early days as an amiable fellow and quite cool headed hustler in Computer Village, Ikeja, Lagos where he plied his trade in the IT business. That’s one of the reasons why his marriage to Temi came with ease and confidence. Together, they represent a new generation of power couples in Africa’s business and entertainment scene.
