One woman who is doing very well in the education and interior décor sector is Ekua Abudu Akinsanya. The thorough bred and well thought woman is very brainy. She is one of the very few women who usually blow their trumpets, she is very quiet and she has in her little corner, her best friend of over 3 decades in the person of Toyin Saraki, the wife of Ex-Senate President , Bukola Saraki.Her face might not be as popular as her friend, but within the sector she is, she plays big.
Her friendship with Toyin Saraki dates back their childhood days. They have been very close since when they were young. They oractically grew up together and have been deeply involved in each other. Their family has also become family friends. They are the duo who does things together. They step out for parties together and have been a recurring decimal at many events in the last few years.
To their children, they have both play motherly roles all the time and because of the love and trust that exist between both, their children has counted both as their mothers, whether biological or as family friendship by extension.
one of such moments was when Ekua Abudu Akinsanya played a prominent and motherly role at Toyin Saraki, daughter, Halimas wedding in Lagos few years back. She stood solidly behind Toyin Saraki to make sure the wedding was hitch free. Hardly will you see any family events of any of them that they will both not honour. They are so close to each other and very involved in each other’s business. They are 2 inseparable duo when it comes family. Their family are also very close to each other especially their mothers, Ekua is the daughter of celebrity matriachnd fabric merchant, Modupe Sagoe behind the sagoe gele brand while Toyin Sraraki is the daughter of another society matriach, Dame Ojuolape Ojora who are in the 80s now.
They have been sighted at many uncountable prominent events together, such as when the WBFA President, Toyin Saraki Hosts SOAS Director, University of London, Baroness Valerie Amos In Lagos, When Ekua ABUDU newly launched Vocational and Professional Development Academy (VPDA) Yaba, Lagos. At the IWS 60th investiture of Ego Boyo as new president, their private birthdays, family events and many more.
Infact to solidify, how close they are, few years back, Ekua Abudu remarried at age 53, the news was broken by her childhood friend, Toyin Saraki, wife of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.. Mrs Saraki’s several posts on Instagram of the new couple and their guests dripped pure elation. She wrote, “To God be the Glory. And a lovely surprise! Congratulations to my darling friend Ekua and her beau, Mr Femi Akinsanya on the occasion of their Marriage Blessing Ceremony, yesterday.”
Ekua and Toyins friendship has indeed come to stay. Living her life like its golden, 3 years after she turned 50, she got married to Femi Akinsanya, an elderly art collector, investment banker, freelance financial advisor and private equity investor who returned the sheen to her skin again and made her smile-wide grin even broader.
Ekua is an unabashed art lover while Femi’s interest in African art is said to date back to his childhood in Ibadan, Oyo State, where he grew up surrounded by indigenous artworks that played a major role in daily life, culture and religious rituals. The Femi Akinsanya African Art Collection in Lagos is a premier gallery of African art consisting of sculptures from all major regions of Nigeria along with canonical examples of artworks of Yoruba, Igbo, Urhobo, Cross River and Benue origins and bronze and brass sculptures from the 20th Century interregnum periods of art from the Edo Kingdom of Benin.
Ekua Abudu is an attorney, instructor, inside decorator, and all-around financial specialist, Ekua Abudu, who is the proprietress of Greenwood House School, Ikoyi, one of the chief private academies in Lagos, which she set up with her auntie, Mrs. Iyabo Margaret Durand. Ekua is the main offspring of attorney and financial specialist Taiwo Sagoe, and Modupe Sagoe, a fruitful material business person in Lagos. Sisi Modupe as she is affectionately called is honored with three kids, Ekua Abudu (Nee Sagoe), Koffi Sagoe, and Araba Morakinyo (Nee Sagoe), the cake virtuoso. Sisi Modupe was the substance of the HOH Swiss headgear, Gele Sagoe. The lawyer and chartered administrator is the former president of International Women’s Society, IWS; and the current Chairperson, Interior Designers Association of Nigeria.
Ekua holds a Nursery Foundation Teaching Diploma from the London Montessori Centre and has served on the board of several education institutions such as the FSP Nursery/Primary School (a Nigerian Federal Government project), White Dove School and she is one of the Trustees of Nigerian International School Association, NISA.
She is also active in several charitable organisations such as The Well Being Foundation, (Toyin Saraki’s foundation )where she is the Education Consultant, EC, a member of Olave Balden Powell Society, which founded the Girls Guide, a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and Musical Society of Nigeria. Ekua has a natural flair for interior designing and has been involved in several projects in Nigeria.Founder, Vocational and Professional Development Academy).
Her new husband, Femi, is an accomplished chartered accountant and one of the most distinguished Nigerians that has achieved distinction in their various professional careers. He is the chairman of First Ally Capital, a client-driven financial services firm.
Ekua is aseasoned administrator with a proven ability to lead, manage, develop and grow organisations into high performance institutions.This includes a successful track record working in a pioneering environments, managing change and creating opportunities for growth and development. Invaluable strong relationship management experience as well as the ability to effectively engage with a diverse range of stakeholders at the highest levels has facilitated the consistent demonstration of successfully achieving optimal results, even in a challenging operating environments. Her additional experiences include formulating, developing and implementing new strategies aimed at adding value.
-TAYO OYEDIJI
(08111811219)
