My friend Yemi Edun is a huge Real Estate mogul with a network that spreads almost across the globe
He was the one who officially made history yesterday by being my host as I became the first man ever to wear dreads into the hallowed halls of Nigeria’s premier bastion of elitist convergence-The Metropolitan Club
This club is over 60 years old and counts some of Nigeria’s cleanest-cut elites as Members
Membership is carefully curated, and I hear entry is about N5m, and then you pay about N600, 000 annually
The facilities are decidedly elegant and covered with conservative allure, with lounges, bars, meeting rooms, all complemented with relaxation and lifestyle spots like a salon, swimming pool and the like
Such grand, old, and iconic figures like Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Fola Adeola, Biodun Shobanjo, Segun Osoba, to mention a few a major members
Don’t get it wrong. Yesterday wasn’t my first time there.
I was there as Chief Emeka Anyaoku’s guest at his 90th, and also as a private guest of Prince Bimbo Olashore, who I’ve not heard from in a bit.
Yesterday, was, however, my very first official visit to their famed Tuesday lunch
This tradition has been going on for years, and it involves members formally attired trooping in to savour the warm and succinctly engaging unfolding of an ongoing tradition complete with its discipline and pull.
I already knew what the dress code was, and I adhered strictly to it
I hadn’t worn a suit in 20 years and had built a reputation for nonconformity
I had visited Heads of State, top international figures and attended the most gilded events as ME
But somehow, the Metropolitan Club deserved my respect, so I stole into a Navy blue suit, with a UI crested tie and a beautiful white buttoned-down linen shirt gifted to me by debonair Robert Mbonu
I arrived at exactly 1.45 and headed to the Salon, where Yemi was having a shave
He tells me there is a no-tip tradition, and that year-end, the Club rewards its many staff.
We moved to the foyer and ordered drinks from the well-stocked bar
By this time, some members had started arriving, and I saw iconic investment banker Tolu Osinubi
Tolu and I had crossed paths at FCMB before I left, and he left for FSDH
One Turkish gentleman approached and gave a wonderful story of how his mother-in-law, apparently a Nigerian, had driven AMA Akinloye, the Second Republic strongman, in her car booth across the Border during the 1983 coup and got a wristwatch in return
This is the Metropolitan Club, and a strong member at that, so I would not use the word Fabu in describing that story as I smiled and swallowed spittle.
A gentleman now took the Mic and made some announcements on behalf of the President, and new members, one recently retired from NNPC, were introduced
We were then ushered into the huge hall, and the four-course meal was served
I gathered that members have their tables, and we were sat at the diplomatic table headed by no less a personality than Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, Nigeria’s former Minister of International Affairs
Table One was sat by some big people, with me recognising only Chief Segun Osoba, the legendary Newspaper man and APC Chieftain
As we ate, I scoured the room looking for recognisable faces
Tony Ndah, the big surveyor; Nnamdi Okonkwo, former GMD of FBN Holdings; the Junior Shobanjo, who is a top shot at the NGX; and Lanre Runsewe, the real estate mogul, immediately caught my attention
The food was pleasant, service was efficient, waiters courteous, and the well-dressed GM was moving around making sure that everything was moving smoothly.
I learnt that you don’t stand up during lunch except to go serve yourself, and you leave networking to dessert or after it
The President made some announcements, including announcing Aigboje Aig Imoukhuede’s 60th and also the presence of one dignitary from California
As he spoke, I looked at the portraits of its founding fathers and recognised only Chief Emeka Anyaoku
The whole place and setting just came across as a very good attempt at replicating the deeply respected gentlemen’s clubs that you would find in aristocratic England and arrogantly presumptuous America
But in this case, you see a broad categorisation of members – starry-eyed and aspirational young guns, fulfilled middle-aged gentry and aristocratic medieval types who are over 70 years old but still maintain a strong hold on top elitist society
I did not notice a fluidity between these classes and cannot say if it is also part of the tradition during lunch
The young ones stayed in their corners; the babas sat at their tables, while the middle-class fulfilled ones also stayed in their corner
The young ones love the optics of being members and being seen, the middle ones enjoying themselves more, while the old gentry, bogged down with old age wahala, looked bored, sleepy and disturbed as they struggled to live by the suffocating traditions they inherited and swore to uphold
As lunch came to an end, the members and their guests moved out, and their expensive cars lined up to pick them up
Would I want to be a member if offered the opportunity? NO
Cos for me is not the staid discipline that comes with suffocating traditions and stifling behavioural dictates that would seize my breath
But for its Members, it provides a brilliant bridge to leadership, an entry into the tiny world of power and influence and a positioning that millions would die to have
For me, I wish them well, and I appreciate the gesture, if for nothing else, for the food
Come and beat me
Thanks
Duke of Shomolu
Last modified: October 5, 2026
