I had received the invite to this wedding quite late and immediately sent my apologies but Amaju the influential internationally regarded Sporting diplomat would have none of that – you must come, he said
Of course, I could not make it but kept a close tab on the event and the reason was simple
When Amaju got nominated into the Maddtimes power list Coffee table, his nomination received a lot of pushback
Some said, ‘Oh, Amaju does not deserve to be on the list.’ Others queried his tenor at the NFF but the most vociferous push back came from his kinsmen who went ahead to justify the saying that a prophet has no honour in his home
I thought differently and thankfully those who nominated him also thought the same and stuck to their position
I have been curating power and influence for over ten years now culminating in this huge 537-page book that is about to explode and redefine how we look at power and influence in our society
It was late Sunday evening and my phone suddenly rang
I, like billions of people all over the world was watching the World Cup finals and as such didn’t want any kind of distractions
It was Amaju and he was calling on video. I knew he was in that stadium and I also knew in that moment that that was the most important call of my life
I picked and there was Amaju with the bald headed FiFA President and the legendary David Beckham
I screamed – ohhh my God, Amaju, you don kill me – Beckhammmm abeg make I talk to am
Wasn’t even interested in the FIFA President but Beckham who was my idol for years
Beckham turned and smiled at me and in that moment, Amajus’ influence stuck
Amaju is a leader in the world’s most powerful football committee. On the Committee sits the responsibility of the senior men’s football competition – read World Cup
That this is a very powerful position remains quite obvious and this brings him international weight and it is this weight that he has parlayed over the years into a bastion of power and influence as could be gleaned on the guest list at his daughter’s wedding in Warri
A quick look at the list shows a motley of power and influence – sitting Governors, ex Governors, Royalty, top businessmen, Government people, entertainment, celebrity and Politics
The list shows a concentrated power pull that criss-crosses all power bases in the country
His power pull is so remarkable that despite all that was happening in the country that weekend, he was still able to pull in these power players into sleepy Warri to show that ‘Warri is not a cemetery’.
The couple live in London where Amaju owns a sprawling 5-bedroom mansion and where he could have held the wedding or even in Lagos the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria where he boasts of another sprawling Mansion but instead he chose his traditional seat in Warri to prove his power pull.
The highpoint was the congratulatory message on video by the FIFA President,Gianni Infantino, where he described Amaju Melvin Pinnick as a ‘dear friend and brother’
That guest list is a study in power and influence as its representation shows a manifest indulgence and a clear understanding of the vortex that is power play in this fast-moving society
This wedding was a very strategic power play pure and simple.
Read Amaju Pinnick’s Profile in The Maddtimes Power list Coffee table book coming out soon.
Thanks
Duke of Shomolu
Last modified: April 14, 2026
