Diary of an Abuja Billionaire - Week 12

Jamal is an Abuja-based billionaire bachelor and businessman who works hard and parties hard. Welcome to his world

Week 12

Monday

I stayed another day in Mali to visit our mining sites and meet with some eager politicians, then flew to Senegal and straight into a conference I was chairing, due to my 45% stake in the country’s fishing industry. At my hotel that evening, my Senegalese assistant brought me five voluptuous women to choose from; I shouted at him to get the women out of my sight. Even a hotel concierge told me in broken English about the “sexy girls” he could get for me. I contented myself with cyber-love with Zainab, who rejoiced over the new Audi S8 I arranged to be delivered to her house yesterday as a thank you for standing by me.

Tuesday

Apart from calls and emails from those hearing of the scandal late, and a belated attempt by Cynthia’s friends to press charges against me for kidnap and grievous bodily harm (which my aides quickly quashed), the worst of the scandal was over. ZeeGC’s stock rose again and my silence about the whole issue helped to kill the story. I concluded talks with Senegalese developers, directed the installation of the technological systems at ZeeGC’s head quarters and attended a party in my honour in Dakar before a night flight to Sierra Leone.

Wednesday

I finally got the courage to call Zainab’s father. “You’re young, you make mistakes. This was just the final nail in the coffin of your promiscuity I hope?” I assured him it was. I’d put my therapy session on hold but Dr Ferral encouraged me to continue to keep a diary and remain accountable to Aliyu and Zainab. A few Sierra Leonean bloggers and a radio talk show carried my story, but that was all. “It all happened for a reason Jamal, to make us stronger” Zainab said.

Thursday

Zainab’s father told me yesterday of some of his business troubles and wanted me to come on board to redirect some of his affairs. Looks like I don’t have marry Zainab to get my hands on his businesses after all! In Guinea, I caught myself admiring a petite secretary in ZeeGC’s head office, mostly because she wasn’t trying to catch my eye, but I quickly pictured her as Cynthia and turned my head away in disgust. My last meeting of the day ended at 3am with my head throbbing; it was difficult adjusting my French dialect to each Francophone country.

Friday

I had missed calls and angry texts from Zainab because I didn’t called her last night. I had to show her the whole of my bed, my bathroom, toilet and dustbins of my hotel room via my webcam, and she even examined my back for scratches and bites and interviewed my travel staff and security before she was convinced I wasn’t with a woman last night. She told me Cynthia had relocated to Ghana. Good. I refused to go with the younger executives to a club and slept on the specially-fitted bed on my jet throughout the flight back to Abuja for Aliyu’s wedding.

Saturday

Our Oswald Boateng groomsmen suits arrived just in time for me, Stanley, Anthony, Aliyu’s brothers, cousins and law firm partners; with Chris Aire watches and cufflinks, white roses on our lapels and lavender silk pocket squares. Zainab was on Miriam’s bridal train and looked classy in a lavender House of Farrah gown, and as we walked down the aisle arm in arm before the bride, I imagined it was our wedding. At the reception I danced exclusively with her and almost punched a House of Rep member who asked me if I still had Cynthia’s number. Zainab later told Aliyu’s aunties had warned her about ‘men like me.’ We spent the night at Transcorp Hilton.

Sunday

I left for Liberia at 6am to complete my tour of West Africa. Aliyu called me from his honeymoon suite in the Bahamas; his father’s wedding gift of a house in London made him consider opening a law firm in England and starting his family there. I envied his new lease on life and thought seriously of setting a date for Zainab and me. She suggested a week before her birthday – which was two months away – so that she’ll celebrate it on our honeymoon. I decided to finally tell my mother my plans, but she won’t be happy.