Famed Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola is pulling no punches in his soon-to-be-released memoir, Making It Big: Lessons from a Life in Business, set to hit bookshelves on August 18, 2025.
In one of the most riveting revelations yet, Otedola recounts a real-life corporate thriller: from seductive boardroom games to brute-force intimidation.
In the golden era of his business empire, banks practically worshipped him — with charm, cash, and calculated seduction.
“They would send bewitching ladies to make their offers more convincing,” Otedola writes, revealing how financial institutions used female charm offensives to secure his deposits and loan patronage.
The oil magnate was a hot commodity. Flush with capital and commanding vast influence, he was courted like royalty. But the tide turned sharply in 2008, when a catastrophic oil deal backfired. He had purchased diesel at $147 per barrel, only to watch the global oil market nosedive to $40, triggering an avalanche of losses.
To make matters worse, the naira’s freefall — from ₦120 to ₦167 per dollar — dealt a second deadly blow to his empire.
He outlines his crushing financial fallout:
$480 million lost due to the oil price crash
$258 million gone with currency devaluation
$320 million in choking interest
$160 million vanished in market losses
Suddenly, the champagne dried up — and so did the flirtation.
“The same banks that once sent in sirens were now sending barrel-chested men to haunt my gates,” Otedola recalls. “They waited outside my house, hoping to catch me as I stepped out.”
The contrast is jarring — from being the toast of Nigeria’s financial elite to being stalked by creditors. The banks that once lavished him with incentives had turned cold and ruthless. The suits were replaced by muscle. The smiles by silent.
“It was devastating, like a terrible nightmare… There was no waking up from this,” he adds.
Otedola’s memoir promises not just juicy confessions, but a hard-hitting look into the brutal cycles of wealth, risk, and the transactional loyalty of high finance.
In the glittering world of business, Otedola’s tale is a stark reminder: today’s VIP can become tomorrow’s scapegoat.
