By Chidiebere Nwobodo
Recently, the children of late Michael Nwobi Amakaeze, former 2nd vice president to Baba Aladura of Cherubim and Seraphim Church, were in the news for not-good-reasons. It was a feud over one of the properties that belonged to the late patriarch situated at Plot 81 Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 11, Abuja. Incidentally this property houses Cubana Lounge Ltd, one of the companies under Cubana Group, ably chaired by Obinna Iyiegbu, famed as Obi Cubana.
In 2009, Cubana Lounge Ltd, in respect to the property went into a ten-year lease contract with Amakaeze Estate, an estate management company run by children of the late Michael Nwobi Amakaeze, as co-administrators and beneficiaries. Upon expiration in 2019, the lease was subsequently renewed by Cubana Lounge Ltd for another ten years, with the proper payment made to Amakaeze Estate as certified by Letters of Administration dated January 16, 2018.
The validity of the lease was further upheld by the High Court of the FCT in a judgment delivered on July 16, 2021, in suit number FCT/HC/CV/1325/20— Cubana Lounge Ltd vs. Rev. Chidi Amakaeze and 5 others. As it stands today, the lease is still running and Cubana Lounge Ltd, has every legal rights to occupy Plot 81 Adetokunbo Ademola Crescent, Wuse 11, Abuja, as supported by all binding documents.
However, it was shocking to read in the news recently that “Obi Cubana was issued a 7-day notice to quit” by Rev. Chidi Amakaeze, one of the co-administrators and beneficiaries of the Estate, who happens to be first son of late Michael Nwobi Amakaeze. Ironically, Obi Cubana was not Rev. Chidiebere Amakaeze’s tenant at the time the purported notice to quit was issued in the media. The tenancy agreement was between Cubana Lounge Ltd and Amakaeze Estate, comprising all the co-administrators and beneficiaries.
In furtherance, the lease agreement signed earlier and later renewed after expiration is still valid and running. The so-called notice made on January 14, 2025, was issued without the consent of majority co-administrators as highlighted in a statement debunking the alleged eviction notice: “We, the estate’s administrators, have not issued any notice to the company, as its lease remains valid, and it is not owing the estate,” the administrators affirmed.
Rev. Chidi Amakaeze has been having a running battle with his younger siblings who are averse to his alleged highhandedness and narcissistic tendencies, especially in the management of their father’s properties where their were insinuations that the former is claiming sole ownership to what belonged to the entire children of late Michael Nwobi Amakaeze.
Having failed to arm-twist his siblings albeit allegedly over ownership of the property, Rev. Chidi Amakaeze decided to drag Obinna Iyiegbu, Obi Cubana, into his family feud by issuing phantom eviction notice and excalating it to the media, because he erroneously thought that bringing the chairman of Cubana Group into the midst would give him enough blackmailing power and publicity against his siblings in their battle of supremacy; unfortunately it is dead on arrival.
How do you exercise powers that you don’t exclusively possess without consulting other interesting parties, co-administrators and beneficiaries? Why issue a personalized pseudo ultimatum to someone who was not your tenant as at the time it was served, but Cubana Lounge Ltd, the occupant of the property under lease? How did the warped narrative of “unpaid debt” emerge in the first instance when lease agreement duly paid for had not elapsed?
Any discerning mind will begin to question the intention of Rev. Chidi Amakaeze to railroad Obi Cubana’s name into their family fight if not for the purpose of extortion as alleged. Why continuous demand of a separate payment from Cubana Lounge Ltd as was alleged in some quarters, when the lease payment made to the family’s property management, Amakaeze Estate, is yet to expire as affirmed in the statement released by rest of his siblings who are co-administrators and beneficiaries?
At this point, vile propaganda not backed by facts cannot fly because life time of propaganda is shorter than falsehood. No matter how fast lies run; truth will surely catch up and overtake. Rev. Chidi Amakaeze and his siblings should call a family meeting, resolve their differences. Neither Obi Cubana nor Cubana Lounge Ltd, has nothing to do with their grievances, disagreement and should not be dragged into it.
In good conscience and fairness to Rev. Chidi Amakaeze’s siblings, who are majority co-administrators and beneficiaries in the Estate, they had vehemently affirmed in the statement earlier issued that Obi Cubana was not their tenant but Cubana Lounge Ltd as read: “the administrators of the Amakaeze Estate clarified that Mr Cubana is not their tenant and that the alleged eviction notice was issued without their “consent.”
So the accusation of unpaid debt is figment of imagination of those peddling it. There is no basis for such innuendos and conjectures because you cannot build something on nothing. Someone has to be your tenant within the stipulated time frame as alleged for such debt to exist. The authentic tenant—Cubana Lounge Ltd, was not owing a dime because of the validity of the lease as at the date the purported eviction notice was made. Opinions are free but facts are sacred.
