The year 1993 was catastrophic in Lagos's social circle. It was the year many socialites lost their lives. A year Alhaji Wasiu Ayinde would never forget in a hurry. Socialites such as Prince Tunde Ojurongbe aka Tulampa (pictured) Adewale Adebayo, Alhaji Wahabi Esubiyi, Fadare Fasheko (Awe Ilesha) junior brother to the late Alhaja Bolajoko Kadiri, Captain Roland Gbadebo, Dejo Moshudi, Mufu Dosa and much more too numerous to mention died in the year 1993.
Adewale Adebayo was a gentle giant, he was a member of the Company Club of Nigeria, a social club based in Lagos Island. He was in the UK before relocating to the US where he died. He was a very close friend to the late Oloruntoyin Ogunsanya aka Egbon Sanjay and Badru Sanda.
Alhaji Wahabi Esubiyi was a socialite of high repute. He was one of the earliest patrons of K1 and he was serenaded in many of his earliest songs. Alhaji Aremu Esubiyi lost his life in a motor accident on his way back from the Northern parts of Nigeria where he went on a political campaign.
Tunde Tulampa was a very popular socialite. A ladies' man and a colourful character. He had a very close relationship with K1. His friendship with K1 cannot be overstated. He was his driving force, along with Wale Spinero Dagama whose house later became the base for Buckingham Connection, a hotspot where many young socialites of the time spent their days and nights.
The social scene was left stunned and devastated when Tunde Ojurongbe died. There have been many speculations and rumours on how the socialite died. There is now an eyewitness account. Tunde Alabi Hundeyin aka Dudu in a recent interview with Baale Dele Adeyanju explained how Tulampa lost his life.
They were shooting a musical video for the K1 album titled "The Ultimate" at Laparias and Tulampa who was not an extremely rich person suddenly started to spray K1 and everyone present was stunned and began to laugh. Tulampa at the time was like a middleman in the Car selling business and one of his clients had just ordered a sports car which Tulampa was meant to take to somewhere outside Lagos, but he took the car to Laparias to be used for the musical video. Tulampa suddenly got up and said he was going to buy brandy. He zoomed off, and after buying the brandy, he hit his car on a stationed vehicle close to where the shooting was taking place. The entire crew rushed out only to find his body. That was the end of the great socialite Tunde Ojurongbe Tulampa.
🎵 O di gbere iku de, paddy o ri paddy e mo o, omi bo o kuru kuru...
K1 paid a moving tribute to his friend in a subsequent album titled Consolidation which became one of K1's biggest hits.
SOA Olaribigbe
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