The New Telegraph - The Nigerian showbiz industry recorded one of its most extravagant wedding ceremonies of all time on April 26, 2014. And the white-wedding (as the traditional phase had held a couple of months before) which held at the luxurious Armani Hotel, Burj Khalifa, Dubai, was between Nigerian singing sensation and super diva, Tiwa Savage, 35 and Tunji Balogun in his late 30s, (a.k.a. TeeBillz, his manager and lover at the time).
Banky Well i n g t o n known by his showbiz moniker, Banky W, the president of EME label, was Balogun’s best man at the lavish shindig. Not in a hurry would one forget the glitzy account of that celebration of love. The fairy tale wedding was organised by an upscale events planner, Elohor Aisien of the ‘Prive Events’ fame, and to the admiration of all was Tiwa Savage resplendent in Vera Wang wedding dress, Joyce Jacob’s make-up with her hair embellished by Debola Falana while the groom clad in Mai Atafo’s suits posed amid the drooling of eligible and waiting spinsters.
The spectacular gig became the envy of others. They’d perhaps watched their co-travellers, Annie and Innocent Idibia who had wedded in the Arab city of gold just a year before and resolved to give the industry what to talk about for years to come.
You see why cynics were quick to conclude this marriage is but a farce? It was barely five months after the honeymoon that the cynics’ claim got validated. Words had travelled far and wide that the marriage was in tatters and it all sprang from a story posted online by a blogger, Kemi Filani, on September 26, 2014, which reads; “Bad news guys! Tiwa Savage and hubby, Tunji Balogun, are having issues.
“I have got some bad news guys and yes the parties involved can deny it but it’s TRUE! Heard this last night but didn’t put it up till I was able to do some little confirmations here and there…Tiwa Savage and Tunji Balogun’s marriage is heading for the rocks, but I pray they are able to manage the situation well…they are undergoing some serious marital crisis.”
Their marriage is barely five months old… but Tiwa can’t hold it in anymore, she’s tired of putting up with Tunji. He beats her etc… so many incredible stories I can’t even put here and it all revolves around her money. Three different sources in their inner circle confirmed this. “Kemi it’s nothing new abeg.
We were shocked when she accepted to marry him, he’s been beating her even before he asked her to marry him, but love is stupid sometimes.she agreed to marry him fine, we said ‘okay, do a private and not a big wedding in case things fall apart, but they said no…it’s money sharing formula that is worrying them,” one of the sources in the circle confidently told me. Today is Tunji’s birthday and although congratulatory messages have started pouring in, Tiwa is saying nothing and that’s ‘kinda’ unusual of her.
Also, she has sacked him and got herself a new manager too, someone else now answers as her manager. If you have noticed, since they attended the Nigerian Entertainment Awards in New York, Tee Billz and Tiwa have not been spotted together, nor have they shared pictures of each other on their respective social media platforms. Tiwa performed at her Africa Unplugged concert in London and the husband wasn’t there, and the same was the case at Mo Abudu’s birthday party and Senator Ita- Giwa’s daughter’s wedding.”
Filani’s account turned out to boast of some shreds of truth as Savage would later announce that she’d got a new manager, Emeka, a young man by the alias, ‘Mekka Millions’. But the ploy seemed like one to taunt Balogun because Mekka Millions was actually one of his acolytes.
Since then, the two were hardly ever spotted together. But weeks after Savage had sacked her husband as manager, they were spotted together at a Sunday service held at the House on The Rock Church, Lekki, Lagos where they fellowship. Savage, who had remained disturbingly silent over the matter would later shock everyone with a witty reaction, and it reads; “All sales are final.
No exchanges, no return, which means you MrBillz @teebillz323 cannot return me to my parents or exchange me.” In a previous report, Saturday Telegraph had published that the first cold war between the couple could have stemmed from the new wave of distrust that festered between the couple.
From the grapevine, it was gathered that Savage was irked by the manner her husband had been managing the family’s finances. it was learnt on good authority, that Savage was rude to Ayo Animashaun, the owner of Hip TV because the latter had breached their agreement to pay N2million for the exclusive coverage of their wedding.
Obviously disappointed and embarrassed, Animashaun told Savage her husband had been paid. Apparently Savage had no knowledge of this hence her reason to begin to probe other transactions handled on her behalf by her better half.
This and more evidently explain why Savage relieved him of one role (manager) and permitted him to continue with the other (husband). Two days ago, the hell was let loose with a damning revelation TeeBillz had made about his wife on his Instagram page. His unedited lamentation partly reads:
“Lord knows I tried. I can’t take it anymore. I decided that I wanted to take time out from music business so you and I will not be in the same basket of music industry. You never supported me from day one. Every move I made and every project I laid my hands on was going bad. Thanks to your mum’s witchcraft! Tell her to confess to you. Tosin Yusuf a.k.a. Omawumi’s husband.
I wish I met you earlier when I just moved to Nigeria. You have been a great friend and brother too. I should have done this two weeks ago, but the joy of being around didn’t let me. You have a wife that did not let the music business to take the best of her. I know how Mrs. Yusuf treats us when we are at your house.
I feel very at home and pray that my wife can get a life and be like this. All she cares about is her next single, her makeup, hair and brand. Pls. tell the world, have you asked your husband in the last three years if he has eaten? Thanks to Annie Idibia and Anita, my neighbours, that provided home cooked meals for me when I needed.
Yes you became the bread winner when I decided I’m not in business with you again. You will never have peace except my spirit forgives you. Tell your mother to confess what she mounted in the house for you to shine with my star. It is deeper than what you think. Within what period of time did you fuck Jazzy and Dr. SID but I didn’t care because of the love I have for you.
I looked at it that we all have a past even when at this same f**king time you were f**king with 2face.” And the tears flowed accompanied by words: “Lord knows I tried. The woman I gave everything has mentally tortured me. I’m not perfect but I am far away from being the best husband.
When I didn’t have, you paid the bills and you took my manhood away. You’ve thrown my clothes out of the house more than five times but because of the love I have for you and Jamal I still came back. I don’t want to go through divorce like my father who has been married for four times. Your mother humiliated me so much that I didn’t care. Please just take care of JamJam.
I sacrificed my life for you, put in work and my money to your success. You are Tiwa Savage, the superstar now. You will never have peace with that fame. Your mother wants to turn me to what she turned your dad into? I would rather die.
Ask her to confess what she has done to me!” The tension wasn’t doused as quickly as many would think, so Banky W, replied to one of his posts: “TJ, Please, please call me back right now.” Shortly after, it was reported by Linda Ikeji that TeeBillz was sighted on the Lekki- Ikoyi toll bridge, Lagos, about to commit suicide.
An eyewitness, Chukwuma Ani, shared the story. “I thought I was watching a movie. The man held the railing and tried to jump over it and that was when the yellow man held him and started shouting for help. The two of them nearly fell into the water. I quickly joined the yellow man to pull the guy out and while we were struggling with him, one P-Square twin brother, (Peter Okoye) and Banky W joined us to pull the man out,” Ani said.
A former associate of TeeBillz and musician, Saucekid, wrote on Instagram that he was not surprised. He shared: “It saddens me to see someone I had love for going thru it and keeping my mouth shut. I don’t do this social media bullshit. I mind my own business and handle my own business.
So many things happen behind closed doors, so many secrets will come out to the open, so many disappointments will happen even with the ones you truly love. What brings true happiness is finding you, being true to urself and worrying less about how others feel about u.
To say the least, being selfless is the key. I haven’t talked to my bro@teebillz323 in over 4 yrs nor have I seen him or cared to see him. But I must admit it saddens me to see him in such state. I coulda got ur fone number, email or whatever thru many means but I’d rather do it this way.
This is the only time I will use social media to express myself on this issue. None of these rants come as news to me. A lot of people will try to put dirt on your name and make u look bad at this tough time, do not break, All I have to say is whatever demons u fighting my G, come out on top.
Wish u the best.” The tale bears recalling that before their wedding, TeeBillz has had two kids with a lady in the United Kingdom. She had fought tooth and nail to keep her man who would later slip into the waiting hands of Savage in 2013.
True to type, Tee Billz would later deny the posts were not his but the handiwork of dare-devil hackers. But in an emotive confession Savage would later have with her friend, Azuka Ogujiuba yesterday, she held nothing back. Her words partly read; “Just before I went to Jamaica, I found out that I was pregnant. We were just trying to find out how we were going to manage another baby so soon.
I got to London, on a 10- hour flight to shoot a video with Busy Signal (Reggae Artiste). While doing my makeup, I found out I was bleeding and I passed out. I was rushed to the hospital, and we were trying to call TJ to tell him what happened. While we were sleeping at two AM a number called him saved as Edible Catering….
I checked his phone, and the number was asking him if she can come to his hotel. She responded that He (TJ) knocked her out last night, that he was a great night. I confronted him, and he said he took another woman to the hotel and said they were just chilling.
This happened the period I was in Jamaica, and I was in the hospital. I sent TJ pictures, and he was busy with another woman. I was in a hospital and you couldn’t be bothered find out what happened to me. I packed my stuff, took my son and went to my friend’s house, her name is Tiwa also. I stayed the night, and she asked me for the next step, I told her I was done.”