It had shocked him then the amount of information the businessman had about him and even more about Edward. When he‘d let on that he could bring in even more personal information, Chief Okrika had sweetened the deal with a seat on the board and a lump sum payoff on their first major milestone. Sitting in his poky Surulere office afterwards, he‘d realized the deal would get him everything he ever wanted to do if he‘d had the funds available.
He was still trading in the Stock Exchange, but after two years, his meager fund hadn‘t made the dent he wanted in the small companies sector of the market. His dream was to trade big time, the same reason he‘d tried so hard to get Edward Bestman and a few other company owners interested. Chief Okrika did not own a listed company but he owned enough shares and sat on enough boards to make him the perfect partner. This made him even better than all the people he had previously talked to.
“So what‘s the plan of action?” Chief broke into his thoughts.
“Management will buy up as many shares as possible at all prices to prevent us from joining the board of directors. Edward Bestman doesn‘t want his power challenged by a proxy fight.”
“I didn‘t think he would. He always liked calling the shots, even as a young boy. He‘ll come to see he can‘t do that now.”
“You‘re the first person to say they knew Edward as a boy. So he actually doesn‘t come from money? I always imagined he did.”
“No, he certainly does not. He was a hungry orphan when I knew him, running around Kano with dangerous gangs and getting into trouble. Of course he wouldn‘t want people to know this.”
“A lot of us did things as children which we regret as adults. But one thing I don‘t like is his arrogance. He and his people treated me poorly and never gave me a chance. That was why I thought he was one of those types born with a golden spoon, the way he mingled with the high and mighty.”
“You‘ll get revenge. If everything works out, you‘ll be my representative on his board. That should keep him humble.”
“Thank you Chief, I‘ll really appreciate that.”
Mr. Odusote smiled in satisfaction. To be honest, he wasn‘t out for revenge. He only wanted to be a board member on a listed company so that he could push through some of his ideas on stock trading. He was sure that any company that plugged the gap he saw would stand to make a lot of money for their shareholders. He already had voting power on Bestman Group due to the eight percent of shares he owned through his hedge fund. When added to the twenty-seven percent held by Chief Okrika it definitely gave them more clout. He could only guess how much it took to amass those in such a short time. Money had its uses.