No one could have faulted Ben Bruce he had everything down running as smoothly and seamlessly like a clockwork.

Just when everyone was savouring the entertaining glitzy atmosphere of the night especially following the soul-stirring speech of the executive Chairman of the Silverbird brands, imploring the president to come and safe the entertainment industry, the President, Goodluck Jonathan mounted the stage, radiating his usual disarming boyish charm, dropped a line that got the guests gaping when he started his speech by saying “ Ben Bruce has committed two offences”.

Suddenly the atmosphere was charged with apprehension and as people were wondering what Ben Bruce had done wrong the President, almost in an avuncular manner soon defused the tension by melting into smile, hinting he meant that as a joke but joke or not he sure scored a point some prodding eyes must have fished out

The first offense, according to the president, was Ben Bruce asking him to speak, considering out of place his voice would be in comparison to so many trained voices that had spoken and sung before the president that night. The president even made a point that he never had a good voice reminiscing back to his school days how he used to spoil the choir session with his off-key voice. So he contended that asking him to speak is an offence.

The second offence, the president pointed out again was the anniversary cake which the president said was far too small for such a big occasion because the 3-piece cake could hardly go round half of the guests that attended the party. A good point if that cake was meant for everyone!

Lamido Sanusi’s early exit

The CBN governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, is a no-nonsense man whose hold on the banking industry has left many bank chiefs shivering with fear but the harmless-looking man isn’t exactly what anyone would call a square.

The bespectacled money-man does have some rhythm of his own that could pass him off as an okay kind of guy who wouldn’t be so much off colour regardless of his devout religiosity.

At the Siverbird night last Saturday, he actually made a great breezy entrance in his cut-to-fit, top-of-the-rack designer Kaftan, looking supremely groomed like a groovy kind of fellow instead of the shred, stern money man he is with a respectable entourage of aides and then what with Mrs Diezani Aliison Madueke and Mrs Dora Akunyili hanging on his arms; one on the right and the other on the left that sure got the paparazzi clicking away on their cameras.

It was anyone’s bet that Sanusi would stay the night but pronto, just as the night was about to get on off he went. The first thought was that he was probably going to the loo. Not until the president told us later that he had to leave untimely to attend to some urgent matters did it dawn on people that the CBN boss had actually left.

But the whispers could be heard around that he left probably because the religious man in him could not any longer stomach any more entertainment was beginning to run riot with his beliefs.

And the no-nonsense SSS men

Believe me if you missed the Silverbird @ 30 anniversary celebration at Eko Hotel and Suites last Saturday you certainly missed something great! So great was the night that the adrenaline was all over the place.

Top celebs, business executives, ministers, governors, senators, in fact people from every walk of life let go of their stiff sense of self-esteem to wallow in the pulsating euphoria of the night.

Not even the president could keep his head from shaking except perhaps the Security Service men seemed to have the alert bore expression of subjects looking for something to break. At least this became more evident when the lead vocalist of the Band on the Moon, Julius, got carried away, doing the ‘people-lets-sing-along’ routine and moved off the stage onto the floor where the guests were to get some of them to sing along with him.

Julius was all American, hugging and back-slapping everyone to come on and sing but he soon got a sharp shock when he made attempt towards the table of the president. No sooner he had made a pace close to the president’s table than a couple of a Security men had stepped in to stop him in his track, edging him aside in what could have been read in a body language to mean “ hey, step aside what the hell is the matter with you”. Sure Julius has learned something that is not ‘free country’ around here.