Wounds come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some are mere scratches and some go deep into the soul, leaving a permanent indentation in the core of one’s being. This aptly captures the recent experience of Jide Omokore. The oil and gas baron has walked through the valley of the shadow of disaster and learned a few life lessons along the way.

Things were going so well for the Chairman, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts until the winds of change suddenly blew his ship off course. Since then it has been a story of one hard knock after another for the controversial businessman who used to be a close buddy of ex-petroleum minister Diezani.

As he became a frequent guest of the EFCC, he had to watch with dismay as close friends put on the airs of strangers around him. The circle of so-called comrades which he thought would be his bulwark in his time of crisis rapidly shrank and shrank until Jide was left alone, exposed to the elements.

What his detractors didn’t know was that a blunted sword need only come into contract with a whetstone and it will become sharp again. Jide Omokore has emerged from his travails, bruised and battered but not broken. He has learned to numb the pain in his heart as he slowly gathers the scattered fragments of his broken reputation.

Things are gradually looking up for the Kogi-born businessman. Not too long ago, he put his determination to begin afresh into action. His old office on Glover Road, Ikoyi was swiftly abandoned in favour of a new, aesthetically pleasing edifice on Jide Oki Street, also in Ikoyi. The new structure is is a beauty to behold.