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Kola Aluko, the Nigerian former oil magnate once synonymous with superyachts and blockbuster real estate, spent the past day blanketing Instagram with posts touting Los 7 Ángeles tequila. The sudden, aggressive push is fueling speculation that Aluko isn’t just a fan of the brand founded by actor–musician Jaycee Chan, the only son of Jackie Chan, but may be circling it as a partner or investor. Los 7 Ángeles launched with a Cristalino expression after years of development, positioning itself as a premium entrant in a crowded category.
Neither Aluko nor Los 7 Ángeles has publicly announced any ownership link, and the posts do not confirm an investment. But for a businessman defined by high-visibility bets, the timing and volume of promotion suggest an attempt to reset his public narrative from oil and offshore finance to lifestyle and storytelling around agave.
Aluko’s past remains the headline. In 2017, the U.S. Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint alleging that Aluko and associate Olajide Omokore bribed then–Petroleum Minister Diezani Alison-Madueke to obtain lucrative Strategic Alliance Agreements through Atlantic Energy subsidiaries. Prosecutors said the pair then laundered proceeds in the United States, funding an $80 million superyacht, Galactica Star, and a roughly $50 million condominium at Manhattan’s One57. A civil forfeiture complaint is an allegation, not a criminal conviction.
The yacht became the symbol of the case. A federal court ordered Galactica Star sold; U.S. authorities later announced a resolution recovering more than $53 million in profits derived from the corruption schemes, including proceeds connected to the yacht.
Aluko’s rise was as fast as his fall. He co-founded Atlantic Energy and cut deals tied to under-developed producing fields in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. He also joined VistaJet’s advisory board as the private-aviation firm expanded into West Africa, and he co-founded the Made in Africa Foundation with designer Ozwald Boateng to champion large-scale infrastructure plans.
For all the baggage, Aluko has always favored visible platforms—fashion weeks, F1 paddocks, the music scene—to project a cosmopolitan brand. A high-gloss tequila label with celebrity lineage fits that pattern. Los 7 Ángeles, with its crystalline style and sleek packaging, brings an immediacy that oil blocks never could.
If Aluko is indeed edging into agave—whether as a silent backer or an evangelist with options—this would mark his boldest reputation play since the forfeitures.
