Many money men covet and lobby far and wide for a mention on the Forbes Rich List. Don’t blame them, it satiates their conceit. They deploy huge resources to push their rating in the American journal, and when listed, these billionaires take out congratulatory adverts in newspapers to celebrate their surreptitiously influenced rating.
Conversely, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr, the Globacom Chairman, is markedly different.. He pays no heed to such ephemeral listing. Many analysts have even consistently argued that he is bestowed with wealth far beyond the worth ascribed to him in Forbes Rich Lists and might even be the richest on the continent. He is, however, unperturbed by such guesses.
Notwithstanding his depth as an entrepreneur, philanthropist and citizen of humanity, Adenuga covets no vanities; he demands no free verses, heroic couplets or ornamental rhymes to glorify his personage as a man. Adenuga is hardly given to such infectious vanities.
He is unflinchingly, unnervingly honest. He exposes, beneath all that bare skin, a multitude of traits as vivid and raw a portrait as we have seen and for this, the world ravenously embraces him. Adenuga’s unique lack of thirst for vanity inspires a lot of his contemporaries and underlings to consider that they may also be able to conduct themselves humbly and unpretentiously. This is not only impressive; it is important.
These marvelous traits accompany him to his work. Thus Adenuga, like the proverbial bee, silently does his work in the hive, knowing that without humility all will be lost. But nothing is lost in the hive of the telecoms magnate. Year after year, the world plays host to his accomplishments, as it does to the cold draft that accompanies the drizzle in the harvest season.
His reticent demeanor notwithstanding, the global media has continued to accord him resounding mentions on a repeated basis, trying to give estimates of his worth in terms of his wealth. According to the report doing the rounds,Telecom mogul, Dr. Mike Adenuga Jnr. has reemerged as Nigeria’s second-richest man after three weeks in the third position. Now, he trails only Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote, who tops the list of Nigeria’s wealthiest people, with a net worth of $19.8 billion according to Billionaire Africa.
The leading businessman, who is the founder of Nigeria’s second-largest telecom services provider, Globacom, has surpassed billionaire industrialist AbdulSamad Rabiu, whose net worth has fallen from more than $7 billion to $5.8 billion in less than three months.
Adenuga’s reemergence as Africa’s second-richest man comes nearly two months after an exclusive report by Billionaires.Africa confirmed that Rabiu had surpassed the telecom and oil mogul to become the country’s second-wealthiest billionaire.
According to Forbes, Adenuga, who derives the majority of his fortune from his mobile phone network, Globacom, and his oil exploration company, Conoil Plc, has surpassed Rabiu as Nigeria’s richest man, with a net worth of $6.3 billion, compared to Rabiu’s $5.8 billion.
Yes, if Adenuga doesn’t strike you at first sight, then possibly, he is a masterpiece of a man disguised as a blank canvas. The trillionaire businessman affects a flurry of beings curled into one: he is science, an art and a foundation of genius with dashes of brilliance brightening the creativity of his mind and soul, thus illumining the world. A product of pure intellect, vision, and sheer enterprise, he can become any form he creates; he is a library of masterpieces, an intricate web of sensitivity and hope attuned in full measure to the world’s needs. This is a glimpse of who he truly is.
In top business schools across the continent and beyond, the corporate exploits of Adenuga are veritable case studies for academic research. And there seems to be unanimity of opinions that the patently self-effacing businessman has created phenomenally successful businesses and changed the world in significant ways.
A force of nature; a towering force of hope and entrepreneurial depth, indeed, very few men can knead the tripartite traits of genius, modesty, and character into that moral and human centaur that remains unattainable to generations of tycoons and multi-billionaires like the entrepreneur extraordinaire.
The Globacom chairman achieves this with unequalled grace. He also epitomizes merit and affluence with indescribable allure. He’s got a heart of gold too. His forays into the business sector are richly layered and iconic. He is a peerless patriot whose commitment to national and economic stability is beyond doubt.
Having recorded a series of remarkable firsts in the highly competitive world of local and international commerce, the debate has been whether there are more still worlds for Adenuga to conquer. He has created a legendary brand in Globacom, Africa’s biggest telecommunication network which is both a burden and blessing. But rather than submit to the rigours and pressures of commerce, he towers in excellence thus creating a powerhouse that Africa can be proud of.
Stories are told of his greatness and echoes of his humanity are fed like fodder to the masses. In a land dogged by human and infrastructural lapses, the humanity of ‘The Bull’, as many affectionately call him, nourishes the glands of kith and kin even as his genius oils the wheels of industry. This is why he is perpetually on the song, among his clan and league of extraordinary men. He emerges as the perfect symbol of business excellence seen at home and abroad as a historic figure, the personification of a business calculus within Nigeria and the African continent.
Yet, unlike the proverbial warrior who lives to sing the song of his deeds and derring-do, Adenuga remains impressively humble and immune to conceit, treading a rare path to acclaim, thus, attracting honour in torrents, from home and abroad. He is like the mango tree, the more fruits he bears, the lower he bows in humility. For Adenuga, success comes with the weight of humility.
