By Lanre Alfred
In a pantheon of giants, Dr. Mike Adenuga, GCON, towers above his peers. Like the rare and golden hummingbird, sighted in lush and precious emerald beaches, the Globacom boss ornaments his native Ijebu and Nigerian homeland with gestures and exploits that dazzle like ethereal treasure.
Adenuga presents a rare contradiction to the notion that titans are only appreciated in death. He is a titan. He is very much alive and he has become legend in the hearts and minds of men.
Stories are told of his greatness; echoes of his philanthropy are fed like fodder to the masses of the nexus. His humanity nourishes the glands of kith and kin even as his genius oils the wheels of industry, in a land dogged by human and infrastructural lapses. This is why he is perpetually on song, among his clan and league of extraordinary men.
It is hardly surprising therefore, that his name is on the lips of every prominent son and chieftain of Ijebu at this auspicious moment in the history of the kingdom. As the paramount ruler of Ijebu, Oba Sikiru Adetona, the Awujale of Ijebuland, prepares to pick the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland (Leader of Commerce and Industry), Adenuga’s name reverberates very loudly across the planes and alleys of Ijebu royal circuits.
Everybody wants Adenuga to emerge the next Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland. And the reason is hardly far-fetched.
Very few men can knead the tripartite traits of genius, modesty and character into that moral and humane centaur that remains unattainable to generations of tycoons and billionaires, like Mike Adenuga. Adenuga achieves this with unequalled grace and élan. He emerges as the perfect symbol of business excellence; he is seen at home and abroad as a historic figure, the personification of a business calculus within Nigeria and the African continent—a significant emblem of entrepreneurial excellence and normalization, both within the country and in its dealings with the rest of the world.
Having recorded a series of remarkable firsts in the highly competitive world of local and international commerce, there are no more worlds for Adenuga to conquer.
By appointing the Chairman of Globacom as the next Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland, the Oba Adetona, in the estimation of prominent sons of Ijebu, would be commemorating a life of entrepreneurial success and acclaim that offers inspiration for generations of aspiring entrepreneurs and Nigeria’s nouveau riche, even as you read.
Frequently likened to a champion and sometimes, a business genius, Adenuga effortlessly depicts the image of a modern day General of Commerce. Adenuga commands the tribute of interminable cheers in the wake of his daring business exploits. These days, his exertions on the plains of commerce reverberate as fervent deference and applause for his extraordinariness and finesse in teaching Nigeria and the African continent to trust in his entrepreneurial depth and citizenship of humanity. And he does not have to force it.
However, for the towering magnate, the path to honour doesn’t lay out in flat miles, it’s riddled with trials of fortune and intrigues of commerce. It’s the imagination with which he perceives industry and the gestures by which he honours it that stands him out from his peer.
For a man who has a flourishing business empire with substantial investments in telecoms, oil and gas and banking, Adenuga has done very well for himself. Brimming with innovative ideas, he introduced modern retail outlets such as mega stations and non -space pumps with Conoil Plc in the downstream sector. Adenuga’s insightful entrepreneurial spirit has also generated a chain reaction that has become the benchmark of telecoms business prospecting in the country.
Thus it is only appropriate, in the estimation of his people that their paramount ruler honours him with Ijebuland’s highest and most coveted industry award. His receipt of the award will however, be known as one of the many gestures society makes to celebrate one of Nigeria and Africa’s finest. It would be recalled that Adenuga, whose company pioneered per second billing in the nation’s telecommunications industry, was conferred with the award of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) in a national merit award ceremony at which 148 other recipients were honoured with various classes of national honours. Besides the GCON award, Adenuga is also a recipient of the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON) and Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) awards.
Far from his business exploits, Adenuga is also a notable philanthropist thus his establishment of the Mike Adenuga Foundation to positively impact the lives of the needy within and outside Nigeria. The foundation seeks to put smile on people’s faces by creating or supporting initiatives that deliver knowledge, skills, resources and infrastructure that will stimulate innovation, facilitate commerce, drive enterprise and improve living conditions. Its core programme interests are entrepreneurship, education, health, and rural development. The education programme aims to support the study of disciplines that drive innovation and development.
The Mike Adenuga Fellowship Programme, an offshoot of the initiative, has funded undergraduate and post-graduate scholarships and research fellowships at local and international institutions in the following disciplines: Petroleum Engineering, Information and Communications Technologies, Banking and Finance, Entrepreneurship Studies, Development Studies, Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
According to Bashorun Dele Momodu, the ebullient publisher of Ovation International Magzine, in his most-talked about column, Pendulum, today in ThisDay newspaper, “One of the most ambitious telecom operators in Africa, has just done it again. After single-handedly laying a submarine cable from Europe to Nigeria, Glo has upgraded its data services to the most blistering 4G LTE technology. Even before this epoch event, Glo was already the biggest player in the data field. Now it has taken the game to a much higher level that would be difficult to surpass. Glo makes all these investments to demonstrate its faith in Nigeria and Africa and so as not to short change our people in technological advancement across the world.
It is not every day that you hear the voice of the Guru himself, Dr Mike Adenuga Jnr. But today he is proud to tell the world about the great news in a star-studded Glo commercial: “Once in a generation, a technology emerges that transforms a nation. Glo’s new 4G network is exactly that. It is by far, the fastest mobile Internet in Nigeria and the first with nationwide coverage. Government institutions and big businesses will have the tools they need to build the powerhouse of Africa. Small businesses will be enabled to make the big leap. Education will be more accessible. Medical procedures will be more advanced, and your home will become truly smart. With our most extensive national optic fibre network linked seamlessly to Glo 1 Submarine Cable, it is data speed and capacity beyond imagination. 4G will accelerate Nigeria’s progress into the super league and everyone will see their lives changed beyond recognition. The wait is over. Welcome to 4G LTE for Glo. Welcome to the new speed of life!”.
A soccer enthusiast, Adenuga’s love for football is legendary. For instance, his telecoms firm, Globacom, is the biggest supporter of football in Africa and has raised the profile of football in Nigeria and Ghana with the sponsorship of the Premier League and national football teams of the two countries. It has also transformed the annual CAF Awards and made it the most glamorous sports event on the continent, even as the Glo-Lagos International Half Marathon evolves to become one of the biggest races in the world marathon calendar.
He has won several awards, among which is the African Telecoms Entrepreneur of the year for his courageous and rapid investment in the telecoms sector. His superb entrepreneurial depth and business culture has predictably translated to stupendous wealth for him.
Despite his towering achievements, Adenuga remains unpretentiously modest and humble to all and sundry irrespective of status boundaries and divides.
The title of the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebuland which is one of the biggest titles in Ijebu is bestowed on recipients according to the prerogative of the Awujale. It is usually given to a very successful businessman who is accomplished in his chosen career. In recent history, the two men who have held the title were accomplished men of immense means. The first Ogbeni Oja was late Chief Adeola Odutola, an Ijebu icon who in his lifetime was easily one of the most successful industrialists in Yorubaland. When he died, the Awujale made Otunba Bayo Kuku, the next Ogbeni Oja. And he again was a very rich and successful businessman. He died about three years ago. Since then, that seat has been vacant.
At the moment, we have in contention for the title, Dr Mike Adenuga, who is considered in several quarters as the most qualified because of his citizenship of humanity and what he has done for the Ijebuland, Ogun State, Nigeria and the African continent. He is one Ijebu man that the Kabiyesi likes so much. He is currently a member of the Council of Awujales Otunbas of Ijebuland. He is also a member of Awujales Royal Court. Awujale has conferred on him the title of Otunba Apesin of Ijebuland.
Then there is the Fototek boss, Chief Adegunwa? Adegunwa is also very rich and close to the Awujale. He is from Ososa. Could it also be Oba Otudeko? The latter, a successful industrialist, is close to the Awujale as well. Another likely contender for the title is Chief Sonny Kuku. Kuku is currently the Olorogun of Ijebuland. He is an accomplished Medical Doctor, a businessman and the Chairman of a big bank. But while Ijebu’s royal circuit mull over the likely recipient of the esteemed title, not a few people are wondering if the Awujale would risk making the title one family’s birthright by replacing a Kuku with Kuku as the Ogbeni Oja of Ijebu land.
