· Why Globacom boss excites Gold Coast even as you read
By Lanre Alfred
Dr. Mike Ishola Agbolade Adenuga, GCON, CSG, is something of a visionary. But at the core of his vision is a deep sense of scale; a profound passion for industry and respect for the universe, in their separate immensities.
The Globacom boss and billionaire nurtures abiding love and respect for fellow humans, particularly those whose minds can somehow span the depth of his industry and citizenship of humanity. But there are nations and individuals that appreciate his worth too.
Thus the recent conferment of Ghana’s highest national honour on him by the President of John Dramani Mahama. The Republic of Ghana, on Saturday, October 29, 2016 conferred its highest civil national award of “The Companion of the Star of Ghana (CSG)” on Adenuga at a star-studded event at the Accra International Conference Centre, Ghana.
President Mahama said the award was bestowed on him in recognition of his “unique and outstanding contribution to business enterprise both in Ghana and the continent of Africa at large.”
The Ghanaian leader justified the award by acknowledging that by Adenuga’s creative business exertions, he has touched many lives in Ghana and provided employment for the country’s teeming youth comprising artists, footballers among others. “I am particularly proud of you. This award is our way of saying a simple THANK YOU,” he said.
The citation on Adenuga commended his “transformational achievements in the telecommunications industry,” which included the laying of the historic Glo 1 optic fibre cable linking several African countries including Ghana with Europe and America.
Far from the telecoms sector, Adenuga also records enviable exploits in the oil and gas industry. For instance, he introduced modern retail outlets such as mega stations and non -space pumps with Conoil Plc in the downstream sector. His entrepreneurial spirit has also generated a chain reaction that has become the benchmark of telecoms and oil and gas prospecting across Africa.
His recent award is however, one of the many gestures society would make 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.
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 puts smiles 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.
Thus President Mahama applauded Adenuga’s association with telecommunications in Ghana since Glo Mobile’s launch and praised the massive capital investment he has injected into the project.
He also noted that Adenuga’s investment forays and philanthropy, particularly his strong support for sports, have drawn honours from far and near to him. He admitted that such outstanding contributions similarly recommended Adenuga for Ghana’s highest civilian honour.
In his acceptance remarks, Dr Adenuga thanked President Mahama for the honour and noted that the President’s “recognition and support of my modest contributions to the development of Ghana’s economy have come as a great source of pride and encouragement to me. This is more so as it is coming from Your Excellency, whose sterling qualities of leadership I admire greatly.”
Adenuga doesn’t believe in false modesty. He is incredibly modest to a fault. His belief in himself and incredible tenacity got him to where he is today. And he fought for his place in the global hall of fame and Africa pantheon of heroes. By his industry, Adenuga seeks to engage, question and push boundaries. As a telecoms guru and pop-culture juggernaut, he has the platform to achieve just that. He’s never afraid of failure; he has never really failed perhaps because he plays the game extremely well.
Adenuga has created a legendary brand in Globacom, Africa’s biggest telecommunication network which is both a burden and blessing.
But rather than submitted to the rigours and pressures of commerce, he towers in excellence thus creating a powerhouse that Africa can be proud of.
By Adenuga’s exploits, business can be seen as a tool for fantasy, one by which the billionaire magnate shows that we can transform our reality.
Adenuga’s life is certainly fantastic—the stuff of fairy tales, magazine covers and excellent portraits. But it’s crucial to note that he made his own destiny. He effortlessly melds into the roles of a diligent worker and responsible family man. This is why his business thrives and his family blossoms with amazing speed, sophistication and simplicity.
As an entrepreneur and philanthropist, Adenuga understands that changing the way Africans see themselves can also change the world. Thus he with extraordinary strength, he seeks to shape his immediate communities for the better every day.
His commitment to the plight of the needy inspires all and sundry that nothing looks better on a human than the clarity, courage and conviction of vision.
Adenuga also understands that while there are many good causes and pressing problems, ultimately our chances of thriving as a species depend on tending and feeding the precious flame of knowledge for the benefit of future generations. Thus his investments are futuristic. They take the long and intensive view of growth and posterity.
