Mike Adenuga Jr @ 72: Symbolism Of Easter Celebrations And Defining Mission In The Global Economic Space

Mike Adenuga Jr @ 72

OpenLife Nigeria, in this rare review by Idumonza Isidahomhen, highlights the significance of the messianic business direction of Dr. Mike Adenuga Jr, a billionaire businessman and founder of Nigeria’s leading telecommunications company, Globacom.

Evidently, Adenuga’s business engagement does not only impact humanity through employment generation by accelerating growth but it is modelled along Jesus Christ pattern who sacrificed for humanity to breath

The symbolism of the just celebrated death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ which signaled the liberation of humanity from the grip of hopelessness, resonates very profoundly with the upcoming 72nd birthday of Africa’s business icon and humanist, Dr. Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga Jr, GCON,CSG, CdrLH.

As a visible figure in the critical evaluation of the business direction of the Africa continent, Mike Adenuga parades an exemplary character as a foremost enduring element in the total impression of his global view.

On that fateful April 29, 1953 in Oru, Ijebu Ode area of Ogun State when he was born, not even the star gazers could peep into the crystal ball to decipher the multi-dimensional levels Almighty God was going to use Dr. Adenuga Jr to redefine the Continental business space.

At 72 {next Tuesday, April 29} Dr. Mike Adenuga has impacted lives, consolidated businesses, redefined social texture and engineered prosperity across strata.

Notably, Adenuga’s determination to reduce unemployment and diminish poverty through robust investments in key sectors in Nigeria and across Africa has not been a walk in the park.

There have been ups and downs including deceits and betrayals. But his enduring spirit and focus on set goals have propelled him to an enviable status as an illustrious icon of the Continent.

In terms of financial worth, Mike Adenuga rounded off 2024 fiscal year with a net worth of $6.8 billion, up from $6.1 billion at the beginning of the year, ranking him as the 2nd richest person in Nigeria after Aliko Dangote and 5th richest in Africa as well as among the first 300 richest persons in the world.

Early life

Mike Adenuga’s father, Oloye Michael Agbolade Adenuga Sr, was a schoolteacher while his mother, Omoba Juliana Oyindamola Adenuga (née Onashile, of Okesopin, Ijebu Igbo), was a businesswoman of royal Ijebu descent.
Adenuga received his secondary school education at Ibadan Grammar School, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria and Comprehensive High School, Aiyetoro, for his Higher School Certificate (HSC).
He worked as a taxi driver in the United States of America to fund his university education at the Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Pace University, New York, where he obtained degrees in Business Administration.

Building Business

Dr. Adenuga made his first million in 1979, at the age of 26 when he was selling lace materials, removable car stereos and distributing soft drinks.
On Tuesday, December 24, 1991, his Consolidated Oil struck oil in the shallow waters of Southwestern Ondo State, making him the first indigenous oil company to do so in commercial quantity.

It was well celebrated in the business circle as the dawn of new era and opportunities. Years later in year 2000, he bought over the moribund National Oil and Chemicals Company (NOLCHEM), taking over the government’s majority shares.

He has since injected fresh funds into the company and rechristened it Conoil Plc.
Conoil Plc has over 600 retail outlets all over the country and is the acknowledged leader of development in modern retail outlets such as mega stations and non-space pumps in new-look retail outlets It is the market leader in aviation fuels.

Adenuga’s most ambitious project yet is in telecommunications. His company, Globacom, is the Second National Operator in the country. The first is the government-owned NITEL.

The kernel of these humongous investment is not essentially profit driven but a desire to give Nigerians and Africans world class telecommunication services.

Essentially, when he launched the network, he was two years behind the others. But his well oiled business skills and ingenuity led to price war. He demystified telephone services and launched operations Per Second Billing, thus ensuring subscribers only pay for actual time spent on a call instead of the practice of billing customers N50 per minute even when the call cuts off at just 2 seconds.

Dr. Adenuga also crashed the cost of SIM card from N30,000 to N6,999 and later N100, thereby making it possible for low income earners, students and artisans to own GSM lines till date.

Globacom is now one of the most recognizable brands across the continent. The network currently has over 100 million subscribers, and is the most preferred network in Nigeria, with a vast network of already laid fibre crisscrossing all parts of the country.

The Globacom network comprehensively covers over 500,000 communities, all the 36 states and all major highways Globacom has highly successful subsidiary networks operating in other West African countries.

In May 2015, Adenuga made a takeover bid to purchase Ivorian mobile telecom’s operator Comium Côte d’Ivoire for $600 million.

Support For Sports

Dr Adenuga’s passion for sports is legendry. Through Globacom, he become one of the biggest supporters of football in Africa.

For so many years, Globacom supported the development of Nigerian sports through the sponsorship of the Nigerian Premier League and the national football teams of Nigeria when no other corporate organisation wanted to touch the assets.

Globacom spent billions of naira in developing the Nigerian league and clubs, and this culminated in Enyimba Football Club winning the prestigious Champions League twice in a row, while the Super Eagles won the Nations Cup in 2013.

In that same 2013, the company signed a N1.9 billion deal with Nigeria’s league Management Committee.
The company also did same for other associations and major leagues in Africa.

Dr Adenuga Jr started a football revolution with the sponsorship and transformation of the yearly Glo/CAF Footballer of the Year Awards. He is the undisputed pillar of sports in Africa.

Opportunities for Celebrities to be Brand Ambassadors

Nigeria’s entertainment industry has also received a massive boost through Adenuga’s love for the arts expressed through Globacom.
No company in the nation’s private sector in the last two decades, has consistently invested largely in Nigeria’s entertainment industry like Globacom Limited. Adenuga’s vision is reflected in Glo’s youth driven ecosystem.
All strata of Nigeria’s entertainment industry comprising music, Nollywood, comedy, sports has signature of Glo.

Glo has entertainment heavyweights as its brand ambassadors. All through the years, the cream of the country’s musicians, footballers, literary icons, actors, actresses and comedians have either be signed on as brand ambassadors or featured in the company’s commercials.

Some celebrities who have graced Glo’s Hall of Fame include: King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, Osita Osadebe, Oliver d’ Coque, Prof Wale Soyinka, Yusuf Maitama Sule, Nelly Uchendu, Onyeka Onwenu, D’Banj, MI Abaga, PSquare Others are Rita Dominic, Ini Edo, Juliet Ibrahim, Matter Ankomah, Davido, Wizkid, Flavour, Gordons, Basketmouth, I go Dye,
Teniola, Brother Shaggi, Mikel Obi, Victor Moses, Osaze Odemwingie, Joselyn Dumas, Michael Essien, Anthony Joshua etc.

Given that Nigeria is a reservoir of talents when it comes to entertainment, Dr Mike Adenuga Jnr understands it all especially the nitty-gritty of talents discovery, and spotting hidden treasures, especially as it effects the youths.

This explains Glo’s humongous investments in talent hunt shows in the last eighteen years It has sponsored shows like: Rock ‘n’ Rule, GloNaiga Sings, Laffta Fest, and the world number one music singing talent reality TV show, X Factor, which birthed in Africa for the first time in 2013.

Others are Slide and Bounce concert, an entertainment tour which went round all the geopolitical zones of the country as well as Glo Mega Music Show and Glo’s Battle of the Year, which gave the winners a life-changing N9 million prize money, a Toyota Hiace bus valued at N25 million and other prizes.

Culture & Tradition

Similarly, the nation’s art and culture have also been positively touched by Globacom.
From Ojude Oba in Ijebu-Ode, Ofala in Onitsha, Lisabi in Abeokuta, Imeori in Abriba, Oru-Owerri in Imo state, Afia- Orlu In Nnewi, Anambra State and Abia –Ugwa in Isialangwa in Abia State among others.

The company has through sponsoring the festivals not only brought them to international limelight, but has also turned the host cities into major tourist attractions.

Love For France

Over the years, Dr Adenuga developed great affection for France, its language and culture as well as admiration for the high ideals and achievements of the people of France. The perhaps account for the reason he often visits the country, where he also owns property and has maintained a productive and valuable relationship with French interests.

It was out of this desire, love and affection for France that he ardently supported the development of Alliance Française in Lagos.

Through the elegant new institute, Dr Mike Adenuga Jr has affirmed his deeply held commitment to the ongoing friendship between the people of France and the people of Nigeria, and is proud to have been able to facilitate and foster that friendship through the building of the Mike Adenuga Centre The brand new, ultra-modern Mike Adenuga Centre was unveiled by French President, Emmanuel Macron in 2019.

Passion For Philanthropy

Mike Adenuga can be described as the most generous Nigerian alive.

In an article, Ovation Newspaper Publisher, Dele Momodu, wrote “Everyman should wake up and pray to meet and become good friends with the Spirit of Africa Trust me, it is worth every second of it Just imagine a man who dashes out the same kind of cars he drives to friends

“He buys these expensive cars in multiples I have been a beneficiary a few times, so I know. I have a friend who got a Range Rover while his wife got another jeep.  How nicer and kinder can one be?
No amount of money is too much for Adenuga to shell out on his family and friends And he really does not expect anything in return.

If you have done him a favour then you are truly triply, not doubly blessed, since Dr Adenuga never forgets such favours and offers recompense even beyond your wildest dreams.

Dr Adenuga believes that his friends are entitled to the same kind of material things that he wishes for and buys for himself He has no jealous or mean streak in him in that respect.”

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Adenuga was the first to donate N1.5 billion to fight the dreaded coronavirus scourge.

He set the stage for other Nigerians to contribute to the management of the scourge. When it comes to philanthropy, Adenuga is in a class of his own! Indeed generosity is in his DNA!

Family

At 72, Dr Mike Adenuga Jr, who is the youngest of his parent’s five children, has one of the best closely knit family.
He is a husband, father and grandfather. He is married to Mrs. Titi Adenuga (nee Adewale.) She provides the comfort and stability that the incredibly busy man requires.

His well trained children are Oyin, Babajide (Bobo), Paddy, Bella, Eniola, Bimbo, Sade and ‘Niyi Jnr.
He also has grandchildren.

His beloved mother, Chief (Mrs) Juliana Oyindamola Adenuga, the Yeyeoba of Ijebuland, Otun Gbadebo of Ikija and Iyalaje of Ijebu-Igbo, passed on in 2005.

Honours

In 2012, the federal government of Nigeria honoured Adenuga with the highest civilian honour of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON.) This honour was hitherto reserved for mostly vice presidents.

In Ghana, he was awarded the highest civilian honour of Companion of the Star of Ghana (CSG) According to then President John Mahama, who conferred the indefatigable businessman with the honour at a state ceremony: ”You have touched many lives in Ghana You have provided employment for our teeming youths, artistes, footballers and many more. I am particularly proud of you This award is our way of a saying a simple thank you.”

In 2018, the business extraordinaire was also decorated with the Chavalier de la Legion d Honnuer (CdrLH), the highest National honour of France, by French President, Emmanuel Macron.

Explaining why the French Government decided to confer the honour on Adenuga, President Macron, who described the consummate businessman as a true model of Africa, noted that he had contributed immensely to the African and French economy.

He also applauded Adenuga for his promotion of the French Language and culture in Nigeria.
Dr. Adenuga was named African Entrepreneur of The Year at the first African Telecoms Awards (ATA) in August 2007.

He holds a Yoruba tribal chieftaincy as the “Otunba Apesin” of the Ijebu clan. Adenuga was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by New African magazine in 2019.

Technically, at 72, Mike Adenuga’s story is better felt than told, better expressed than imagined in view of the manner he has touched lives and enhance employment through industry.

His business trajectory and personal philosophy are uniquely his-and therefore worthy of emulation
Some call him The Guru. Others refer to him as the The Bull while many see him as the Spirit of Africa.

In terms of humility, pedigree, magnanimity, wealth and portfolio of investments, he is one of a kind.
Adenuga believes business must have a human face, it must add value, it must have an impact and ultimately, be socially responsible.

These are some of the core values that he considers before throwing his money into any investment That is not all, he also firmly believes that the world is a field of battle and you must prepare to win, not some time but all the time.

He is a mountain climber like the Tibetan Monk, who believes that you must survive all odds to get to the top.

With this spirit, Mike Adenuga has been implementing Jesus Christ teaching on the basis of love for one another, supports for the poor and exhibition of human kindness in accordance with Biblical recommendations.

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