By Tofarati Ige
Undoubtedly one of the wealthiest businessmen in Africa, Mike Adenuga, has indeed paid his dues in the corporate sector.
Though he had been a businessman for most of his adult life, it was not until 2003 that most Nigerians got to know about him. The bold entrepreneur had taken a courageous step to bid for a telecommunications license in 1999 through his telecommunications company, Globacom. Though he was initially given the license, it was revoked, before his company was reissued another one in 2003. The licenses given to telecoms operators were under the 900 and 1800 spectrum.
Adenuga’s popularity soared even higher when Globacom introduced the per-second billing for calls. Before then, the existing telcos charged customers for calls per minute. Even if a customer made a call for one second, the person would be charged for 60 seconds at N50. With Glo’s approach, it became clear to many that he was a humane and compassionate businessman, who was genuinely interested in connecting people for the smallest amount possible.
Over the years, the company has continued to grow, and has expanded to other African countries. Today, it is the second largest telecoms operator in Nigeria, and also operates in Ghana and the Republic of Benin.
Currently rated by Forbes Magazine as the sixth richest man in Africa, Adenuga has a heart of gold and has impacted the lives of many people in positive ways. His companies, especially Glo, have contributed in no small measure to the growth of the entertainment industry in the country. Glo has signed several entertainers as brand ambassadors with mouth-watering deals. They include King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey, P-Square, D’banj, Odunlade Adekola, Olamide, Wizkid and several others.
The company has also sponsored entertainment shows such as X-Factor, Slide ‘N’ Bounce, Campus Storm, Naija Sings, Dance with Peter, and Laffta Fest, among others.
A kindhearted philanthropist, Adenuga has come to the aid of many, including average Nigerians and celebrities.
However, despite how invested he is in impacting lives, Adenuga shuns the limelight like a plague. He is rarely seen at events, including even the ones sponsored by his companies. He also does not talk about his philanthropic deeds. Sources close to him confided in Society Plus that on many occasions when he helps people, he gives specific instructions that those people should not know that he was behind the largesse.
When singer, Paul Play Dairo, had a health challenge (kidney ailment) some years ago, Adenuga was one of the people who came to his rescue. At the time, he said he did not have to solicit for funds publicly because of people like Adenuga. He added, “The chairman, Dr Mike Adenuga, showered me with so much love and I enjoyed so much favour from him. The height of the good gestures was when he honoured the invitation to my album launch in 2004. A lot of naysayers in the press said I was too inconsequential to get him to attend my launch. But they were all disappointed.”
Before Glo, however, Adenuga was said to have made his first million naira selling lace cloth and distributing soft drinks. That was after he had worked as a taxi driver in the United States of America in a bid to fund his university education.
In 1990, he received a oil drilling license and in 1991, another of his companies, Consolidated Oil, struck oil in the shallow waters of Ondo State, making it the first indigenous oil company to do so in commercial quantity.
He also played a significant role in boosting the relationship between Nigeria and France when he established Alliance Francais Nigeria. Described as a ‘non-profit organisation led by an elected committee of members and an executive director, with the support of the Embassy of France in Nigeria’, the centre organises cultural activities, promoting local and francophone cultures.
Rewarding him for the significant gesture, France’s President Emmanuel Macron bestowed on him the country’s highest honour – Commander of the Legion.
The business mogul was also conferred with Ghana’s highest national honour – Companion of the Star of Ghana.
Born into the family of Oloye Michael Adenuga (Snr) and Omoba Juliana (née Onashile, of Ijebu Igbo, Ogun State), the business guru was raised in humble but dignified circumstances. His father was a teacher, while his mother was a businesswoman from a royal lineage.
For his secondary education, he attended Ibadan Grammar School in Oyo State. He got his Higher School Certificate from the Comprehensive High School, Aiyetoro, Ogun State. He proceeded to the Northwestern Oklahoma State University, and Pace University, both in the US, to bag degrees in Business Administration.
Though it is commonly said that ‘a prophet has no honour in his home’, that is not the case with Adenuga. He has been well appreciated by both the people and government of Nigeria. In 2012, he was given one of the highest honours in Nigeria— Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.
Called ‘the bull’ by his friends, acolytes, family, colleagues and admirers, Adenuga turns 70 on April 29, 1953, and many have opined that nothing is too much to celebrate a man who has dedicated his life to the service of mankind.
Although, he is legendarily party-shy, it remains to be seen what will happen on his big day, as several people who have enjoyed his benevolence have vowed to pull out all the stops in making his birthday a memorable one.
*The PUNCH
