Mike Adenuga (The Bull) @ 71: Deconstructing the Nigerian colossus

BY DAN AIBANGBE

If he looks big, thinks big, does big, sounds big, then, smells big, he must be the Big Bull, Otunba Mike Adenuga, GCON. This enigmatic business tycoon of our time is someone who has enjoyed wide coverage, especially on the occasions of his birthday anniversaries. This is in spite of his rather reclusive personal positioning. If you see the dailies and tabloids blown up in volumes, do not be alarmed. Rather, check the date and you will find it is April 29. You will find that people are commemorating the birth of Dr Adenuga!

From the foregoing, it is a big risk to write about such a personality. The risk of obsolescence of your content and the risk of obscurity of your placement are all enough to deter any pedestrian writer. But on the occasion of this year’s event, I have resolved to take a look at this phenomenal gentleman’s birthday from a slightly different perspective. My approach is to dissect this personality, to bring out his notable virtues, with the hope that our teaming youthful population will be presented with viable options for role modelling, mentorship and prosperous followership. All the yahoo-yahoos, the get-rich-quick-or-die-trying mentality must be countered with virtues that are traceable, sustainable and on the right side of the law!

The Yorubas pride themselves in the omoluabi code, which embodies courage, hard work, humility and respect. An omoluabi is a person of honour who believes in hard work and gives to the community in deeds and in action. Above all, an omoluwabi is a person of integrity and intelligence. Africa’s non-lettered elders are repositories of valuable primary knowledge. As can be observed from this analysis, an omoluabi is not necessarily exclusively a Yoruba stuff, but rather a persona of all who embodies these sterling qualities.

On this occasion, I strive to collate the attributes of this celebrated icon of success fondly called The Bull and juxtapose his persona alongside the omoluabi code, to measure the level of fitness as a suitable role model. This is to liberate the present and future generations from degenerative attitudes currently threatening the future of our nation.

Otunba Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga Jr GCON, CSG, born 29 April 1953, remains the richest Yoruba man dead or alive, home and away! His company Globacom is one of Nigeria’s largest telecom operators, with presence in Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Republique du Benin. He also owned stakes in the former Equitorial Trust Bank (now subsumed into Sterling Bank) and the oil exploration firm Conoil (formerly Consolidated Oil Company). His business interests also extend to real estate, construction (the ubiquitous giant Julius Berger) and other lighter enterprises.

In all the spheres of his business life, Adenuga has demonstrated doggedness, audacity, focus, hard work, innovation and acuity, among other sterling qualities which have been the driving forces behind his resounding success.

To the uninitiated, that famous picture of Otunba Adenuga Jr brimming with smiles and contentment may portray effortless success, but as the sages say, ‘the water duck coasting smoothly on the water surface, is actually extra-busy paddling below the surface with its feet”. The Mike Adenuga dynasty has had to contend with many challenges along the line. For instance, Globacom came with an initial setback that would ordinarily truncate most other entrepreneurs of less stern stuff. The licence fee was paid but bungled through adverse timing differences, leading to the forfeiture of the initial deposit and loss of office to the then First Bank CEO, who mediated the deal. This singular issue exemplifies the magnitude of challenges that successful men face along the tracks of their success stories.

The journey to prosperity by Otunba Adenuga started from relatively humble beginnings. His father, Oloye Michael Agbolade Adenuga Sr, was a school teacher and his mother, Omoba Juliana Oyindamola Adenuga (née Onashile, of Okesopin, Ijebu Igbo), 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 did not have the privilege of attending the bespoke private schools that children of the affluent today take for granted. He worked as a taxi driver to help fund his university education, just as many ‘japarians’ of today have to contend with. He graduated from Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Pace University, New York, with degrees in Business Administration. Regardless of these humble onsets, the virtues needed for success were engrained in his DNA right from time. Someone suggested that his business acumen and industry must have resulted from his early life participation in his mother’s businesses – at a point he supervised her sawmill enterprise.

Adenuga made his first million in 1979, at age 26, selling lace and distributing soft drinks. He even delved into commodity trading. His big breaks came in 1990 when he received a drilling licence. In 1991, his Consolidated Oil company struck oil in the shallow waters of south-western Ondo state, making him the first indigenous oil company to do so in commercial quantity. He was issued a conditional GSM licence in 1999. After it was revoked, he received a second one when the government held another auction in 2003. He subsequently was named African Entrepreneur of The Year at the first African Telecoms Awards (ATA) in August 2007.

As recognition for his industry, national development and employment generation, Mike Adenuga has been honoured at the highest levels by countries such as Nigeria way back in 2012 (Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger, GCON); Ghana (Companion of the Star of Ghana, CSG) and in 2018, he was decorated with the insignia of a Commander of the Legion of Honour by President Emmanuel Macron of France for his role in promoting Nigerian–French relations through the establishment of the iconic Allianz Francais Centre at the prime location in Victoria Island.

Regardless of these extensive laurels and performance indicators, The Bull has not relented in his pursuit of excellence. In fact, he often leaves his many mentees and team members gasping for breath with his go-getter, workaholic, resilient, innovative, mobile-solution workshop and what-to-do-next attitudes. Adenuga remains disciplined, futuristic and consistent, as he strives to be consistently Numero Uno, always on top and ahead of his game. Regardless of this, be assured, Dr Mike also celebrates equally hard. Stories abound about how he instantly favour-bombs those on hand whenever he receives good news of successes and breakthroughs!

Mike Adenuga is a Nigerian patriot par excellence! This is a virtue abysmally lacking in the character of most Nigerians of today (even including captains of industry). He is widely travelled with detailed knowledge of Nigeria. He is well-embedded in economic, social, and cultural development. I guess it is this drive that compelled Mike Adenuga to enter the telecoms ecosystem with the ground-breaking per-second billing and crash in the cost of SIMs, which the industry vehemently swore was unattainable! Even thereafter, the Glo network has persistently churned out mega ‘berekete’ promos to placate the purse of the entire Nigerian subscribers.

The personal lifestyle of Mike Adenuga is loudly low-profile and un-obstructive. He loves his privacy and family to the extent that he eschews partisan politics and non-essential socialising. He is deeply devout of his close-knit family. To this extent, he is a complete enigma and close to reclusive.

In spite of deliberate efforts to remain very private, the many acts of Dr Mike Adenuga’s philanthropies are too big to be hushed. For instance, how can you hide the fact that an individual is committed to granting annual scholarships to the tune of some thirty-two million dollars per annum? Through his group of companies, he has donated professorial chairs for research and development.

Through Globacom, he has immensely supported and promoted art, artistes, sports, music and the whole artistry chain in Nigeria and Africa. He is, perhaps, the biggest votary of Nigeria’s Nollywood and music festivals. The company’s ambassadorial programme has been a veritable launchpad for many practitioners into the world of corporate endorsements which require character conformity to the brand values.

This may often be the first real character moulding for many of these artistes. Chief Adenuga, unassuming and modest, continues to support the arts in Nigeria without seeking personal recognition or credit. He has become a launchpad of sorts to the creative industry in Nigeria with neither furore nor fanfare. In his recreational preference for listening to indigenous African music of the masters, you will also find glimmers of his patriotic mien.

Having taken the rigour to dissect this iconic colossus of our time, I hope the blind can see and the deaf will hear how to be a billionaire, from these snippets. There is a straight and narrow but assured path to success, which parents, leaders and governments should deliberately begin to inculcate in our youths and future leaders, if truly ‘the labours of our heroes past, shall never be in vain!’ Nigeria must begin to deliberately identify, codify and inculcate the effigies of heroes such as Otunda Mike Adenuga into our community spaces, living spaces and social media, in place of the get-rich-quick-or-die-trying ones that litter our public domains.

Wishing Otunda Mike Adenuga many happy returns as he pockets the first of his extra years on earth. Maybe we might even see a Mike Adenuga Institute of Technology one of these days, who knows?

Dan Aibangbe is a media and public relations consultant