Adenuga: Celebrating Africa’s Paragon of Enigma, Charisma @68

There are different cadres of successful businessmen in Nigeria, from the brilliant managers of entrepreneurial ventures to the chairmen and executives of mega-companies. Otunba Mike Adenuga is an elite among the elites of the latter group. At 68 years of age, the reputable symbol of diligence and business innovation in Nigeria has accomplished much for himself and everyone related to him (including Nigeria).

Social media was agog a few days ago with hashtags Adenuga and Globacom stoking the interest of Nigerians and other Africans. The occasion was none other than the 68th birthday celebration of one of Africa’s most successful business people in recent times, Dr Mike Adenuga. For a man that prefers to glide under the radar, Adenuga’s name shakes the continent every year on April 29, his birthday.

It has to be said that fish take to the water, birds to air, and Mike Adenuga to business and philanthropy. Since carving out a corner for himself in telecommunications and building a business empire in the form of Globacom, Adenuga’s name has transcended that of a man captivated by trade and transactions. No! The man of Ijebu-Ode, of coins and comrades, has become a brand, a legend, the culmination of three lifetimes of unmatched industry.

Nicknamed ‘The Bull’ because of his untiring momentum and insistence on purpose and pursuit without compromise, Adenuga has made his mark on the sands of time. One is hard-pressed to find another Nigerian whose natural genius and personality allows them to rise beyond the limits of ethnicity, education and the country of residence. But more than these accomplishments in the realm of enterprise, Adenuga’s many contributions to disadvantaged and underprivileged people in Nigeria has earned him, among other titles, the moniker Citizen of Humanity. No wonder the people love him.

So this is Mike Adenuga at 68, a charismatic force of goodness and genius, a paragon whose inherent humanness and nobility makes him worthy of emulation and celebration.