BY EBERE WABARA
ewabara@yahoo.com
THIS optimally-introverted birthday Trojan has a propensity for unsettling competition. His sense of organizational chemistry is catalytic to success. He has not failed in any enterprise that is associated with him. He doesn’t believe in luck, but diligence. In summation, he subscribes to the Darwinian philosophy that, in life—and by extrapolation—business, only the fittest hit it biggest. Our global citizen has a voracious appetite for incalculable risk-taking that could backfire, but he doesn’t give a damn. Routine outcome: triumphal superfluity. This is essentially why he exudes vehemence when it comes to circumstantial alleviation of the less-privileged clan.
Can anyone estimate the worth of today’s peppy celebrator? Is it possible for humanity not to be proud of this zippy Adonis who has touched lives globally in multifarious perspectives? Most of his zingy interventions in existential humanism are unparalleled, let alone being surpassed! His pace-setting and transformative accomplishments are unimaginable and defy explication. He has an irresistible passion for making a difference in virtually all spheres of life amid lustiness and clairvoyance.
Up till this morning, he was known as ‘The Great Guru’ largely because of his dogged élan! Henceforth, I use my scholastic licence and celebrated journalistic liberty to declare him ‘The Greatest Guru’ of our time on grounds of his inimitability and pizzazz. Let me also aver that because of his compassionate pedigree, among other critical sympathetic dispositions, his longevity is assured as the Almighty perpetually blesses him at every turn in his earthly trajectory as he bullishly marches on atypical of the magisterial Titan that he is.
You cannot fail to admire Mr. Chairman for copious reasons: his giant-size physicality, handsomeness, overflowing humility, sagacity, vision, éclat industry, entrepreneurship, joy radiance, selflessness, fizz bullishness and summit philanthropic inclination. Over the years, I have insisted that if you have the rare privilege of encountering ‘The Bull’ and your condition does not positively change arising from his pool of knowledge/wisdom and inevitable multi-figure gifting, usually—I am afraid—you may be beyond human redemption!
The greatest challenge, however, is the needle-eye chance of having access to him. As an aside and with no pun intended, I can affirm—authoritatively—that it is easier to have audience with assiduous President Muhammadu Buhari than with our godsend! This assertion is with all sense of responsibility informed by deep knowledge having worked in two of Dr. Adenuga’s blue-chip companies—both engagements on his startlingly supersonic directives—for about a decade at managerial levels and, of course, my contacts in The Presidency.
Let me further template myself: who would ever believe that in the past two decades-plus I have not met Uncle Niyi? Our last meeting in his office years back at Oke Awo on Victoria Island was in my capacity as the editor of his bank’s in-house magazine, Equinews. Yet, his invaluable and intermittent doses of beneficence to me accompanied by highly cerebral personal notes in romantic and spunk handwriting by this connoisseur of grammaticality speak volumes about his amazing care for me and multitudinous others, supra-nationally.
Most of those who interact with him at a close range on a fairly regular basis, I am quite sure, do not have my kind of oomph and telegraphic rapport with the ultimate benefactor. It is such that most colleagues of mine fondly call me Chairman’s boy or ‘Omo Baba’ (a privilege which I savour—who will not claim such foster parentage?)!
The uniqueness about our pound sterling-denominated multi-billionaire subject is that ALL of us who are his beneficiaries cannot do anything for him in appreciation! Indeed, what can anyone possibly do for this benefactor from the Almighty? It is only confirmatory of his enigmatic personage: he just cares and does not expect anything whatsoever in return. He even wants such regular interventions shrouded in cherished secrecy for exclusive reasons that uniquely hallmark privacy!
An international icon, a generational legend and a mentor of innumerable mentees, who subscribe to his life’s astounding philosophy, his quintessence in all departments of life is astounding. Today, we should all rise to salute the Grand Commander (Otunba Apesin of Ijebuland) as enjoined by Alaiyeluwa, Kabiyesi Oba (Dr.) S. K. Adetona, CFR, Ogbagba II, Awujale and Paramount Ruler of Ijebuland because of this: “You have clearly shown to the world that you are an extraordinary grandmaster in business and philanthropy. Your legendary exploits in business have been acknowledged locally and internationally. Today, we proclaim to the world that you are an extraordinary Grand Commander of our proud Ijebu nation and, indeed, Nigeria and Africa.” (Dateline: April 29, 2013) I equally take off my hat to Globacom’s Executive Chairman and wish him boundless joy and borderless peace today, as always.
Because of his trailblazing and inerasable imprints, self-satisfaction will continuously be his portion as people endlessly toast to his excellence in health, longevity and more and more landmark attainments. He deserves all the genuine outpouring of tributes that will come his way this weekend. The celebrations will continue from today till this time round next year when we, his select boys, shall shut down Lagos in 70th anniversary conviviality and responsible revelry! The megacity of Lagos will be painted green—not red!—on Saturday, April 29, 2023. Except he directs otherwise, most likely, because of his amazing reclusive nature!
How time flies! On the above dateline, I did the full-page cover story as an external contributor to the 160-page bumper package by THISDAY (graciously facilitated by Ms. Ijeoma Nwaogwugwu who was the editor then) to mark the Chairman of Chairmen’s 60th Birthday. The article, entitled ’60 Gbosas for Mike Adenuga’, led the 140-page pullout of congratulatory advertorials and remains evergreen.
This unequalled philanthropist does not know what he means to me, particularly, and copious others. Most of us do and consequentially wish him the best in life. He has already attained quintessence in all spheres of aspirational quests and inevitable existential challenges. His entrepreneurial summit is unparalleled and keeps flourishing. So, what next? I declare and decree: divine health comprising mind soundness and cerebral zenith, longevity and athletic physicality—all of which and much more are already God’s profile for him.
There have been copious milestones in the eventful life of this warrior, but the one that will crown all of them starts counting now as we approach the seventieth floor of his audaciously inspiring life. For those of us who have had the rare opportunity of holding strictly official sessions with the People’s Chairman, he is still unfolding as overflowing ideas and novelties dominate the morning of his diamond-like personage—he is yet to commence the afternoon lap, thereafter the centennial evening and then the valedictory leg as the Lord pleases after the post-centennial ‘extra time’ of, at least, three decades! Amen!
As Baba ages, he looks younger, healthier, highly zestful and amazingly hyperactive—almost restless–far more than most of us who are his aburos! It can only be attributable to God’s exceeding graciousness in his life because most genuine billionaires in his select club do not enjoy such extraordinary privileges despite their extremely deep pockets. If you don’t know and they tell you that today’s celebrator is just 59 years, you will believe it without any iota of doubt. Perhaps, this is why goodness and compassion radiate all over him bountifully. Indeed, a justificatory aplomb for his love for one and all. A lesson from this human institution: if God blesses you, bless others as our Bull unconditionally does and the Creator will gift you more and more beyond your imagination! It is a divine declaration!
The Greatest Guru—remember?—is, undoubtedly, a blessing to this generation on grounds of his professorial knowledge and intriguing wisdom, selflessness in all ramifications, superlative achievements, entrepreneurial exploits, prodigious philanthropic interventions, massive turnaround of people’s crumbling businesses and other ameliorative engagements through the instrumentality of the Mike Adenuga Foundation, an establishment surprisingly unknown to many Nigerians!
Blazing the trail is our subject’s alternate life. Nothing fascinates him as much as setting the pace in various fields of human endeavour. He is so passionate about such issues that those who encounter him marvel at his cerebral capacity and knowledge versatility. Nothing is strange to him except he is not interested in the matter. His overall competency threshold is always a discursive trend among his usually A-class lieutenants. By the way, if you are not exceptionally brilliant, you cannot ‘survive’ as an employee in the Mike Adenuga Group—except you are not a professional or you came in through the back door, which would be mysterious because of the complex engagement processes!
I have the conviction that this entrepreneurship doyen and numero uno philanthropist will never discontinue his emancipatory service to his country that has given him a few mega-investment platforms, the world and the entirety of humanity. His commitment to institutional and individual social responsibilities across the board is unequalled and possibly unbeatable.
At times I wonder whether other moneybags in the elitist class of Dr. Adenuga have similar breathtaking acumen that dazzles endlessly. It is only when you hold meetings with Mr. Chairman that you will realize why some of his critics accuse him of intellectual snobbishness subsumed in damnable and totalistic haughtiness, according to their malicious minds! Alas, this is one of the most sterile and jaundiced misconceptions and misperceptions about our man that probably borders on sheer envy and vicious blackmail. In contradistinction, this celebrator is a jolly good fellow, quite easy going and unassuming—if only you understand him. As I mentioned earlier, his stupendous humility is conflictingly bewildering as it is not in tandem with his nobility, financial wizardry and holistic status in the world, not just in Nigeria and on the continent!
Mr. Chairman, I joyously have an unusual birthday ‘gift’ for you: an industrially-laminated and bound album of your special portraits and memorable celebratory messages. You will definitely like it. Please, sir, direct one of the boys in your privileged employ to facilitate collection.
Happy birthday sir, as you keep unfolding! God who has blessed you immeasurably must also have ordained that you will live long for mankind. Amen.
