The Benevolent ‘Spirit’

Olawale Olaleye

The Chairman of Globacom, one of Nigeria’s foremost telecom operators, Chief Mike Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga, is one man imbued with greatness. His greatness, more than anything else, is nestled in the many lives he’s turned around without as much making a fuss of it. He’s long made a choice about life, and this choice has distinguished him from the lot. 

You, therefore, might be doing injustice to humanity if you reduced his very essence to mere material accumulation or how much he is worth in terms of liquidity. That wouldn’t be Adenuga’s quintessence. To properly dissect him, then you have to look beyond his individuality. 

No doubt, one of the richest men in Africa with business presence in many parts of West Africa and beyond, his real essence is in the good he does for people in a manner that keeps resonating, not just with the beneficiaries but those around them. For those who had experienced his good deeds firsthand, his generosity always left a trembling effect. 

His nickname, the Spirit, is quite fitting. You don’t see the spirit, except you operate in a certain realm. But you can feel its presence whenever it’s around and, of course, testify to the impacts of its dwelling. This is where Adenuga begs to differ from those who struggle for attention and, in other instances, pay to be seen. 

Only a few people can confidently speak of physically relating to Adenuga. And those who do can actually count on their fingers the number of times they get to see him in a year. It is not his thing to make a capital of his kindness to people. Once you feel it, you will see it as proof that the spirit had visited you or stopped by at your dwelling.

He’s designed a lifestyle of envy that suits only his cravings. Shrewd and loaded with native wisdom, his benevolent spirit is one part of him that should and must be studied. This, of course, had created endless enemies for him. He has continued to triumph, nevertheless.

Radiating God’s grace in excess, and extending same to other people, regardless of race, creed and faith, Adenuga is about the only billionaire who changes people’s lives in totality the moment he chooses to bless the individuals. He travels the whole stretch and leaves nothing unattended. 

Away from the camouflage of helping the poor through foundations that are often tailored toward exploiting the same poor by many of the emergency billionaires, his approach is peculiar to him, and traditional, too, both in concept and execution. 

Also, worthy of note is that his good-doing is camera shy. It is deliberate. He does not entertain those camera-projected charities to scale up his game or increase the media presence of his wealth. It is the norm now and catches the fancy of the new age energy, although sometimes infantile. But an “old money” like Adenuga finds it repulsive. 

It has never been his thing, even in the days of his humble start. Those who live on social media in the name of catching up with time and trends cannot share space with him. He’s not changing style, yet results are staggering and welcoming.

Stories of how he consciously looks out for his friends, relatives and mentees; gets to them when they least expect and constantly ensures they do not lack, are some of the things you can’t find with the regular billionaires, who would rather ride roughshod over those beneath them. 

If that does not count as much a big deal because it could be argued that they are largely friends and relatives, stories of several other lives he’s changed without a clue who they were or that he was the unseen hand equally abound. It isn’t his thing to entertain the usual. 

How do you, for instance, explain encountering some life-changing experience that you could not tell who orchestrated it? That is the way of the spirit, and it is not a lifestyle for pseudo billionaires or those who instigate media ratings for forced relevance. 

At 72, it’s safe to say Adenuga had seen too many curves of life and fought quite a number of battles to sustain his wealth, keep his name solid, and remain the spirit that he is. 

Although he’s not done changing the narratives on the business landscape and conquering more territories, he’s already secured his place in history as one of those who truly made impact and making sure that humanity remains a beauty to behold. 

QUOTE

“How do you, for instance, explain encountering some life-changing experience that you could not tell who orchestrated it? That is the way of the spirit, and it is not a lifestyle for pseudo billionaires or those who instigate media ratings for forced relevance.  At 72, it’s safe to say Adenuga had seen too many curves of life and fought quite a number of battles to sustain his wealth, keep his name solid, and remain the spirit that he is.”