Adenuga’s Crown of Glory Shines Brighter @72

On Tuesday, April 29, Nigerians celebrated the 72nd birthday of the iconic billionaire businessman, Otunba Mike Adenuga Jnr, honouring his daring enterprise and remarkable contributions to the nation’s economic growth, job creation, and philanthropy in a way that transformed the media landscape into a national altar of thanksgiving, reports Festus Akanbi

Up until last Tuesday, Otunba Mike Adenuga’s 72nd birthday blossomed into a radiant festival of national gratitude, eclipsing headlines and silencing the usual din of daily news.

Like the unfurling of a majestic flag on a wind-kissed hill, the nation rose in salute to a man whose heart beats with the rhythm of generosity and audacity.

His name, etched in gold across the pillars of commerce, culture, and compassion, summoned a symphony of tributes from every corner of Nigeria.

From the bustling streets of Lagos to the quiet hamlets of the North, voices united in reverent admiration for the benevolent titan who built empires not just of wealth but of hope.

It was more than a birthday – it was a patriotic revival, a celebration of a man whose every step leaves behind footprints of love, whose open hands have lifted thousands, and whose story reminds us that greatness anchored in kindness is a light too bright to ignore.

There seems to be a unanimity among those who have come across him that at 72, Mike Adenuga shines like a golden sunrise over the Nigerian landscape – warm, steady, and full of promise.

He is the lion-hearted builder who dared to dream when the skies were dark, and with grit and grace, carved out empires where there was once only dust and doubt.

His story is unshakable resilience, like a river that finds its way no matter the rocks in its path. With the quiet strength of a patriot, he poured his soul into lifting Nigeria higher, not with noise, but with noble deeds.

His foresight is a lighthouse for generations, his humility a soft fragrance in a world often too loud, and his generosity flows like the Harmattan breeze—gentle yet far-reaching. Dr. Adenuga is more than a businessman; he is a blessing, a symbol of what is possible when courage meets compassion in the heart of a true son of the soil.

Harvests of Tributes

It is therefore not a surprise that in an overwhelming display of reverence and national pride, the major newspapers across Nigeria burst forth last week like pages of a sacred chronicle, ablaze with full-page tributes and thunderous proclamations of Otunba Mike Adenuga’s monumental impact.

From front covers to centre spreads, the dailies surrendered their space to a tidal wave of heartfelt accolades – corporate giants, community leaders, cultural icons, and everyday Nigerians poured out gratitude in ink, recounting how his vision built bridges where there were none, gave voice to the voiceless, and turned dreams into living legacies.

The sheer volume of advertisements, resplendent with tales of philanthropy, patriotism, and daring enterprise, transformed the press into a national altar of thanksgiving, silencing the usual clamour of politics and punditry. For a moment in history, ink became incense, and the media bowed to a man whose life story reads like a covenant of service to the soul of Nigeria.

Pedigree

According to Forbes, Mike Adenuga, Nigeria’s second richest man, built his fortune in telecommunications and oil production. His mobile phone network, Globacom, is the second-largest operator in Nigeria, with more than 60 million subscribers. His oil exploration outfit, Conoil Producing, operates 6 oil blocks in the Niger Delta. Globacom also built Glo-1, a 6,100-mile-long submarine Internet cable to the U.K. via Ghana and Portugal. Adenuga also owns 74% of publicly traded gasoline firm Conoil and just under 6% of publicly traded Nigerian bank Sterling Financial Holding.

Apart from his family business which he helped to structure when he returned from United States, after his education, his businesses have been gigantic including banks: Equatorial Trust and Devcom which he founded at mid thirties, and the Oil and Gas audacious move which led to the rise of Consolidated Oil, the first indigenous Nigeria Oil company to discover crude oil in commercial quantity.

His other bold moves include the acquisition of National Oil marketing company, which is today Conoil marketing, and the telecoms move, which gave birth to Nigeria’s telecommunications giant, Globacom.

Although its impacts had always been felt in the nation’s economic firmament, the entry of his telecommunications company, Globacom, became a game changer in the way businesses are transacted in Nigeria.

 Like a change agent, Globacom entered the telecoms sector in Nigeria, unleashing the larva of ‘per second billing’ that other networks, which started operations about two years before it had claimed was impossible. Glo under Adenuga decided to make the change that Nigerians were yearning for and offered Nigerians the package, with millions of Nigerians joining the network immediately to Glo with Pride.

Before its entry, GSM SIMS were selling for between N20,000 and N25,000. Glo brought this down to N6,999 and later to N100. Globacom also ensured that the N50 per minute for calls was stopped. It crashed the tariff to as low as 1kobo per second.

Glo became the first telecom company to single-handedly build an international submarine cable, Glo-1, connecting thousands of kilometres of national fibres to all parts of Nigeria and neighbouring landlocked countries across Africa to the world.

The Globacom-1 (Glo-1) submarine cable system spans 9800 kilometres, linking Bude in the United Kingdom to Lagos, Nigeria, and the rest of West Africa.

It has landings in Nigeria, London, Lisbon, Portugal, and Accra, Ghana, among other places. It is made up of two fibre pairs, with an original design capacity of 320 (32*STM-64) and an upgrade to 2.5 Tbps.

Landing in Lagos, Nigeria, in September 2009, the entire project was completed in July 2010. Globacom began operations on the Glo-1 cable system in October 2010 and has since provided bandwidth throughout the country and beyond.

The Glo 1 underwater cable recently demonstrated its strength when it remained the sole cable operational during significant internet outages in Nigeria and other regions of Africa caused by damage to international undersea cables supplying the country with access.

The damage affected major undersea cables near Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire, causing internet downtime in West and South African countries. Telecommunications companies and several banks in Nigeria were affected by the outage, which lasted several days.

 Philanthropy

Otunba Mike Adenuga’s philanthropy stands tall like a lighthouse on a stormy coast, guiding countless dreams to safe shores, especially in sports and beyond.

Through his flagship company, Globacom, he has been a principal sponsor of Nigerian football for decades, powering the Nigerian Premier League, the national teams, and high-profile tournaments like the CAF Awards, where African talent is celebrated on a global stage. He supported the career of legendary footballer Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha and other athletes whose rise to stardom was lit by his generosity.

 Beyond the pitch, Adenuga’s giving hand has stretched into education with scholarships for indigent students, arts and culture with funding for festivals and Nollywood growth, and quiet acts of compassion, such as paying the medical bills of the sick, building churches and mosques, and supporting families in times of crisis. His philanthropy is not loud, but it roars through the lives it has saved, the futures it has built, and the hope it continues to inspire.

Not forgetting art and culture. Top festivals in Nigeria, including Ojude Oba, Lisabi, and Ofala festivals, are still being sponsored by Globacom.

Another milestone recorded by Dr. Adenuga was in 2022 when he quietly signed a business contract in Paris between Globacom and Eutelsat, the French Satellite conglomerate. Many communities nationwide without access to internet links will benefit immensely from VSAT/Satellite-based internet service and Satellite-based community Wifi internet service, courtesy of Globacom.

Recognition

Otunba Mike Adenuga has been adorned with a constellation of honours, both at home and on foreign soil, each one a resounding testament to his towering achievements in business and philanthropy. In Nigeria, he was conferred with the revered title of Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) – the second-highest national honour – recognising not only his entrepreneurial brilliance but also his immense contributions to national development.

Across the Atlantic, France decorated him with the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur and later the Commandeur de la Légion d’Honneur, the country’s highest civilian award, marking him as one of the few Africans to be so honoured for fostering economic and cultural ties between nations.

These accolades, from bustling Abuja to elegant Paris, affirm his status as a global titan – celebrated not just for building businesses that employ thousands but for lifting lives with uncommon generosity, and inspiring generations with a legacy woven from excellence, courage, and compassion