READERS of longer poems would be familiar with this kind of headline. But this is not about poems. It is about a man whose story would fill scores of chapters.
Such a story cannot be told in an age. I am sure Dr Mike Adenuga’s story will be told for a long time and read by generations to come.
This is the story of a man who works every day of his life to bring happiness to humanity, to wipe the tears off the faces of people, whether familiar with him or not, whether Nigerian or foreigner. He has brought the smiles back to faces that once thought happiness had eluded them. He has changed the fortunes of people who never expected they could be more than peasants and has lifted souls that fell on bad times, helping them to find their feet again.
I once witnessed a scene inside a banking hall involving a man who retired and was waiting for his entitlement to be paid. His story disturbed the quietude of the banking hall, but everyone allowed him to ventilate the joy in his mind. As he told his story, he could not believe whether he was in a dream or experiencing reality. He told his listeners that he was down to his last saving and had just had a shouting match with his wife over money. Minutes later, his phone rang and it was a caller from Dr Adenuga’s office. His attention was required. For what, he couldn’t tell.
He recalled having done some assignment for the Iroko himself in the course of his public service. But it was just in the course of his duty. Nothing more. But those who know the Ijebu-born billionaire can vouch that he never forgets the smallest of good deeds and would always wait for a time to “revenge.”
His visit to the office of the business mogul almost resulted in a heart attack. Waiting for him was a fat cheque and the key to a car! When he called his wife to give her the news, she thought he was just trying to create a feel-good atmosphere to cancel the quarrel they had earlier.
There was also a woman whose video trended on social media for all the wrong reasons. Obviously a Customs official had been on her case for some time, wanting to befriend her. When she didn’t budge, he turned violent and sent his boys to torment her wherever she tried to sell her meagre wares around Badagry. In the video, the completely distraught woman was seen removing her clothes and telling the men to go ahead and just snuff life out of her. Dr Adenuga gave her back her life, by getting his staff to look for her and giving her millions to start a new life elsewhere in peace.
What about celebrities who became ill or fell on bad times? He has been known to have come to their aid to bring succour to them and would not even want them to come back to express their gratitude. Such is his exemplary disposition to making people happy. He has also happily invested in several known music and entertainment icons, ensuring they get recognized and rewarded for their talents especially at a time when there was poor monetary reward for those in the entertainment industry.
Through Globacom, Adenuga started the sponsorship of the Glo Evergreen Series, a concert designed to honour Nigeria’s living music legends, bringing back old memories and giving them that everlasting feeling of appreciation of their great works.
But for Adenuga, the entertainment industry in Nigeria would not have grown in leaps and bounds as it did in the last two decades. From the inception of Globacom, Adenuga has committed billions to uplifting the status of our music and Nollywood icons by making them brand ambassadors of the telecommunications behemoth. Through that, many younger ones see the recognition their superstars get and become encouraged to reach for the stars.
Many of the stars of the Nigerian movie industry would probably never forget benefiting from the goodwill of Dr Adenuga. He got several of them engaged at different times as brand influencers, dolling them fat cheques that they could not have received at the peak of their career when stars were popular but not financially comfortable. For some of them that he didn’t engage as brand ambassadors, he had a habit of sending for them and putting some good money into their hands to bring back smiles on their faces.
Last year when Adenuga hit the milestone 70 years, the words of President Muhammadu Buhari were instructive. He described the iconic businessman as a man “whose charity and goodwill continue to inspire, attracting local and global recognitions, including three national honours, OON, CON and GCON.” He equally lauded the Globacom founder for making an astonishing contribution through supporting entertainment, sports and African culture, both in and outside the country.
In sports, he has equally done the same, showering billions on team sports as well as rewarding top performers in individual sports. It is no mean saying that Dr Adenuga is the biggest supporter of sports in Nigeria today. He has stepped in at difficult hours to help the nation’s football teams overcome challenges. At a particular time, Adenuga even paid the salary of the foreign coach of the Super Eagles. He has spent a fortune to promote the game of soccer in Nigeria and in Ghana, where he began to sponsor the beautiful game even before setting up business in that country.
Beyond the shores of Nigeria, the business icon has also made his name ring more than a bell when mentioned. He holds the highest national honour in Ghana where he was conferred with the Companion of the Star of Ghana (CSG) award by the government of John Mahama in October, 2016. This had been preceded in Nigeria by the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) on him by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2012.
That same year, he was also conferred with France’s highest national honour of Commander of the Legion of Honour by the French President, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, who disclosed that the business mogul personifies the qualities of “incomparable spirit of entrepreneur, tenacity and ability to think out of the box”.
As the “Great Guru” marks another year, an appreciative nation salutes his courage, tenacity, benevolence and an undying spirit of love that cannot stop giving back to humanity.
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