•City People Reveals Never-Heard-Before Details
You must have read the story of how the Awujale of Ijebuland, Oba Sikiru Adetona a few years ago, stepped in to defend Otunba Mike Adenuga, when former President, Olusegun Obasanjo persecuted the Glo boss.
In his autobiography, the Awujale devoted a chapter to how he flew abroad to appeal to the then President to stop what he called the persecution of one of Nigeria biggest businessmen.
This has led many to wonder why the great and respected King went all the way to help and defend Otunba Mike Adenuga. We can tell you why. We can tell you all the story.
Not many people know that billionaire businessman, Otunba Mike Adenuga and the Awujale of Ijebuland are very close. We can tell you that authoritatively. In fact, City People findings reveal that Otunba Mike Adenuga is the closest person to this respected paramount ruler of Ijebuland.
The Awujale himself does not hide that very fact. Many of those who are close to them know and the Awujale himself revealed the depth of their closeness in his autobiography titled Awujale, published many years ago.
Not many people also know that the Awujale and Otunba Mike Adenuga are Cousins. And then friends. Although the Awujale is much older than Mike Adenuga, he relates with him more like a friend.
How are they related? Otunba Mike’s late mum, Mrs Oyin Adenuga is nee Onashile. According to his autobiography, the Awujale revealed that the Onashiles belong to notable and influential families in Ijebu Igbo – the Omo Olu Badejos on the paternal side and the Pariolas on the maternal side. Mike Adenuga, the late mother is Awujale’s grandmother, Dorcas Tami Onashile’s daughter.
Not only that. The Awujale in December 1956 went to live with Mike Adenuga’s mum, Mrs Oyin Adenuga in Ibadan. That was when his secondary school was over. The link is that Mike Adenuga’s mum is Awujale’s aunt.
That was why over the last few years Awujale has been protective of Mike Adenuga and at several times he indeed rose in defence of Adenuga as shown in his autobiography. When OBJ tried to intimidate Mike with EFCC under Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Awujale took it up with the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo.
City People gathered that Awujale likes Mikes humility, respect for elders and generosity. For instance despite how stupendously rich, whenever he visits or sees Awujale, Mike goes flat on the floor to greet him. He calls and speaks to Mike almost on a daily basis. And there is nothing the Awujale desires in life that Mike would not willingly buy or purchase. Whilst Awujale is like a Baba (father) to Mike, Mike is like his son and aburo pataki who knows what Awujale will need at any point in time.
When he feels the Awujale deserves some rest or vacation he will arrange for him to get one. By his very nature, Mike is safety conscious, so he is more relaxed outside Nigeria and so he usually unwinds with the Awujale abroad.
So, it’s not unlikely to see the Awujale chilling once in a while in the South of France or the UK with his young wife Oloori Kemi who he likes travelling with and Mike would join them.
This closeness has also been evident in the annual Ojude Oba. Glo is usually one of the big sponsors.
Not only that. Otunba Mike Adeniyi Ishola Adenuga is one person that the Awujale loves so much and he does not hide it. He tells anyone who cares to listen that Mike Adenuga is a son in whom he is well pleased. Both have over the years developed a Father and Son relationship. Awujale is also proud of Mike Adenuga’s resounding success story, being a proud Ijebu son of the soil. That explains why the Awujale made Mike Adenuga an Otunba. He is the Otunba Apesin of Ijebuland, a big and revered title in Ijebuland. He is a member of the Council of Otunbas. Many don’t know that Awujale’s mother is a sister to Mike Adenuga’s mother, the late Yeye Oba of Ijebuland, Mrs Juliana Oyindamola Adenuga, who died a few years ago. That notwithstanding it is the tremendous respect and love that Mike has shown the Awujale over the years that made the Awujale to love him the more.
By nature, Mike Adenuga is a quiet and easy-going stupendously rich man who abhors all the noise and razzmatazz that comes with being wealthy. This is perhaps because he worked for his money. According to a recent publication on all the members of the Council of Ijebu Otunbas, if he was the type who craves self-glorification, Mike Adenuga Jr. could have easily pushed for recognition as Africa’s richest man and the richest black man in the world. Rather, the Chairman of the Mike Adenuga Group, one of Africa’s most successful business empires ever, who over the years has established a sublime pedigree as a reticent, diligent and most accomplished entrepreneur, would prefer to hide his head under the parapet.
To the few discerning ones who knew the depth of his resources and who attempted to nudge him on to lay claim to what they thought rightfully belonged to him, he would subtly remind them of a golden admonition by his late mother, “ti isu eniyan ba ta, a’n da wo bo ni” meaning there is wisdom in shielding one’s success.
Even in spite of his best efforts to shield his success, life has whispered to Adenuga that a golden fish truly has no hiding place. With all his best efforts ‘to operate under the radar and live his life quietly, he is still rated as the second richest African and the second richest black man in the world. He is easily the best export of Ijebuland to the business world, even if he is unwilling or reluctant to lay claim to any adulation.
Dr Adenuga has put his imprimatur of excellence on key sectors of the Nigerian economy, leading him to preside over one of Africa’s largest business empires, spanning Oil and Gas, telecoms, banking, construction and real estate, among others.
Each of his businesses in these sectors plays leadership roles and contributes their quota to the growth and development of the Nigerian and global economy.
In the Oil and Gas sector, for instance, Conoil Plc is one of the largest and most profitable oil marketing companies in Nigeria.
Conoil Producing, the upstream arm of the conglomerate, made history by becoming the first Nigerian company to strike oil and produce it in commercial quantity in 1991. In Telecoms, Globacom is the second largest network operator in Nigeria with over 46 million subscribers. The brand Glo was ranked the fourth most admired African brand in the 2018 ranking of brands in Africa by Brand Africa, an independent Non-Profit Organisation committed to promoting business excellence on the continent. With properties estimated to be worth billions of dollars, Adenuga was quoted by Forbes magazine to be the largest real estate owner in Nigeria.
Who is this enigma everybody talks about? Who is this man who was born in 1953, in the ancient city of Ibadan, into the family of Chief Mike Adenuga Snr. and Madam Oyindamola Adenuga, a successful trader and Yeyeoba of Ijebuland? Many don’t know he attended the famous Ibadan Grammar School, in Oyo State, Nigeria, for his secondary education and studied Business Administration at Northwestern State University,
Alva Oklahoma, in the United States. He also earned a Master’s degree at Pace University, New York, majoring in Business Administration with an emphasis on Marketing.
In recognition of his business accomplishments and outstanding contributions to the growth of the country, he was awarded the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). He also holds honorary doctorate degrees conferred on him by the University of Ibadan and the Ogun State University. During Nigeria’s 50th anniversary celebration, Adenuga was one of the 50 pre-eminent Nigerians who were conferred with the Special Golden Jubilee Independence Anniversary Awards by the Federal Government of Nigeria. In Ghana, he was given the highest national award, “The Companion of the star of Ghana”, and in France, he bagged the award of the “Chevalier la Legion d’Honnuer” in 2017. In July 2018, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, elevated him to ‘Commander of the Legion of Honour, France’s highest national honour.
He is one of the very few men in history to have the special privilege of being conferred with the highest national honours in three countries, He is the primus inter pares not only in his titles but in his deeds.
While gathering all the global accolades, Adenuga has never forgotten his people. This is why he has spared no resources in making the annual Ojude Oba festival a showpiece to preserve the rich cultural heritage of Ijebuland, among numerous other contributions.
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