Mike Adenuga at 72

Dr Mike Adenuga Jnr. is like the proverbial elephant whose revelation to different persons is according to their perception of him. To thousands of people who feed off his ingenuity as a business magnate, he is their life-saving force. To the philanthropic world for which he is a phenomenon, he is their sustaining breath. Ad nauseam, Nigerians have spoken about him as a manifestation of the beauty of a national as a business anchor who would have empathy of his people. To the rest of Nigerians whose knowledge of him is the Globacom communication empire, his entrepreneurial wizardry is a stuff for legends.

But, who exactly is Mike Adenuga? Yes, I am aware that, to the business world, he is the octopus magnate whose boardroom acumen is a tale that is told across continents. Having never met him, what arrests me most are stories of his humility in the midst of his humongous wealth. More exciting to hear are the lessons of his humble beginnings.

As the story is told of how he rose by dint of hard work, a can-do spirit of the Barack Obama kind, I am still pursuit of understanding who he is. Yes, though aware that he is unique, I have heard his riches pursuit from the beginning, especially his persuasion, from the very beginning, that his place was not that of a small-timer but as one of the foremost men to impact his world. I am also aware that Adenuga’s unexampled life evokes lessons of the limitless border of the human spirit.

But, who is Mike Adenuga? I read a recent testimonial to his philanthropy where he rebuked a benefactor of his for showing gratitude. He struck me as an enigma whose life is an unusual curve from the maddening crowd of benefactors. During his 70th birthday, I also read a gale of shows of gratitude from across the world to a man whose life was wrapped around giving. I am knowledgeable enough to know that such characters are far between in a world of survival of the fittest. The glean of the Adenugas of this world I have is that, if you want to asphyxiate them, stop their earthly assignment of philanthropy. On the reverse, a crop of other humans exists whose earthly brief is to do evil. If there is indeed rewards for the two earthly assignments, it would be glad to see them both take the fruits of their calls.

As he turns 72 on Tuesday, I continue to marvel at the sort of man who does good unseen and loathes being thanked by the beneficiaries. The Holy Writ talks about a cheerful giver who is God’s friend. The totality of what the world says about Adenuga is that he is an embodiment of that scripture. He is God’s friend.

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