Mike Adenuga at 72: The quiet force who gave Nigeria a voice
By Felicia Nwosu
Today, across the heart of Nigeria, across Africa, and in corners of the world that have felt his silent touch, a thousand lights burn a little brighter.
They burn for a man who taught Nigerians that true greatness does not arrive with noise, but with a steady flame, unwavering, enduring, quietly transforming the lives around it.
There are men who build empires for themselves. And then there are men who build dreams for others.
Dr. Mike Adeniyi Ishola Adenuga Jr. is one of the rare few who chose the second path, and in doing so, became a giant whose footprints are etched in the hearts of millions.
At 72, the world does not just see a billionaire. It sees a man who turned ambition into service, wealth into bridges, and vision into everyday miracles for Nigerians across every corner of life.
When communication was a privilege for the few, he gave it to the many.
When staying in touch felt like a luxury, he made it a right.
Through the birth of Globacom, Nigeria’s own network, owned by one of her own, Adenuga gave the nation a gift so intimate that it became part of daily living.
A call to a mother in the village. A contract signed across oceans. A text message that stitched friendships closer.
He made connection simple, affordable, and universal dissolving the walls of distance, of class, of privilege.
Under the green banner of Glo, a new Nigeria blossomed where a farmer could reach his son in the city, where a dreamer in Lagos could speak to the world, and where the poor and rich could share the same magic of belonging.
It was more than business. It was dignity returned to the people.
But Adenuga’s brilliance did not end at telecommunications.
He is a force across oil, banking, real estate a quiet architect of prosperity who moves with grace, speaks rarely, but achieves relentlessly.
Through every venture, he has shown an uncanny instinct for what his people need and a boundless willingness to meet it.
There is a rare elegance to his story.
It is the elegance of resilience of a man who worked as a taxi driver to pay his university fees in America.
The elegance of doggedness of a man who dared to dream Nigerian dreams when it was safer to follow foreign shadows.
The elegance of generosity, of a man who measures success not by applause, but by the silent gratitude of lives changed.
As Mike Adenuga clocks 72, Nigeria stands a little taller because of him.
A little prouder.
A little more connected.
And countless families, businesses, and futures continue to glow under the green light he lit decades ago.
Born in Ibadan, he began his academic journey at Ibadan Grammar School and Comprehensive High School, Aiyetoro, before advancing his studies at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Pace University, New York, funding his dreams with the grit and hunger that would later define his remarkable life.
Mike Adenuga is not just a name.
He is a quiet symphony of courage, compassion, and extraordinary achievement, a living proof that greatness does not need to shout to change the world.
At 72, you remain not just an icon but a living, breathing promise that no dream is too big, and no heart too humble to change the world.
Today Nigeria says: thank you, Mike Adenuga.
Thank you for dreaming beyond yourself.
Thank you for carrying a nation in your heart.
Thank you for showing us all what it means to rise and to lift others as you soar.
Happy 72nd Birthday, Chairman.
The glow you have lit will never fade.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
Comment
No comments found.