Adenuga @ 72: Footprints of impact

By Adekunle IjagbemiIn this world, while some people are focused on building, some others are focused on destroying those who are busy building.It is probably worse in Nigeria where many love to grow and nurture falsehood, promoting it against anyone doing good. googletag.

cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1718806029429-0'); }); Dr Mike Adenuga, the quintessential son of Africa and foremost businessman, had been a victim of such unkind souls who last year started a deliberate campaign to announce the death of a man so blessed by his Creator.



It was everywhere, online and on social media. Lots of cobblers in journalism competed to outshine each other in sharing a news they never verified. Some of them shared with so much confidence that one would believe there was a prize to be won for who shared best.

The fake news circulated widely enough to kill a man.It used to be Nigerian entertainment celebrities that were often reported dead while still being alive. In recent years however, senior citizens and icons have been reported dead when their Creator has not pronounced it.

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push({})}); Nollywood icons, such as Olu Jacobs, Zack Orji, Ngozi Ezeonu, Chinwetalu Agu, Hanks Anuku, Pete Edochie, RMD and a lot of other thespians have been reported at one time or another to have died by those interested only in click baits.The Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, died according to a Facebook post on November 23, 2023. In October 2024, it was the turn of the Sultan of Sokoto and President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar.

He was reported to have died in London, United Kingdom on a day he was seen in Kaduna attending the Northern Governors Forum’s meeting with traditional rulers.Former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon, Rochas Okorocha, Ebenezer Obey, IBB and President Muhammadu Buhari have also tasted the bile of online and keypad merchants of death. All of them, like Dr Mike Adenuga, are still alive and waxing strong.

But Adenuga is a creation of the Divine, purposely born in an environment where his Creator has given him a very important humanist assignment. He is fulfilling the mandate of that assignment by constantly bringing smiles to the faces of people without discrimination.He has been nothing short of an angel to many souls across the country and beyond for several decades.

If there is something that he excels in doing apart from running his businesses, it is giving, a practice that has become like life-sustaining oxygen to him.Dr Adenuga’s contribution to humanity in his corner of the world can never be disputed. He single-handedly liberalized telecommunications services, ensuring the average Nigerian could have access to SIMs, and accurate call charges, apart from ensuring that people could get phones at Glo shops and pay back in instalment.

Anyone who does that kind of thing would already become a favourite of his or her Creator. Perhaps this is one of the secrets of his phenomenal strings of success that everyone needs to imbibe in whatever they do. $(document).

ready(function(){(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({})}); He continues to create impact in the lives of people and also for the country as a whole.

Apart from his unending habit of philanthropy to people he knows, he is also eternally fixated in helping people who may never come before him. This is well captured in the song waxed specially by Chief Commander, Ebenezer Obey, to dismiss the wicked death rumour of the billionaire philanthropist. The juju music icon said: “O se f’onile, o se f’alejo, a reference to his penchant for always helping people, whether he is familiar with them or not!His telecommunications company, Globacom, has been delivering on various projects of giving back to the less privileged in the society and as I learnt, there is more to come for that class of people nationwide.

Giving seems to be a part of the atoms he’s made of and he seems not likely to be tired of doing just that.A life of impact does not just consist of the number of years but also in the acts of altruistic services to others. For someone like Dr Adenuga, he has had decades of impacting lives, influencing and changing destinies to the glory of God and benefit of humanity.

Eternity shall sing of his good and unending deeds.In traditional African culture, the practice of announcement of the passage of an important personality is often a propitious indication of blessings for good health and more years from the Creator. Those who were making puerile announcement of his death were only reenergizing the people whose lives he has touched to continue to pray to God to bless Dr Adenuga the more It is clear that the people who have enjoyed the benevolence of Dr Adenuga will hold dearly and pray daily that the Almighty will continue to bless with good health, the man who has been a source of joy to them.

It is a mark of the recognition of his outstanding contribution to humanity that have got his recognitions at home and abroad. His shelf of awards must be so filled up that there may no longer be space to contain many more of laurels. He is a recipient of the award of the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON), an award traditionally reserved for a Vice President of Nigeria.

Similarly, he received the highest award from the Republic of Ghana at a special event in Accra on October 29, 2016. He received the award of the Companion of the Star of Ghana. President John Mahama, who decorated Dr Adenuga at the event, paid glowing tribute to the astute businessman in recognition of his “unique and outstanding contribution to business enterprise both in Ghana and the continent of Africa at large”.

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push({})}); From France, honour has also sought out the famous business guru. In 2018, Dr Adenuga was conferred with the French highest national honour by President Emmanuel Macron. The award, Commander of the Legion of Honour, was conferred on him in for his contribution to the growth of the African and French economy.

The businessman was decorated with the award at the Alliance Francaise, the befitting French cultural centre building donated by Dr Adenuga for the promotion of French language and culture in Nigeria.It is for this reason that the world is celebrating a great icon in Dr Mike Adenuga, who turns 72 on April 29,2025. It is a worthy celebration of a man who has brought honour to Nigeria from far and near, a liberator from the shackles of economic exploiters, who could simply have taken the easy route to join in milking his people when GSM came to Nigeria, but chose the higher option of placing the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians above pecuniary returns.

His life truly exemplifies a great impact on humanity.The post Adenuga @ 72: Footprints of impact appeared first on The Sun Nigeria..