Adenuga: Not Settling for Less -

By Lekan Otufodunrin
The new brand campaign of Globacom, Nigeria’s leading telecommunications operator, Never Settle for Less, is not officially about its founder, Chief Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga Jr., GCON, but it is apt for encapsulating his numerous accomplishments and his lifelong commitment to raising standards in his various journeys and endeavours.

The brand philosophy, announced at a recent event in Lagos ahead of the company’s 23rd anniversary, enjoins Nigerians, in all their endeavours, to strive for excellence as a key to succeeding in today’s competitive world.

Top personalities who reflect Glo’s new relentless drive, including fashion entrepreneur Mai Atafo, veteran journalist and broadcaster Dr. Reuben Abati, and Nigerian music star Chike, shared compelling personal stories of resilience.

Atafo spoke about stepping away from a secure role as a corporate brand manager to launch his design label. Abati shared how constantly pushing beyond his comfort zone propelled him to the peak of his career, while Nigerian music star Chike reflected on his early days performing to nearly empty venues, which have now become sold-out shows.

Their breakthrough stories, and those of others shared at the ceremony, speak to the resilient spirit that Globacom seeks to promote. However, the story of its founding Chairman, also a leading player in the oil and banking sectors, offers even more lessons in being audacious, overcoming limitations, and not settling for less.

For Chief Adenuga, only the best is good enough. He says: “Leading the pack is the only worthwhile resolve for the achiever. There is no room for second place. It is often said that it is not the winning that counts, but the participation. It is not the mere participant, but the achiever, the winner, the leader who makes the difference that advances the course of humankind in the judgement of history.”

That Globacom is 23 and remains a leading telecommunications service provider is a tribute to a man who saw a brighter tomorrow and dared to compete against international companies despite having all the odds stacked against him.

Though his first conditional GSM licence in 1999 was revoked, his goal-getter spirit made him apply and win the Second National Operator (SNO) licence in August 2002, giving Globacom the right to operate as a national carrier, provide digital mobile services and serve as an international gateway. Since then, there has been no stopping Chief Adenuga from raising the bar in telecommunications services in the country.

When Globacom launched commercially in 2003, it made the per-second billing a major part of its offering, allowing subscribers to pay according to the actual duration of their calls rather than being charged for unused portions of a billing period. The move challenged the prevailing model in Nigeria’s telecommunications market and became one of the defining features of the company’s early identity.

Rather than depending solely on existing telecommunications infrastructure, the company’s investment in Glo-1, the 9,800-kilometre submarine fibre-optic cable connecting Nigeria to the UK, which become ready in 2010 was an audacious move typical of Adenuga’s refusal to settle for less.

Nigerians have Adenuga to thank for founding a distinctly Nigerian telecommunications company that has remained a source of pride for the country and expanded its operations across the continent.

Both in his private and official capacities, Chief Adenuga and his companies have supported education, health, arts, culture, and sports initiatives that have contributed immensely to the development of the country.

Before venturing into the telecommunications business, he obtained a drilling licence, and in 1991, his Consolidated Oil was reported to have struck oil in the shallow waters of Ondo State, making it the first indigenous Nigerian oil company reported to have discovered oil there in commercial quantities.

He could have given up on obtaining a university education abroad, but he worked as a taxi driver to help fund his studies. He graduated from Northwestern Oklahoma State University and Pace University, New York, with degrees in Business Administration.

He is also reported to have made his first million in 1979, at the age of 26, from selling lace and distributing soft drinks.

Congratulating Adenuga on his 73rd birthday on April 29 this year, President Bola Tinubu attested to the Globacom Chairman being a colossus who has left an imprint of excellence on Nigerian enterprise in telecommunications, real estate, banking, and oil and gas.

Noting that Adenuga is a guru and a businessman with the Midas touch, President Tinubu said: “Mike’s life is an affirmation of the audacity of hope, belief, and vision. From humble beginnings, he rose to become one of Africa’s finest entrepreneurs.”

“His achievements in business are a testament to the immense possibilities of the Nigerian enterprise and an inspiration to the younger generation that, through hard work, innovation, and resilience, they can rise to become standout men and women of their generation.”

Conferring one of France’s highest honour on Chief Adenuga in 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron aptly described the Globacom Chairman as the “incomparable spirit of entrepreneur, tenacity and ability to think out of the box.”

President Tinubu’s tribute to Adenuga, and those of many others over the years, are well deserved, judging by his enormous contributions to the various businesses in which he is engaged.

Globacom has become more than a telecommunications investment; it is an expression of the fact that a Nigerian-owned company can compete in a capital-intensive and technology-driven industry, thanks to Chief Adenuga.

It is not for nothing that Chief Adenuga is called “the Bull” by close associates. His accomplishments have proved that, like the bull, he will stop at nothing to make his way through. He is bullish in his business approach, and that has paid off not only for him but also for the good of all who have benefited from his wise investments.

Though he hardly seeks public acclaim or grants interviews like many other super-wealthy people, his silence is golden, as he prefers his accomplishments to speak for him.

There is a lot to learn from the business acumen of Chief Adenuga, who in many ways exemplifies tenacity in the pursuit of his goal of building a globally acknowledged company like Globacom without making any fuss about it.

For Adenuga, his goal was to build a telecommunications company that could compete, innovate, and expand. For Globacom, 23 years later, Never Settle for Less has become the slogan through which the company is presenting that journey.