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Let me declare from the outset that, today and tomorrow, I will employ 12 pages of five national newspapers to celebrate the epochal 70th birthday of one of the world’s very few superlative philanthropists and, indeed, my greatest benefactor in the annals of mankind. Nobody or corporate citizen has ever gone on this exceptional advertorial spree in Nigeria’s media history. I stand to be constructively and authoritatively challenged. It may, possibly, enter the next edition of Guinness World Records!
Tomorrow, Saturday, April 29, is the 70th Birthday of Otunba (Dr.) Mike Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga (Jr.), GCON, CSG, CdrLH! This is an unprecedented weekend of well-deserved accolades, celebration and supplication for an unusual humanist whose DNA is constituted by charity, compassion and consanguineous love for mankind! In furtherance of the septuagenarian conviviality, please vide tomorrow’s centerspread of the country’s five topmost newspapers namely The Guardian, The PUNCH, THISDAY, Sun and Vanguard.
For irresistible reasons best known to me, I cannot wait for tomorrow to come. Compelling idiosyncratic circumstances have made me to commence the septuagenarian celebration today ahead of the grandiose summit in a few hours henceforth. Since the 60th anniversary, I had always felt this year’s would be the next day for copious whys! I still fondly recollect the sumptuous cover story I did for THISDAY in the bumper diamond package. The laminated and framed copy—which gives me joy—adorns my Romanesque sitting-room!
I felicitate the people’s Chairman now and always simply because of who he is: one of the world’s greatest philanthropists, an inimitable visionary and a transparently astute business mogul. His exemplary leadership dynamics and institutional expertise remain unparalleled in this part of the world where mediocrity holds sway. This explains why he has birthed multifarious organizations that flourish interminably. His exploration and investment in human capital are epic testaments to his cerebral inclinations and transformative disposition.
This celebrator is the epitome of quintessence and cherishes intellectual giants. He abhors dullards! It is, perhaps, for this reason that he engages the most intelligent job applicants in his organizations. This is why managerial recruits must, as a matter of corporate principle, interface with him in the last interview process before employment, after having gone through sessions with senior managers and directors. Our Chairman savours excellence in every sphere of life.
Dr. Adenuga’s zeal, audacity and laudable achievements distinguish him among his peers. Tomorrow will be another milestone for the Trojan of this age who is inestimably the biggest philanthropist on the African continent. His invaluable wealth predisposes him to serial interventions in uplift of human existentialism boundlessly across borders.
A conquistadorial warrior of sorts: it is almost impossible for him to lose any battle no matter the profile of the engagement. Failure is unacceptable to him. For him, success is a constant element in all spheres of life. His kind-heartedness is unrivalled despite the lion-like mien and intimidating physique of his that could be fearfully misconstrued from afar! It is an understatement to affirm that he is a rare gem because he is a mystique which defies human rationalization! In the case of this celebrator, nobody understands him or can envisage his next move. He is overwhelmingly full of ideas and novelties.
Dr. Adenuga’s dreams turn to realities in confounding proportions. His Midas touch compels everything he touches to prosper. I am unsure if he has ever recorded failure in his life’s trajectory. The consensus is that God predestines him hence his exponential achievements and startling accomplishments. His courage, success resolution and belief in things extraordinary are inexplicable—nothing whatsoever is insurmountable to him.
Most people do not know anything about him. Indeed, a vice-chairman of one of the GSM companies commendably told me that the only things people know about our man are derived from my serial articles focusing on the industry leader just like this one. People’s ignorance is worsened by Chairman’s taciturnity, reclusive and reserved background that clinically shuts out privacy intrusion and invasion of any sort!
An icon extraordinaire, perfection defines his life as he goes for the best or nothing else—no half-measures. This applies to everything he does and he expects the same measure from one and all. Incompetency and incapacity are intolerable to him. Interestingly, almost all his employees know this. Even contractors and suppliers know full well that Chairman does not accept shoddiness in any form irrespective of what is involved.
It is still startling why indefatigable Baba enjoys spreading joy among people, why he radiates in empathy, why he gifts beyond beneficiaries’ imagination, why he catalyzes lives from penury to riches, why the distinction in all he does, what informs his profuse kindness, why his interventions are consanguineous, why the profundity of his humility and simplicity and, overall, why the robust love for the entirety of humanity…only The bull can provide answers to the endless list of whys—no other person can! One thing I know for sure is that all the whys give him invaluable joy and attract incomparable blessedness.
This Great Commander is obviously a beacon of hope for mankind, particularly the downtrodden and hapless members of the society. His generosity extends even to persons who are comfortable by Nigerian standards: the royalty, retired Generals and other upwardly mobile fellows without anyone knowing about such gifting—apart from a few of us who are privileged to know and dare not make it public identification. Even mentioning it here in passing is at my own risk! Why? He does not want any sort of acknowledgment and demonstrative appreciation for all his overflowing philanthropies. Inevitably, a few of us still use our journalistic licence and poetic authority to casually and occasionally document these gargantuan acts of benevolence—again, at our own risk and peril!
Baba Agba lives an exemplary life that swims in blessings, mentorship, pragmatism, patriotism, caring, cheerfulness, joy, love, trailblazing leadership that nurtures and grows his boys most of whom have become men nationwide, leaders in the West African region and economic plenipotentiaries globally.
Nnam Ukwu’s zeal, innovative template, integrity, tenacity, courage, compassion, resilience and vision are unparalleled. Atop all these characteristics, God keeps compassing and navigating his trajectories beyond measure: the Guru cannot count his overflowing and gracious blessings, a fraction of which most men don’t have at all! The Bull swims in the goodness of the Lord. This, I believe, must be the justificatory aplomb for his touching lives multifariously, countlessly and invaluably across the globe. I enjoin God to shower him with even more years for humanity needs him—particularly his innumerable boys, roll-out lieutenants and eyes worldwide.
Uncle Niyi is the pride of our continent. Who in Africa has enriched people more than him? Our Grand Commander is incontrovertibly a global citizen by all standards. As this entrepreneurial icon continues to optimally conquer his African environment catalyzed by his extraordinary intellect and exceptional resolution on overall quintessence, God in His infinite mercy will continue to bless him with more decades and illimitable successes. Because God—who backs his bullishness—is on his side, nobody can hurt him in anyway.
This outstanding Adonis of our generation, going by his antecedents, will continue to emancipate our people from the clutches of poverty in diverse ways consanguineously—shorn of demonstrative gratitude or any form of appreciation via the instrumentalities of media platforms. Once anyone does that ignorantly or deliberately, it diminishes his personage, attitudinal disposition, liberation pedigree, his desired perceptive inclination and the entirety of the philanthropic essence, as far as he is concerned.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIR, TODAY AND TOMORROW!
