There is no gainsaying that billionaire businessman, Dr. Adedeji Adeleke is endowed with an unusual float of humility. The business tycoon is one of very few people who approach everything in their lives with great verve and intensity. With minimal media presence, Adeleke has been exerting notable influence across diverse facets of daily life including business, education, religion, politics and lately, entertainment —via his renowned music star son, Davido. His status and affluence exceed imagination. Unknown to many, Adeleke became a member of the exclusive class of the richest Nigerians as far back as early 1980s when, at barely 30, he founded his company, Pacific Holdings. The company has interests in steel, agriculture, real estate, banking, oil and gas, among others. Yet, he is one extraordinary man whose influence transcends material wealth and any form of zealotry. He rather impacts lives through philanthropy and a commitment to upright living.
Of course, this Ede, Osun State-born magnate loves life and the good things that come with it as he believes money is meant to be enjoyed. He owns a Bombardier Challenger 605 Business jet and a Bombardier Global Express 6000. He also owns plush homes in Lagos, Ede, United Kingdom and in Atlanta, United States with some of the most expensive vintage cars in his garages. But the businessman is a man with a vision of service to humanity. Through his Springtime Development Foundation, SDF, a non-profit and non-governmental organisation he founded nearly two decades ago to improve the lives of many Nigerians, especially through education. Adeleke committed billions of naira into establishing Adeleke University, a faith-based institution of higher learning with close ties with the Seventh-day Adventist Church and its philosophy of Christian education. The university, which sits on 520 acres of land in Ede, Osun State, is one of the most beautiful privately owned university campuses in Nigeria. As a further testament to Adeleke’s genuine philanthropy, his university offers scholarship opportunities and flexible payment plans to ensure affordability despite being a privately owned institution. It was learnt that about 40 per cent of the initial over 500 students he started the university with were on his full or partial scholarship. Same applies to some undergraduate students in the institution now.
Adeleke has also sponsored an uncountable number of people on medical recovery missions to India and other countries. Most beneficiaries are people he has never met, and would most likely not meet in life. The unassuming billionaire solidified his reputation as a passionate philanthropist recently when he literally broke the internet with a reported personal donation of N1 billion to the Cherubim and Seraphim, C&S Movement. Adeleke donated the huge sum to the church’s Centenary Endowment Fund in memory of his late mother, Madam Esther Nnenna Adeleke, who happened to be a top member and Senior Mother in Israel in the C&S Movement before her transition. This personal donation has made his status climb even higher as many see his impact as pure holistic.