Veracity Desk veracitydesk
Related Articles
By Emmanuel Ajibulu
In retrospect, President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, November 28, 2019 conferred President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; foremost investment banker, philanthropist and Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Tony Elumelu; and industrialist Oba Otudeko, with the National Productivity Order of Merit (NPOM) Award for job creation.
The trio were conferred the award under “Special Category” while 22 other individuals and seven corporate organizations also received awards under various categories.
However there are many other Nigerians in this key and significant category, though not listed for this particular award but their robust antecents and current achievements eminently put them in the league of Nigerians who have added quality values to human capital development and youth employment through illustrious service they are providing as well as opportunities they consistently offer.
One of them is Dr Michael Adenuga Jr, (GCON), he is a Nigerian billionaire businessman, and the second-richest person in Africa. His company Globacom is Nigeria’s second-largest telecom operator, which has a presence in Ghana and Benin. He owns stakes in the Equitorial Trust Bank and the oil exploration firm Conoil (formerly Consolidated Oil Company). Forbes has estimated his net worth at $7.7billion as of February 2020.
Part of his greatest achievements was being the number one indigenous contributor and acknowledged game-changer in the telecommunications sector, who broke the oligarchic convention through ”Per Second Billing” for the benefit of Nigerians who are GSM subscribers.
Also, Dr Tope Agbeyo, Chairman, Cornfield Group, which comprises Media Concepts International Limited, Botosoft Technologies Limited, Cornfield Transnational Limited and FOAM Studio Nigeria Limited. His success in business over the years is only a result of his passionate quest to meet basic needs of people, especially in the education and ICT sectors. This upwardly mobile and well-accentuated moral icon will always command respect in everything that has to do with issues of exemplary characteristics.
His dynamic entrepreneurial quest seamlessly cuts across borders. Agbeyo succeeded in being the innovator of a video compact disc serving as a solution which ensures that candidates are well educated and well informed about the rules and regulations of the examination body before they sit for major examinations held in the West African region. The video compact disc solution aids more than 3.5 million users every year.
Through Agbeyo’s leadership, Media Concepts International Limited has recorded several milestones as well as innovative and inventive feats at different occasions; prominent among them was the development of a complete enterprise solution for the Nigeria Police Force, positioned to cater to more than 150 million users. As an avid activist and humanitarian, Agbeyo is also involved in several organizations and personally sponsors various educational programs, medical bill assistance and women and children’s funds. These are few of his great investments in youth empowerment to promote growth in education and in the workforce which have largely created basis for his recognition and applause both locally and internationally.
Another resourceful Nigerian in this order is the Group Managing Director of Sahara Power Group, Dr Kola Adesina, is probably one of the best examples of notable visionaries who have been instrumental to the growth of the energy sector in Nigeria and Africa. With multiple college degrees, Adesina after his initial degree in insurance went on to become an associate member of the Chartered Institute of Insurance. He would move on to the energy sector, where he has carved a niche for himself in the power sector in Africa as an expert who serves as a resource person for African governments and regulatory authorities.
In addition to his professional achievements, Kola mentors young professionals, setting them on the path of excellence and sustained achievements across various disciplines. His investment in interventions that promote youth development is an indication of his resolve to give youths platforms to express their abilities.
Kola currently leads the vision of Sahara Power Group aimed at bringing energy to life by deploying diversified power sources to light up lives, businesses and sustainable interventions in Nigeria and across Africa. Kola specifically oversees the Group’s affiliates including Ikeja Electric, the largest privately owned power distribution business in South Saharan Africa (SSA), Egbin Power Plc – the largest thermal plant in SSA (with 1,320MW installed capacity with ongoing expansion plans to increase the capacity over two-fold, providing a quarter of the total generating capacity in Nigeria) and First Independent Power Limited.
Kola combines his years of management and business diplomacy experience into creating and executing innovative strategies for governments across sub Saharan Africa in the energy sector. Kola is a much sought after resource person on energy related issues, especially the power sector in Africa and is also a frontline speaker at conferences across the globe.
He is passionate about empowering young people and takes great pride in mentoring youths to seek creative ways of galvanizing their energies for sustained excellence and productivity. Mr. Adesina is a pan-Africanist, a seasoned entrepreneur and avowed promoter of the Pan African Dream of regional integration and trade.
Apart from the good examples stated above another individual with meritorious stride is Adewale Tinubu, he is the Group Chief Executive of Oando PLC, one of sub-Saharan Africa’s foremost indigenous integrated energy groups. He began his career in 1992 as an attorney, specialising in corporate and petroleum law assignments. In 1994, Wale co-founded Ocean & Oil Group and guided its strategic development from an oil trading and shipping company to the fully diversified and integrated Oil & Gas Company it is today.
Wale has successfully led the company and together with his team, they made it Nigeria’s foremost-integrated energy service provider. Right now, it is the only Nigerian energy company that is actively involved in all sectors of the petroleum economy. It is also the first African company to have a cross-border inward listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, South Africa.
Oando operates in the upstream, downstream and midstream and comprise of three companies leading in their market with indelible accomplishments and as a major employer of Labour and capacity building.
Wale is a philanthropist and gives back to the society personally and through his organisation. In 2011, he pledged to donate 1.5% of Oando’s pre-tax profits to fund education initiatives across West Africa. Aside that, the company have also adopted some government-owned primary schools in Nigeria and sponsored some of its key events.
In 2019, together with some prominent Nigerians, Wale visited the IDP camp, Maiduguri to attend to key issues of some of the victims. Recently, he also donated books to 15 universities and 2 national libraries across Nigeria. According to him, he did it with the aim of educating students and the public on the country’s oil & gas sector; a sector which remains the largest contributor to the country’s forex earnings.
