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Adenuga Makes Rare Appearance at High-Octane Wedding of Osasu Igbinedion
HighLife
To everything in the world, there is an exception. And so it is with the legendary reticence of super businessman and one of the leading Africa’s wealthiest men, Mike Adenuga. A few days ago, the Globacom Chairman and philanthropist attended an event in Edo State at the behest of his long-time friend, Chief Gabriel Igbinedion. This only served to remind people that whenever the Esama of the Benin Kingdom needed his presence, Adenuga would shake off his reservation and comply with the aristocrat’s request.
Adenuga and Igbinedion have quite a lot in common. Both of them are businessmen who have managed to outgrow their immediate environment, with their reputations thrown far and wide. Also, both of them have an unusual thing with public appearances, choosing the occasional manifestation over regular snapshots and wide smiles at the camera, although Adenuga is undoubtedly the more reserved.
Unsurprisingly, both Adenuga and Igbinedion are good pals with the latter often leading the former by the hand – almost literally. For example, some days ago, Adenuga was seen at a high-octane event that had been thrown in honour of the wedding of Igbinedion’s granddaughter, Osasu.
The event saw Adenuga sitting quietly, as usual, while other high-profile individuals were throwing smiles at the paparazzi. Of course, a few photographers still managed to take a snapshot of the billionaire despite his best efforts to avoid it. Even so, as those at the event later stated, it was clear that Adenuga did not mind as much since it was an event hosted in the Igbinedion clan.
Indeed, Adenuga’s place in the corporate corridor in Nigeria is the exact opposite of his usual demeanour. He has long become a household name with the telecoms industry essentially surnamed after him. Those who attended the event were very happy to see Adenuga otherwise known as the guru who changed the face of telecoms in Africa. Stories are told of his greatness and echoes of his humanity are fed fodder to the masses. In a land dogged by human and infrastructural lapses, the humanity of “The Bull’, as many affectionately call him, nourishes the glands of kith and kin even as his genius oils the wheels of industry. This is why he is perpetually on song, among his league of extraordinary men. He emerges as the perfect symbol of business excellence seen at home and abroad as a historic figure, the personification of a business calculus within Nigeria and the African continent. He remains impressively humble and immune to conceit, treading a rare path to acclaim thus, attracting honour in torrents, from home and abroad.