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Quiet sides of wealthy Nigerians

Quiet sides of wealthy Nigerians

Wealthy people are like goldfishes that have no hiding place. Even when they want to be unnoticed, the media and society would always create a buzz around them. In no particular order, MOBOLA SADIQ takes a look at some wealthy Nigerians who have managed to jealously guard their private lives as much as possible

Mike Adenuga

According to the Forbes list of African billionaires for 2020, Mike Adenuga, the founder of Globacom and the Chairman of Conoil Producing, is the third richest person in Africa. The astute businessman built his fortune in telecommunications and oil exploration.

Adenuga’s name not only resonates among his peers but is also mentioned by musicians who can’t seem to get enough of using him as a reference when praying for financial breakthrough. However, with all the buzz around him, the 67-year-old not only lives a quiet life, he is not also seen in social circles. Some years ago, when one of his children got married, it was reported that the oil major instructed guests not to take any photos at the classy but private wedding. Adenuga guards his privacy so jealously that according to reports, only select members of his staff have access to him.

Fola Adeola

Guaranty Trust Bank Plc is arguably one of the most popular new generation banks in Nigeria. Its tentacles are also spread outside the ‘giant of Africa’ as it has branches in 10 other African countries.

However, not much is known about one of the brains behind the financial institution― Fola Adeola. Apart from the fact that the serial entrepreneur is scarcely seen at society parties, his wife, Hajara, and their six children also live very low-key lifestyles. His wife’s modest is further proof that the couple does not want to live in the full glare of the public.

Adeola was 34 when she and the co-founder of the bank, the late Tayo Aderinokun, applied for a banking licence in 1988, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Adedeji Adeleke

A lot of people only got to hear about the reserved businessman, Adedeji Adeleke, through his superstar son, David, popularly known as Davido.

Born on March 6, 1957, the senior Adeleke is the founder and president of Adeleke University. He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Holdings Limited.  Although two of Adedeji’s brothers have held top political positions in the past, he has still managed to keep a low profile.

His son’s popularity has undoubtedly put the spotlight on him over the years as Davido regularly sings and talks about his father’s wealth. Unlike others of his ilk, Adeleke is one billionaire who is not often seen amidst the crème de la crème but  Davido, the self-proclaimed ‘omo baba olowo (child of a rich man)’, is certainly doing that for him.

Leo ‘Stan’ Ekeh

Leonard Ekeh can be described as one of the most successful technopreneurs to have come out of Africa. He has carved a niche for himself in the information technology sector and is still working hard to make more impact. Many years ago, the smart entrepreneur rightly predicted that ICT would occupy an important position in the world’s economy and he decided to toe that path. It won’t be out of place to say that Ekeh’s foresight has helped him to quickly adapt to changes in the world market and conveniently utilise new technologies to his advantage.

He founded Zinox Technologies Limited in 2001 and the company.

Despite his enviable track record and affluence, the computer guru prefers to live a drama-free life and is rarely seen at social events hosted by the high and mighty. He is also the Chairman of Konga and has established other companies in the ICT space.

Ekeh was born in Ubomiri Mbaitoli, Imo State, to a middle-class family with three brothers and two sisters. His mother was a dietitian, while his father was a nurse.

Pascal Dozie

Even as an octogenarian, business magnate, Pascal Dozie, is numbered among the richest men in Imo State and Nigeria as a whole. With a net worth estimated by Forbes to be at $1bn, there is no gainsaying the fact that he has had a successful career.

Dozie began his career as an economist at the National Economic Development Office in the United Kingdom. He was also a part-time lecturer at the North Western Polytechnic, London. Between 1970 and 1971, he served as a consulting economist at the African States Consulting Organisation in Uganda. In 1971, after quitting his job in Uganda, he relocated to Nigeria at the request of his mother. Armed with his experience in econometrics and industrial engineering, the enterprising businessman launched his first company, African Development Consulting Group, which later gave birth to Diamond Bank.

Dozie was the Chairman of MTN Nigeria for 18 years before he, alongside five other non-Executive Directors, left their positions in 2019. The savvy entrepreneur has five sons and he is gradually handing over the reins of the business he painstakingly built to his eldest son, Uzoma, who was the Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Bank before the financial institution’s merger with Access Bank.

The wealthy entrepreneur keeps a low-key profile and seemingly shies away from anything that is not about business.

Ibukun Awosika

She is the Chairman of First Bank of Nigeria; founder of the Chair Centre Group; and co-founder and past chairperson of the Women in Business, Management and Public Service. With that, it is evident that Awosika is not a small fry by any standards. The brilliant businesswoman also chairs a number of corporate and not-for-profit boards including Gems Africa, House of Tara International, Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Digital Jewel Limited, Convention on Business Integrity and the Afterschool Graduate Development Centre― a facility she promoted to help address youth employability and enterprise issues in Nigeria. She used to be the Chairman of FBN Life Assurance Limited, FBN Capital Limited and Kakawa Discount House Limited. She also served on the board of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority.

Awosika has an active social media presence but she is not the typical party rocker. Although her many commitments in the business world make her visible, she is also passionate about giving motivational talks to empower women.

Abdulsamad Rabiu

Kano-born business tycoon, Abdulsamad Rabiu, made his fortune as the owner of BUA Cement Plc and that has earned him an enviable spot on the list of billionaires in Africa. He is also the chairman of the Bank of Industry. On July 7, 2020, Forbes estimated Rabiu’s wealth to be $3.2bn, placing him at the 716th position in the global billionaire’s club.

However, not much is known about Rabiu’s family and he is rarely seen at parties or other social functions by the elite. His deceased father, Khalifah Isyaku, was one of Nigeria’s foremost industrialists in the 1970s and 1980s. Though many northerners prefer to stay out of the limelight, one would have thought Rabiu’s case would be different because of his wealth and social status

He has 42 siblings including Nafiu and Rabiu, the Chairman of IRS Airlines.

Above all, it is apparent that the 60-year-old business owner is a fine gentleman as he looks impeccably groomed in his outfits.

Jim Ovia

Jim Ovia can be described as a very private person, though he is the founder of a public limited company, Zenith Bank Plc, which happens to be one of the most profitable financial institutions in the country.

A 58-year-old native of Agbor in Delta State, Ovia keeps his family off the social media radar and shields his private life jealously.  He started his banking career in 1973 as a clerk at Union Bank. He worked for three years as a bank clerk before moving to the United States of America, where he obtained his Bachelor and Master degrees. Called ‘The godfather of Nigerian banking’ in banking circles, Ovia transformed Zenith from a small commercial bank into a formidable financial  conglomerate, that boasts of over 500 branches and business offices in all states of Nigeria, as well as subsidiaries in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Ghana, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and China.

Despite these astonishing feats, pictures of his family are hard to come by. The word on the street is that even his members of staff know little or nothing about his private life. ‘Chairman’, as he is also called, is apparently focused on holding his head above the murky waters of the banking industry. The information most people can get about Ovia is embedded in his memoir, Africa Rise and Shine. The book chronicles his grass to grace story.

Mohammed Indimi

Aside from the fact that he is an in-law to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), Mohammed Indimi, is one man who does not like to flaunt his wealth to make a statement.

Indimi was not born with a silver spoon and did not inherit his wealth from his late father, Alhaji Kurundu, a businessman who traded in hides and skins. As a matter of fact, he did not attend a formal school because his father could not afford to pay for western education. But, he still managed to learn how to speak, read and write. He only attended traditional Qur’anic school.

However, where he is today is a far cry from his humble beginnings. He has built for himself an oil and gas empire, Oriental Energy Resources, and has served as Chairman and board member of several companies.

Ironically, the man who was not fortunate to acquire formal education with his peers has bagged honorary degrees from universities in Nigeria and abroad.

Indimi is also a philanthropist who has greatly empowered and supported people affected by the Boko Haram crisis in the north-eastern part of the country.

Sayyu Dantata

Alhaji Sayyu Dantata is one billionaire who rarely shows up at social events and is scarcely seen fraternising with the crème de la crème. In fact, his photos are hard to come by on social media.

The closest sneak-peek into Dantata’s exclusive lifestyle was when a video of him flying his helicopter went viral on the Internet.  Although he is a stepbrother to Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, he is rarely seen in the company of his wealthy brother who frequently attends high octane events.

Dantata started his career as a transport director with the Dangote Group and gradually made his way to the top of the organisation. Thereafter, he established MRS Holdings Limited (formerly, MRS Group) where he currently serves as the Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer. The company’s operations span several African countries including Benin Republic, Togo, Cameroon and Cote D’Ivoire.

Although it is reported that Dantata lives in the ‘billionaire’s haven, Banana Island, Lagos, and owns one of the most beautiful houses in the wealthy neighbourhood, the oil mogul still keeps a very low profile. Not much is known about his wife and children as they are rarely seen at public gatherings.

According to Forbes Magazine, Dantata is one of Nigeria’s most revered high-goal polo patrons. The oil magnate is reputed to be one of the best polo players in the country and also sponsors the MRS Polo club.

Cosmos Maduka

Cosmos Maduka’s name no doubt rings a bell in business circles by virtue of being the founder and Chairman of the Coscharis Group, an indigenous conglomerate with diverse interests in manufacturing, ICT, petrochemicals, automobile sales and services, agric and agro-allied business sectors. The company is also the sole distributor of BMW in Nigeria.

The business magnate is known for his Christian faith and he often says that giving his life to Jesus Christ early had a positive impact on his life.

Maduka is one of the wealthy men who is not seen regularly at social events. Although he held a classy wedding for his son, Cosmos Maduka Jnr, in 2015, his social life is still almost nonexistent.  In 2015, Maduka was featured on Forbes Africa Magazine as the man who built a $500m business.

According to Maduka, he loves playing and watching football. He is also a fan of cars and motorcycles, and he has said that all members of his family are bikers. The Anambra indigene’s life has however not been a bed of roses as he has had his fair share of low moments. At the age of four, he lost his father and had to resort to hawking bean cakes. But now, the story has changed as the young hawker is now a business tycoon.

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