Adenuga at 73: The man and his game, By Arinze Anapugars

“In the end, the achiever has a moral obligation to reflect upon the general condition of humanity in the larger field of play. Such a reflection should materialise in a philanthropic attitude – that which is responsible, organised and reasoned – as well as promotion of knowledge…”

Lessons on “Achieving” for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

In a few days’ time, on 29 April, Dr Mike Adenuga, Jr, the quintessential architect of enterprise and trillionaire chairman of Globacom, will mark his 73rd birthday.

To think that time has dimmed his fire would be profound misjudgement. For the man, fondly called the “Spirit of Africa” by close associates, life, even in the 70s, remains an unrelenting pursuit of accomplishment. Achievement is not an episode in his life’s journey; it is the story itself. Across five remarkable decades, he has not merely participated in the theatre of business; he has defined its tempo, reshaped its contours, and elevated its possibilities.

Mr Adenuga’s extraordinary achievements are such that long before the age of 50, he had already ascended the summit of one of Africa’s most formidable business empires, spanning oil and gas, telecommunications, aviation, banking, construction, and real estate.

Indeed, so much has been written about his stupendous wealth, and expansive influence across the continent. Equally celebrated is his quiet, yet overwhelming, generosity – an almost mystifying benevolence that has transformed countless lives. However, beyond fortune and philanthropy lies a deeper inquiry: what really drives the man Adenuga?

While he is reputed for his subterranean tenacity, generally credited for his successes, the answer to the question resides more in his business philosophy which he articulated on 29 April, 1993, to commemorate his 40th birthday. In the absence of a formal biography, which many of his admirers still hope he will one day commission, the treatise, entitled “Achieving”, stands as a timeless manifesto and compass for those aspiring to conquer the business terrain:

Lesson I: Cultivate the Spirit of “Achieving”

For Adenuga, achieving is everything. It is forged in resolve, sustained by persistence, and crowned by consistency. “Achieving is a thing of resolve and persistence. It is the state of attaining success as a goal through sustained consistency. The achiever is a leader, a winner, all the time, not just once. Achieving is an attitude”, he says. This is what defines Adenuga. To conquer the business terrain, you must have the same achieving attitude. This ethos was vividly demonstrated in his rough ride into telecommunications. After the unjust revocation of his initial license and the loss of a $20 million deposit, he did not retreat as many would have done. Instead, he returned with greater force, winning a bigger licence and ultimately launching Globacom and revolutionising the industry with the “Per Second Billing” model that disrupted the Nigerian market.

Such resilience evokes the spirit of Elon Musk, whose perseverance through repeated failures with SpaceX ultimately redefined space exploration. Both men embody a singular truth: tenacity is the mother of greatness.

Lesson II: Aspire Beyond Second Place

In the books of Mr Adenuga, there is no second place. The Achiever must strive to lead all the time: “Leading the pack is the only worthwhile resolve for the achiever. There is no room for second place. It is often said that it is not the winning that counts, but the participation”. This adage, he contends, does not reflect an achieving attitude. “It is not the mere participant, but the achiever, the winner, the leader who makes the difference that advances the course of humankind in the judgement of history”. For him, to be first is not vanity; it is vision sharpened into obsession. Leading, therefore, is an obsession.

Lesson III: Strategy, Not Luck, Determines Destiny

Enterprise, in his view, is akin to a battlefield, demanding clarity of purpose, precision of strategy, and total engagement of the self. Luck is neither a plan nor a principle. You must get your strategy right from the beginning. He explains this vividly: “High profile corporate game playing is an arena where the pervading zeal is on achieving in every single endeavour: to be the first, and always the first; to be the one who holds the aces that determine the pace of play. You do not enter the arena to depend on luck. You match your wits against others, with your entire constitution springing to action. Every fibre from innermost recesses of your being, to the fore, becomes combative in a synchronised zeal to achieve. He argues that with this strategy, you’re never going to come off the arena a loser.

When Globacom entered a market already occupied by giants such as MTN and Airtel, it did not imitate. It innovated. By democratising access through bold pricing and disruptive models, it reshaped the competitive landscape.

Similarly, in oil exploration, while others divested, he invested, committing over $100 million to what became a historic breakthrough, as his company emerged the first indigenous producer of oil in commercial quantities.

Lesson IV: Build for the Future You Cannot Yet See

Greatness is rooted in foresight. His vision is long term. Like Warren Buffett, he believes that shade exists because someone once planted a tree. Adenuga has consistently invested in tomorrow. His investment in the Glo-1 international submarine fiber optic cable is his way of planting a tree for the digital future of an entire continent. The Glo 1 facility, commissioned in 2010, has become a silent engine powering Nigeria’s digital transformation, enabling innovation across governance, commerce, education, healthcare, banking, entertainment, etc.

Lesson V: Master the Art of Strategic Advantage

An entrepreneur who wants to succeed must aim to outwit the other man. “Essentially, running a business is similar to leading a military operation or orchestrating a political campaign, or performing as a great athlete. The fundamental principles are the same. The overriding objective is to outmanoeuvre the opposing forces; to outsmart the other party; to out-perform the competition; to outwit the other guy – to achieve. This may sound harsh. But that is the way it is”, submits Adenuga. If you want to understand this perspective, look again at the strategy behind the launch of Glo in 2003 and how he altered the balance of power and left established competitors reeling.