Adenuga @ 63: The power of silence – By Louis Odion, FNGE

Dr. Mike Adenuga

 Till date, without shame, Olusegun Obasanjo
has continued to live in denial. Even in the face of numbing proof, he insists
at no time did he seek – nor was he aware of attempts – to elongate his stay in
power. History however mocks that big lie. For, the body interred in the
shallow grave still has its bruised toes sticking out.
 Intoxicated by a false sense of messianism,
the Ota chicken farmer had sought to turn Nigeria to a banana republic and make
himself emperor for life. Not content with a second term of office as elected
president, he coveted more. A “national conference” was hastily
cobbled together. For months in 2004, a motley crowd of “eminent”
Nigerians cutting across all the divides camped at taxpayers’ expense in Abuja
to deliberate and fashion a new corporate charter that would hopefully plug the
sundry cleavages and effectively weld all the disparate tendencies into a truly
united nation.

Louis Odion

 The naive were swift in rendering a standing
ovation for the “father of modern Nigeria” for finally finding what
they considered an ingenuous formula to fix, once and for all, the knotty
National Question for which militants of Nigeria’s progressive community had
waged relentless battles for ages.
 But the truth soon unravelled after the panel
wound up and submitted its voluminous reports to the crafty paymaster at the
Villa. It did not take long before the hidden agenda unfurled. Legislative
hirelings like Ibrahim Mantu (aka “the magician”) took over. Before
the nation knew what was happening, an extraneous clause seeking to remove the
cap on term limit for elected public officers had found itself in the executive
bill tabled before the National Assembly!
In all, the proposal contained over a hundred
provisions, some of which were otherwise thoughtfully progressive. But the
inclusion of the “Third Term” clause contaminated every other thing.
 Its promoters left nothing to chance. To other
sitting public office holders already growing apprehensive, a sweet bait was
dangled: “It’s of general application”. Meaning: “automatic
ticket” for everyone. To federal lawmakers expected to undertake the dirty
job by simply following the cues from magician Mantu, a humongous war-chest had
been provided. Those who acquiesced – who were in the majority – were plied
with staggering bribes ranging from N50m to N100m. Thus were billions of
tax-payers’ money incinerated.
 For clarity, it must be stressed that TTA
actually failed not because of paucity of bribe to induce anyone willing to
collude. It collapsed under the weight of its own treachery due more to the
many acts of courage and defiance by few patriots who overtly and covertly
pooled resources – both material and intellectual – to defend the territory of
democracy. One of the unsung heroes of that momentous moment is Dr. Mike
Adenuga Jnr.
 This history is dredged up today partly in
memory of the tenth anniversary of TTA’s demise and partly as tribute to the
courage of Adenuga who, by the way, turns 63 next week. In fairness, there were
countless others who stood up to be counted against TTA. Why Adenuga’s is
significant is the character he showed at a colossal risk.
 As was the practice in those imperial days,
the power of the presidency was invoked indiscriminately to summon people to
all kinds of meetings with little or no clue given as per the agenda. It was at
one of such nocturnal meetings that Adenuga, fondly called the “Guru”
or the “Bull” in the corporate world, reportedly ran into trouble. By
then, TTA had coasted into bad weather on account of mass resistance from
across the land. The nocturnal strategists thought it auspicious at this point
to co-opt key players in the economy.
 Not surprising, the evil design was elegantly
disguised and introduced as “the urgent need to sustain Baba’s good
economic reforms”. Stripping the funny masquerade bare and describing it
starkly as Obasanjo’s inordinate quest for life presidency would easily have
put decent people off. So, it has to be put nicely as seeking constitutional
amendments to “deepen the reforms already started”, some of which
fruits were already being harvested bountifully and savored in earnest by all and
sundry.

OBJ

 At the said historic meeting, while the
conveners, as usual, rambled on and on and the horde of sycophants present
joined in parroting the need to “sustain the reforms”, Adenuga’s
continued silence, as the story goes, unsettled the gathering. It was too obvious
the Bull was battling hard to conceal the embarrassment of finding himself in
such slimy company of political pimps and scavengers. When finally he broke his
silence, his words were chillingly cold. He was for reforms to grow the
economy, right. But his candid view was that getting the constitution changed
overnight to enable Baba continue in office would be a tough call. His own
take: are there no other options by which the reforms can be sustained?
 There was a pin-drop silence after Adenuga
spoke candidly.
 Alas!, the only exhibit the sharks had longed
for had finally fallen in their laps. No sooner had the company dispersed than
the tale-bearers rushed to Obasanjo’s lair to brief him how, of all the rich
men in town prospered by Baba’s reforms, Adenuga was the only ingrate opposed
to rewarding him with extended stay in office. From that point, the Globacom
boss became a marked man. (Needless to say that was the last time he was
reportedly invited to the Third Term’s “strategy meeting”.)
 By listing Adenuga among the reforms
beneficiaries, what they actually meant was the rise of Globacom. To many
however, it is debatable if Obasanjo can justifiably appropriate the glory only
to himself bearing in mind the full details of the story.  Adenuga’s Communications
Investment Limited (CIL) was earlier issued a conditional license in 1999 and
frequencies to operate the Global System of Mobile Communications (GSM). The
license was later revoked with the loss of $20m deposit. It was adjudged to
have failed to meet the deadline for the payment of $265m by few hours.
Sustained direct appeals to nationalist sentiments that Obasanjo should
exercise presidential discretion by allowing Adenuga enter the market did not
change anything.

Festus Odimegwu

Undaunted, Adenuga soldiered on. Obasanjo was
out of the country on one of his many foreign tours in August 2002 when the
federal executive council chaired by VP Abubakar Atiku approved Globacom
license after a bid for the Second National Operator (SNO). Luckily, unlike the
1999 bid in which CIL controversially lost not only the license but also the
$20 million deposit, the SNO packed more fruits. It enables Globacom to also
operate as a national carrier, digital mobile lines, international gateway for
telecommunications in the country and fixed wireless access phones.

 So, when finally the Third Term bill got shot
down and buried during a televised session at the National Assembly in May
2006, it was clear a red flag had inadvertently been waved at the raging bull
at the Aso Rock Villa. It did not take long before Obasanjo went after the
likes of Adenuga for opposing his imperial ambition. Indeed, the nation would
watch in horror as the full might of Federal Government was brought against the
Globacom boss shortly afterwards through the EFCC as security personnel invaded
his Lagos home in the broad daylight in Gestapo fashion. (So, when the Pharisee
of Ota whines today that Buhari’s EFCC “does not have bite”, we
should understand the dark, devious context he means.)

 After hours of humiliating siege, they took
Adenuga away.  Without
shame still, Obasanjo, through the security agencies, later deployed
magnifiers, oil-lamps and sniffer-dogs looking for what was not missing at
Adenuga’s business premises. But everyone knew it was all because the Guru
refused to join the TT gravy train.

 But ever so deluded, OBJ least anticipated the
intensity of the national outrage the action triggered and the backlash from
global capital. You don’t maltreat someone of Adenuga’s international stature
and expect the world community would keep quiet. The global spotlights
eventually forced OBJ to let go his captive. Obviously traumatized, Adenuga
soon left Nigeria on self-exile and would not set foot on Nigerian soil again
until Baba was forced out on May 29, 2007.
 

Ibrahim Mantu

Indeed, as the Guru turns 63 next week, there
cannot be a better time to salute the man with uncommon business ethic, a
corporate enigma who however fiercely shuns the kliegs light, a compulsive recluse
whose near obsessive aversion to open flirtation with political authority would
then appear a show of piety to the original catechism of free enterprise. That
the market be defined strictly by the fidelity to its rigid rules, not seeking
easy riches by merchandising access to political authorities. Such attributes
are indeed uncommon in today’s Nigeria where the average “billionaire
debtor” prefers to wallow in vanity by paying Forbes to put him on the
rich list, hustling for photo ops with top politicians at public events and
generally loitering around corridor of power, scavenging for duty waivers,
concessions or other seedy avenues to make cheap money.

 As a scholar once put it, Adenuga’s own
business model is not cutting corners but rolling your sleeves, getting your
hands dirty to earn profit fairly: “Today, it’s no coincidence that
whereas many others rely on special favours from government in form of duty or
import waivers to keep afloat, Adenuga never asks for anything other than level
playing field to compete. He believes in free trade. Again, if you check those
who betrayed public trust like in the case of fuel subsidy scam, you don’t see
Adenuga’s name or his company on such inglorious list. It simply tells you the
business ethic of not just a true Nigerian entrepreneur but also a patriot par
excellence.”

 No wonder, debutant Globacom in 2003 pioneered
per second billion system in the telecoms sector, halting MTN’s cold-blooded
exploitation of Nigerians for two years.

 True, it is impossible to survive the
dog-eat-dog world of big business and remain a saint. Whatever may be his own
shortcomings, Adenuga compensates for with a generous spirit. Even more
remarkable is that he, as usual, prefers to conduct his philanthropy in strict
anonymity in an environment where most men and women of means would not give if
no one is watching or willing to cheer. Today, what is documented is the
billions of Adenuga’s money that go into supporting Nigeria’s creative industry
(music/movie world) and the soccer league. Much more of his wealth quietly goes
to countless charities both at home and abroad, giving life-line to humanity in
need.

 Four years after his ordeal at the hands of
OBJ’s goons, our paths crossed in Accra, Ghana. The occasion was a global award
(Black Star) ceremony put together by Ghana’s respected foundation to celebrate
some illustrious Africans. Naturally, our own Nobel laureate, Professor Wole
Soyinka, topped the honour list. Awardees included South Africa’s Cyril
Ramaphosa. I was among Kongi’s guests from Nigeria led by -who else- Dr. Yemi
Ogunbiyi.

 Inside the commodious hall that night, the air
literally froze when the MC announced Adenuga’s presence. He was resplendent in
a snow-white Agbada and white cap to match. Thereafter, his corner became the
cynosure of eyes. In Ghana, he is revered as the great son of Africa who owns a
world-class telecom company.

 Characteristically, he had literally sneaked
in through the VIP door unannounced. Not for him the usual disruptive antic of
the Nigerian Big Man arriving late and moving around when the ceremony is
already underway, hugging and bumping fists.

 Incidentally, tonight, the Guru chose the seat
next to me in the VIP section. Ever genial but nonetheless graceful, he threw
the first salvo.

 “Oh! Louis, you’re here,” he teased.
“Well since you started winning awards all over the place as Writer of the
Year you’ve abandoned your old friends.”

 “Ah! Otunba!!,” I fired back, hand
raised to the head mock salute. “How can your little boy abandon you.
That’s attack as the best defense. That’s not true. It is you that’s
inaccessible. In fact, it’s easier to see President of Nigeria than to see you
sir.”

 He laughed heartily. As the ceremony
progressed, our discussion naturally drifted to happenings in Nigeria. But what
I consider most memorable was his reading of the significance of the award
ceremony:

 “I think we need more of fora like this
to build bridges of unity across Africa. We need to celebrate our own heroes
and heroines to inspire the young ones. We need to stop the pull-him-down
syndrome which is why Africa is yet to tap its full potentials to achieve
greatness. By joining hands, Africa can move mountain.”

 This perhaps explains why Adenuga yearly
commit tens of millions of dollars to promoting soccer on the African
continent. Weighed down by colonial legacy in form of language barrier,
football provides a tool to reunite the people of Africa.

 Six years earlier (2004), his look-alike son,
Paddy, had opened a rare aperture on the domestic Adenuga, the enigmatic dad.
The occasion was a dinner to mark his being named the “Sun 2003 Man of The
Year”. Then, I was Sunday Sun editor. On the sidelines of the cocktail,
Paddy and I got talking. Though born with proverbial silver spoon, he hinted of
“tough training” and being made to appreciate early that things have
to be earned and not taken for granted.

 “You know dad’s standards are quite
high,” he opened up. “It’s hell living up to the high standards he
set for us. He’s a great dad who teaches us the dignity in hard work because he
worked himself real hard to get to where he’s today.”

 He obviously was referring to his dad’s humble
beginnings in United in the 1970s when he juggled menial jobs of cab-driving
and security guard to support himself while studying business administration at
the North-Western University in Oklahoma and Pace University, New York.

 Decades later, Paddy himself would enroll in a
military school in the United States where he received “hard
training”, not the luxury college of privilege where rich brats are
pampered and spoilt. The idea was to inculcate the right values in him and his
siblings, toughen them in order to compete well in the world out there and,
above all, make them appreciate the true worth of things.

So, will
Michael Adeniyi Agbolade Ishola Adenuga, Grand Commander of the Order of the
Niger (GCON), now take a bow.