UNCLE NIYI, THE MODEST BILLIONAIRE

Kemi Ashefon

We call him Uncle Niyi Many others call him the Bull or the Guru A large proportion of Nigerians call him the Chairman or the Globacom boss. But he is officially addressed as Mike Adenuga Jr

It could be very difficult for anyone blessed with such wealth to embrace humility Not every wealthy man prostrates in the ‘Yoruba’ way like Uncle Niyi.

I became starstruck when I met him in Ibadan, at his late parents’ house His niece, Yewande Akande, who became my close friend while we were undergraduates at the University of Ibadan, had asked me to escort her to her grandmother ’s house in Challenge area in Ibadan Her grandmother, the late Chief (Mrs ) Oyindamola Adenuga, turned out to be Uncle Niyi’s mother

Excitedly, I agreed because that visit simply meant that I’d return to the campus with lots of peppered guinea fowl, chin-chin, fried fish and chocolates Yewande’s mother, the late Otunba Shade Adenuga and her mum (Mama Oyin Adenuga) were connoisseurs of exotic chocolates and candies Whenever they returned from their trips to the United Kingdom, where they went for medical check-ups, you would definitely take lots of candies home

As we sauntered into the beautiful home of the Adenugas in Ibadan, we were welcomed by Mama (as she was fondly called by her grandchildren) and she immediately told us to get whatever we wanted from the kitchen # course, Yewande and I were ready to pack as much as we wanted for the whole semester from Mama’s fully-stocked kitchen, her store and the massive freezers We were excitedly carrying out our plans when we heard one of Yewande’s cousin, Omodola, announcing that “Uncle Niyi was around ”

Uncle Niyi? Then, I knew it was an opportunity to see one of Nigeria’s Richest Men Back then, mobile phone has not come into existence, let alone, Globacom Plc My friend told me Uncle Niyi founded Equitorial Trust Bank, ETB and Conoil Plc, where Yewande’s older brothers were then working

Uncle Niyi kicked off the culture of buying his nieces and nephews brand new cars immediately after their graduations and before joining the labour market

My friend looked forward to when she would also drive her brand new car after our graduation from U I, and she kept telling me about her uncle and his immense generosity So, you can imagine my excitement at Omodola’s announcement I had heard beautiful things about him and God knew I wanted to meet Uncle Niyi

We left what we were doing in the kitchen and rushed to the living room to see the August visitor

“Ekasan ma,” he said greeting his mum, while prostrating on the floor But the ageing mum lifted him up with her embrace. Then, some other persons, probably close family members entered and Uncle Mike prostrated to greet them too

Before he left that day, everyone in the house wore smiles as a result of the huge amount of money shared among all That’s quintessential Uncle Niyi-he wants everyone to smile My friend, Yewande would always gist you about her stupendously wealthy uncle and his love for his siblings, especially Otunba Folashade Akande, whom he fondly addressed as Aunty Shade

Again, our paths crossed during one of ‘Aunty Shade’s birthday parties. Uncle Niyi would quickly appear at any major family soirées and in a matter of minutes, he would be out He hardly sat for any ‘owambe shindigs’

But he always broke the rule for his sister He would attend her birthday party (even though I never saw him eat) and he always left her surprised Her 60th birthday party left everyone in awe of the kind of ‘exotic’ car he bought for her as a present. As a matter of fact, she had a challenge, cruising the car from her Ikoyi home to her shop in Ketu! If she felt free driving in Ikoyi, all the area boys in Ikosi Ketu, where her business was headquartered, had fun ‘obtaining’ cash from her, for driving such a vehicle Aunty Shade was also a generous person like her younger brother She would always say, ‘Niyi kin fun eniyan ni ikan kekere ’ Translated, she said, ‘Niyi doesn’t give you anything small, his gifts are always huge ’

Should we opine that Uncle Niyi is a ‘small boy with a big God?’ His siblings, extended family members, friends and associates all had a sweet slice of his large, ever giving heart

Indeed Ijebu was shut down for a week when he and his siblings buried their mum, Chief Mrs Oyin Adenuga in 2005 The aso-ebi (party uniforms) were freely shared It was a week of free feeding for all, especially the masses, in Ijebu Ode I was present with my siblings and parents at the grand finale in Lagos Many of the guests almost missed his appearance at the party because he wore the same aso-ebi with the guests! He would be on the dance floor with King Sunny Ade, KSA, who kept singing the praises of the man he fondly calls Globacom So Uncle Niyi has clocked 70 years?

Quite easy-going in his ways, I saw him at his lowest ebb in 2021 when his sister, Otunba Afolashade Akande died We met at the Christian wake-keep and I noticed he sat at the back of the church, though wearing the family Ankara aso ebi As usual, Uncle Niyi sewed the flowing agbada With his head bowed throughout the service, it was obvious he missed ‘Aunty Shade.’

Those must have been the longest hours he spent at an event The next morning, he was at the same venue for his sister ’s funeral service A loyal brother to the end, his nephews and nieces would always remember his generosity towards them and their parents, especially those of his two late sisters Mummy Agba (Mrs Esther Olusola Osunsade and Mummy Ikoyi (Aunty Shade Akande)

What more do I write about this telecom guru?

Well, Uncle Niyi remains his not-so-loud self He is just the opposite of what his rich Ijebu cultural heritage connotes He is too modest to be tagged a billionaire To Uncle Niyi, life should be moderately celebrated there is no need to make all the noise while you can make all the money instead

Happy 70th birthday, Sir!