If the story of the revolution of telecommunication in Nigeria is to be scribbled, the name Dr. Mike Agbolade Ishola Adenuga Jnr. would be a recurring decimal. Yes. And this is because he is the quintessential game changer who softens the strong stone with his doggedness, patience, consistency, and foresight. Before the revolution in the world of telecommunication in Nigeria, it was a herculean task to make calls or receive calls as NITEL had a series of complaints of fault here and there. Because of the teeming customers with high demands, NITEl was lagging in providing service that gave some investors in the telecommunication sector the foresight to block the lacuna created by erstwhile NITEL as the Government also wanted a lasting solution to the impending and recurring issues.
On January 19, 2001, the story of the telecommunications industry was going to change for good inside the NICON Hilton Hotel, Abuja at the open bidding for the three GSM licenses conducted by the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC. That audacious move for Adenuga was widely applauded because it was the only indigenous company that bid for the license and won it. It was a sentiment many people shared that a Nigerian is going to start up a telecommunication firm.
On August 29, 2003, the Ijebu-Igbo business magnate ignited his dreams and Globacom came into existence. In a bid to show those he met in the business that Globacom is a fresh gust of summer wind, what many of his competitors said was impossible charging subscribers Per Minute on call; Globacom through Adenuga crashed that idea with a ‘per second billing’ plan which was regarded first of its kind in the country as there was a massive exodus of people migrating to Globacom. In his strategy to ensure all Nigerians further feel the new wind blowing, he demystified the myth of indigenous companies always playing second fiddle as he crashed the prices of sim cards. This made his competitors sit tight.
As Globalcom would be celebrating its 19th year of existence in the telecommunication business on Monday, August 29, the unsung hero Adenuga has remained consistent in his ideas and approach thereby making communication easy for all sundry. Despite not taking credit for the mammoth work he did, history will forever be kind to him for standing tall for Nigeria. Through Glo, Adenuga has invested heavily in the entertainment industry by sponsoring concerts, soccer tournaments, and events and has also witnessed a boom in Nigeria’s entertainment and African sports sector.