acidtalk: This Forbe's people certainly don't hear word.
What is my name doing on that list? I thought I told them I want my utmost privacy.

nyere84: @op, abeg, are they still single?? As in bachelor?? Do u ve their contacts, like fone num?? If u ve it, just inbox it asap. ** off to dress seductively**

Table Leg :

God alone won't make you one ... Get the hell out of that cyber cafe and start working extra hard!

dejiswaggs:
Mumu, how do you know I'm in a Cafe?

davies123:

I belief u r talking about Multi-billionairs cos almost everybody is a multimillionair in nigeria

Archmed:
Nna...no make mistake o....no be Forbes Association Of Spare Parts sellers for your village dem dey talk o

Archmed:
Nna...no make mistake o....no be Forbes Association Of Spare Parts sellers for your village dem dey talk o

[size=14pt]How I found my acres of diamond — Michael Ade-Ojo[/size]

July 29, 2012 by Kemi Ashefon, Nkarenyi Ukonu, Anna Okon, Kemi Lawal



He is now 74 years old; and his life is a symphony of success. He is Chief Michael Ade Ojo, a business Octopus. Exactly 41 years ago, he set up a company that had just two members of staff, but that mustard seed has grown very large like the Biblical Cedar of Lebanon; the firm Elizade Nigeria Limited, currently has hundreds in its employ.

 Therefore, it will not be out of place for the Elizade chairman to put together the cymbals or drums for celebration.

But how did it all begin?  He rhapsodises, “At that time, we were not thinking we would be what we are today. The name, Elizade, was coined by me and my late wife, Elizabeth. Then, I was an undergraduate of business administration and my wife studied history at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. We both made up our minds to be partners for life. So, through my own business mien as a student of business, I made some permutations.”

As was the lot of the older generation, Ade-Ojo never lacked job after graduation. But   he never liked what was going on in his place of work. So, he decided to put to test his entrepreneurial skill; ultimately, he conquered his environment like a true lion – which he is, (products of UNN are called lion or lioness).

In retrospect, he said, “I approached the old RT Briscoe to appoint me as a freelancer to sell their vehicles on commission basis. They gladly accepted since I was not going to be on any salary. I went back to the office and asked for my annual leave. It was granted and I went out selling Toyota cars and within those four weeks, I sold 40 cars. I calculated my commission on those cars and I discovered it was bigger than my one year salary where I worked. I resigned on resumption.”

On August 1, 1971, he floated Elizade Independent Agencies, which he started  at No, 71 Awolowo Way, Ikeja. Again, he approached Briscoe for dealership in motorcycle.

He narrates, “I was asked to deposit 600 pounds but I had 4000 pounds. I had used the funds to pay for rent of the building where we were, and I had nothing to pay for the motorcycles. I went to my bank to ask for a loan but they turned it down because I did not have collateral. But my late cousin, Chief Bakare, lent me 600 pounds and within three months, I paid the money.

“Just before I left my former employment, I had applied for a loan and I ordered for a Peugeot 404. The car came and I displayed it in our showroom because I did not have the ability to ride it. I sold it at a good price and this formed part of my capital. With that, I was able to buy one car until it increased to two and so on.

“Whenever I got my commission, I would put everything back into the business and we were not paying ourselves any salaries for the first five years. We were just drawing all our expenses from the earnings of the company.”

Born without a silver spoon in his mouth, the business mogul says this austere or humble background, ironically paved the way for his achievements in life. “I worked very hard and at the same time I prayed very hard,” he says. “I came from a poor family and my experiences in my early life taught me to be very prudent with money. I did not buy what I desired or wanted, I only bought what I needed. In so doing, everything we made was put back into the business.”

As the company began to grow, he decided in March 1972, to ask his lioness- wife, who was a teacher at Methodist Boys High School, Lagos to join him. “That paid off because it gave me confidence to operate more freely on the field,” he confesses.

Ade-Ojo’s empire has morphed into education as he has founded Elizade University, Ilara-Mokin, Ekiti State. What impelled him into this crowded terrain of  setting up a private ivory tower? His response is, “ I am determined to do it because I want to develop youths and make them productive. I won’t joke with morals.

 “If you throw that away, then you have thrown away everything and that is the problem in Nigeria today. Having started this cause, I am appreciating the enormity of the problems we are facing in this country. My concern is how to change people from this general decadence. I am not going to force any child to attend the university but by the time our students begin to go out, we will not be able to satisfy the thirst for our kind of education.”

But does   Chief Ade Ojo to slow down his level of activities at 74? His reply is indeed a testament to realism or commonsense.  “When I was younger, I started work at 2 am and I worked for three hours. I have my quiet time and I go back to sleep. These days I can’t do more than one hour.

“ When I was younger, I did not play golf. Now, I am playing golf. I have built an 18-hole golf course, not for others to play, but I am going to play there.  If I don’t engage my brain enough, it will die and I am not prepared to allow it to die. God has been so kind to me to give me the strength.

“Today, I am not involved at all in the everyday activity of Elizade, even the university, I am not involved in the day- to- day running of the place. I play golf, I eat well and I ask for God’s mercy all the time.”

Asiwaju9ja: Does anyone know where I can get Cycling protective Helmets for my Team? I want to buy them today. Sorry for derailing the Topic

ekt_bear: why are they all yoruba and igbo

ekt_bear: why are they all yoruba and igbo

dejiswaggs:
Mumu, how do you know I'm in a Cafe?

Lamasta: That list is incomplete until my name appears

My_Time: In the month of November, FORBES will publish its annual official ranking of the 40 richest people in Africa. A lot of research has gone into the making of this list and this year, we’ve uncovered several hidden holders of wealth across the continent.

Many of them are names you’ve probably never heard. In the coming days, this author will list at random, ten relatively unknown high net-worth individuals from various African countries, pulled from our extensive wealth database.

This is the first part in the series. Here are ten low-key, ultra-wealthy Nigerian tycoons, entrepreneurs and business leaders. Each of them is worth at least $50 million. There are no politicians or criminals here — just good, successful businessmen.

Kola Aluko

Source: Oil, Aviation services

Kola Aluko, a Nigerian energy and aviation tycoon, founded oil trading firm Fossil Resources in 2001, then went on to become CEO of Exoro Energy- an indigenous oil exploration and production firm. In 2007, the company merged with Seven Energy, a leading independent oil exploration company. Aluko is now Deputy CEO and a leading shareholder of Seven Energy, which has operations and key interests in four onshore fields in the Niger Delta. Aluko is also a member of the advisory board of Vista Jet, a Swiss-based private jet charter company founded by Thomas Flohr. A passionate car racing enthusiast, Aluko has competed in major European races with the Swiss team Kessel racing. In June 2012, Kola Aluko was reported to have purchased two luxury ultra-modern estates in Beverly Hills for $40 million. He reportedly has business ties with Nigeria’s current Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke.



Eddy Martins Egwuenu

Source: Banking

A former bank chief, Egwuenu is the second largest individual shareholder of the Zenith Bank Group. His 1.5% stake in Zenith Bank alone is worth about $60 million.



Jide Omokore

Source: Steel, Oil, Dredging

Omokore is the chairman and founder of Energy Resources Group, one of Nigeria’s largest privately-held conglomerates. ERG has interests in oil trading and exploration, haulage services, steel, dredging engineering and property development. The group’s annual revenue exceeds $400 million.



ABC Orjiakor

Source: Oil

The trained orthopedic and trauma surgeon might have thrived due to his formidable connections with Nigerian military bigwigs such as former President Ibrahim Babangida, but ABC Orjiakor is a successful businessman on all parameters. One of Nigeria’s wealthiest men, Orjiakor is the Chairman and CEO of Shebah E&P Company Limited, an oil exploration firm which has a 40% stake in the offshore block OML 108 which produces over 8,000 barrels per day. Orjiakor is also chairman of Zebbra Energy Limited which owns the deepwater concession OPL 248 offshore Nigeria.



Sam Iwuajoku

Source: Commodities, Aviation services

Iwuajoku made his fortune importing rice and steel rods, while leveraging his extensive political connections to obtain a series of generous import duty waivers from the Nigerian government. Among other ventures, he reinvested in private aviation services. His company, Quits Aviation services is one of the few fixed-base operators in the country. Quits Aviation Services owns a large maintenance hangar at the Murtala Muhammed International airport in Lagos and a jet charter service.



Gbenga Oyebode

Source: Law, Investments

One of Nigeria’s most renowned commercial lawyers, Gbenga Aluko is a founder and Managing Partner of Aluko & Oyebode- a successful corporate and commercial law firm in Nigeria. He owns a minority shareholding in MTN Nigeria, and sits on the company’s board. Oyebode also serves as chairman of Access Bank PLC, Okomu Oil and Crusade Insurance. The value of his shareholdings in these companies is worth tens of millions of dollars.



Arthur Eze

Source: Oil

The Nigerian oilman sits atop Atlas Oranto Petroleum, a West African exploration company which owns several producing and non-producing oil and gas assets across Nigeria, Liberia, Equatorial Guinea and the Gambia. In 2010, Oranto Atlas sold off a set of oil blocks in Liberia for $250 million. Eze pocketed $200 million from the sale.



Aderemi Makanjuola

Source: Offshore support services

The reclusive tycoon is the founder and Executive chairman of the Caverton Offshore Support Group, Africa’s first integrated offshore support service provider. The company provides marine, aviation and logistics support services to oil exploration and production firms based in West Africa. Some of its clients include Cameroon Oil Transportation Company (COTCO) and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC). Caverton Helicopters- a subsidiary of the group owns a 10,000 square meter flight facility at the Murtala Muhammad International airport in Lagos, a 9,000 square-meter facility in Port Harcourt and a heliport in the elitist Victoria Island in Lagos.



Dele Fajemirokun

Source: Diversified

His father, Henry Fajemirokun, was a renowned shipping magnate and one of Africa’s most successful businessmen after Nigeria’s independence. Nigerian Maritime Services Limited, the shipping company he founded in 1962, is still one of the largest shipping companies in Nigeria today. Dele Fajemirokun, his 62 year-old son is now in charge. A prominent boardroom guru, Fajemirokun also owns key stakes and sits on the board of several Nigerian blue-chips including American International Insurance company and oil explorer First Hydrocarbon Nigeria Limited.



Michael Ade-Ojo

Source: Car distribution

Michael Ade-Ojo is the biggest seller of Toyota vehicles in West Africa. His Elizade Group accounts for over 10% of all Toyota sales in Nigeria. He is also chairman of Toyota Nigeria and is a key shareholder of RT Briscoe PLC, an NSE-listed distributor of Toyota cars in Nigeria.


Source:Forbes Magazine

http://www.forbes.com/sites/mfonobongnsehe/2012/11/02/10-nigerian-multi-millionaires-youve-never-heard-of/

bigtt76: Wao! No IT big-wig named! All Oil and *&^%$#@@ based businesses!

sdymanagers: Watch out for internet entrepreneurs too