With FUNSHO AROGUNDADE
[email protected]
Dr. Mike Ishola Adenuga Jnr. is one quintessential billionaire known for maintaining a private profile while supporting large-scale business and philanthropic projects. A case study of a famously private man in a very public role, Adenuga has been using his fortune and influence to create platforms that empower minds and connect nations, an impact that goes far beyond business. Today, Lagos pulses with one of Africa’s most sophisticated cultural landmarks: the Alliance Française de Lagos located in the neighbourhood of Ikoyi. French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated its first phase during his July 2018 visit to Lagos, and the building opened fully in May 2019. The multi-billion naira project named Mike Adenuga Centre was quietly executed and supervised by Adenuga’s daughter, Bella Disu. The Centre stands as an architectural and diplomatic masterpiece, and an ode to French culture. In fact, French officials have described the Lagos centre as an exemplary partnership with Nigeria’s private sector, and it remains the most visible piece of cultural infrastructure France holds anywhere in Anglophone West Africa.
France and Adenuga have had a long-standing relationship centred on business, culture and diplomacy. The handshake between both can best be described as a covenant shaped by decades of mutual trust. For decades, France has witnessed the ignition of Adenuga’s many grand pursuits in telecommunications, banking, aviation and energy. And for the Globacom founder, the relationship appears to rest on personal affinity and reputational return.
In July 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron broke the protocol to bestow on Adenuga, France’s premier award —Commander of the Legion of Honour— at a private ceremony in Lagos. He was the first Nigerian to hold that tier of French Legion of Honour. Macron described Adenuga as a true role model for Africa with his contribution to French-Nigerian relations, his appreciation of French culture and the advancement of humanity. That’s why the Western European country is once again looking in Adenuga’s direction for her next cultural ‘Taj Mahal’ in Abuja.
Following the template used to deliver the flagship centre in Lagos, France is returning to Adenuga for the financing and construction of a new Institut Français in Nigeria’s federal capital. This is ahead of an anticipated official visit by Macron to West Africa in late October to early November 2026 during which he is expected to lay the foundation stone for the Abuja new project.
(The Sun)
