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Government House, Agodi Ibadan: A Mind-Boggling Overhaul

Published

9 months ago

July 4, 2025

Eric

By Hon. Femi Kehinde

Ibadan being the epicenter of several firsts in Nigeria, blazed the trail in several strides and endeavors in Nigeria’s early growth and development.

It was in Ibadan in 1950 that the first Pan Nigeria Conference on evolution of federalism and regionalism emerged. Hitherto there were no regions, until the emergence of the Mcpherson Constitution of 1951, that true governance to political elites as against the hitherto traditional institutions. Three regions emerged; Western Region, Eastern Region and the Northern Region, and the Westminster Parliamentary System of government also emerged. There was a regional election in December 1951 to the Western Region House of Assembly, and the Action Group (AG) of Obafemi Awolowo emerged as the party with majority members in the newly inaugurated parliament of January 1952. Obafemi Awolowo became the leader of the Action Group (AG) in the parliament, leader of government business, and Minister of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs until 1954 when his status was further recognized and enhance as premier of the Western Region until December 15, 1959 when he left the position of premier to become a federal legislator and leader of the opposition in the Federal Parliament. The Deputy Leader of the party and federal legislator – Hon. Samuel Ladoke Akintola succeeded him.

Olola Sir. John Rankine from 1952 became the Governor of the Western Region, and the first occupier of a newly built Government House, Agodi Ibadan in 1954. The Government house, Agodi Ibadan is a three-bedroom apartment with three rooms on the first floor whilst the ground floor has the sitting area, the dining and the kitchen. A modest British house by all standards. He was in this exalted position until 1960 when he was succeeded by the great Yoruba potentate and highly revered and exalted monarch, Oba Sir. Titus Martins Adesoji Tadeniawo Aderemi – The Ooni of Ife.

During his stint as Governor of the Western Region, Oba Adesoji Aderemi also lived in the Government House, Agodi Ibadan until the eruption of the Western region crisis in 1962. At the heat of the Western Region turmoil, the Chief Justice of Nigeria placed a call from Lagos to the Ooni of Ife and Governor of the Western Region – Oba Adesoji Aderemi, and politely advised him to move out of the Government House, Agodi Ibadan to forestall embarrassment as a foremost Yoruba traditional monarch. Oba Adesoji Aderemi actually heeded the advise and moved his bags and baggages from the government house, Agodi Ibadan back to his palace in Ile-Ife, and also his guest house at the Jericho Government Reservation Area (GRA), Ibadan.

There was a declaration of a state of emergency in the Western Region from May 29, 1962 to December 31, 1962. The administrator of the Western Region during this emergency period was Dr. Moses Adekoyejo Majekodumi who also lived in the Government House, Agodi Ibadan during his stint as administrator of the Western Region. He was succeeded by Sir Odeleye Fadahunsi (NCNC), an Ilesa High Chief as Governor of the Western Region who also lived at the Government House, Agodi Ibadan.

The Government House, Agodi Ibadan is a place of History. The military took over the government of the Federation of Nigeria on the 15th of January 1966, through a military coup and thus signaled the end of the First Republic. Major General Johnson Thomas Aguiyi-Ironsi became the military Head of State of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Col. Francis Adekunle Fajuyi became the Military Governor of the Western Region.

On the 29th of July 1966, Major General Aguiyi-Ironsi visited Ibadan in the evening to attend an organized meeting with the traditional rulers and some leaders of thoughts in the Western Region to explain the essence and purports of his Unification Decree No. 34 of 1966. He was received in Ibadan by his host, the military Governor of the Western Region – Col. Adekunle Fajuyi, who also hosted him at the Government House, Agodi Ibadan where he was scheduled to stay before leaving for Lagos the following morning. Around mid-night of that day, some military officers from the Alamala Military Barracks, Abeokuta forcibly invaded the Government House, Agodi Ibadan and arrested the visiting Head of State – Gen. Aguiyi Ironsi. The host military Governor – Col. Adekunle Fajuyi insisted that he must be arrested alongside the visiting Head of State. The Governor and the Head of State were arrested, whisked out of the Government House, Agodi Ibadan, and driven to a point around Lalupon on Iwo Road, Ibadan where they were brutally murdered and buried in shallow graves. Adekunle Fajuyi through this exemplary conduct displayed the omoluabi nature of a thorough bred Yoruba man. The assassination of the Head of State to a counter coup of July 29, 1966 heralded a new military government of Gen. Yakubu Gowon as Head of State of Nigeria, and Col. Robert Adeyinka Adebayo as the new Military Governor of the Western Region, who later became the next occupier of the Government House, Agodi Ibadan.
Agodi Ibadan holds a primal place in the centrality of Ibadan’s early growth, essence, development, modernity and government architecture. Agodi-Ibadan belongs to the popular Agodi family of Ibadan – a great land-owning family, and had given a substantial portion of its vast land to the government at various times. Amongst its bequeathals were the Agodi prisons, Agodi-Gate Market, Government House – Agodi Ibadan, the government GRAs – Agodi Ibadan, the entire government secretariat – Agodi Ibadan that houses all the ministries of government, the Western Region House of Assemblies, Western Region House of Chiefs, the Premier’s office (later Governor’s office) and many other departments and agencies of government. On the fringe is the Agodi zoological garden, the Agodi fisheries department and its expansive lake, and also the great University College Hospital (UCH) that was declared opened in 1956 by Queen Elizabeth II (Queen of England) during her maiden visit to Nigeria. The first television station in Africa – WNTV/WNBS – Agodi Ibadan established and declared opened on the 30th of October 1959 by the Awolowo government is part of the Agodi family endowments to humanity and modality. As a matter of fact, the Agodi family compound is not too far from the WNTV/WNBS station. WNTV is now NTA – Agodi Ibadan.

Chief Alli Oloko, father of the late. Justice Atinuke Ige, a great Ibadan patriot, early educationist and first president of the Ibadan Progressive Union was a shining star and early pathfinder as a foremost and distinguished member of the Agodi family.
It is now mind boggling and amazing that the Oyo State Government in its executive council decisions has approved the sum of “N63,479,858,000 for the overhauling of the Government House structures” which is an equivalent USD41,346, 875.53 at the current exchange rate of N1,535.

According to High Chief Lekan Alabi, the Maye Olubadan of Ibadanland – a seasoned veteran journalist, archivist, preservationist and cultural enthusiast who had served as Chief Press Secretary to four successive Governors of Oyo State. First as Chief Press Secretary to the late. Chief Bola Ige, and was equally taken over by the succeeding military government of Col. Oladayo Popoola, Col. Tunji Olurin, and Col. Sasa Eniyan Adedeji Oresanya. He has a fond and affectionate memory of what the Government House, Agodi Ibadan and its precinct looks like, and in a recent piece had this to say – “That the colonial British-government built Oyo State Government House at Agodi GRA, Ibadan is under the hammer (not the notorious hammer of mortgaging companies, thank heavens) is already public. As if you haven’t heard the OYS Governor and other officials say “the GH, Ibadan is to be upgraded”. But, before the pulldown/buildup, I wish to lend my voice as a progressive conservationist, that the originality/records of the official residence of His Excellency, the state governor and his family be kept and preserved for generations unborn. I am not a loner in this preservation stand. The current King of England, His Imperial Majesty Charles III, long before ascending the throne of the House of Windsor, has been a strong campaigner that vintage structures be preserved in their natural/original forms, without prejudice to modernization. He suggested further that new/modern edifices, if need be, could be built, if possible, on water or in the air. I sĥared, and still share the views of King Charles III.”

The government house as the name implies is a symbol of government, its apparatus, powers and allures to dreamers and men of ambition. The government house in all climes remains a symbol of inspiration. Harold Wilson at the age of ten dreamt of the office of the Prime Minister of Great Britain. At the same age, he posed for a photograph with his father at the entrance of No. 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Great Britain, and prophetically told his father that he would one day live in the residence as the Prime Minister of Great Britain. That was a wish, a mission, a goal and a vision. He prepared for it and accomplished it. He fought the general election for the seat of Orminsk; he won and he became the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Works at the age of 29 years while he eventually became the Prime Minister of Great Britain at the age of 48 years. Harold Wilson prepared for this office and ended up one of the best Prime Ministers of Great Britain.

No. 10 Downing Street has been the residence of British Prime Ministers since 1735. It is an incredible two (2) bedroom apartment. Whilst the No. 8 Downing Street, the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer is also a three (3) bedroom apartment, and modernity has found it difficult to displace these structures, and has remained vintage. Some of the most famous political figures of modern history have lived and worked in Number 10 Downing Street, including Robert Walpole, Pitt the Younger, Benjamin Disraeli, William Gladstone, David Lloyd George, Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair.

It is also now incredible that a whooping sum of N63,479,858,000 has now been budgeted by the Oyo State Government to overhaul the Government House, Agodi Ibadan, when its budget on health is N59,411,385,714.68, and N18,760,243,348.45 has been budgeted for Agriculture, and hitherto the mainstay of the Western Region economy. In the Western Region olden days of yore, there had been fiscal and ethical financial discipline, with a strict adherence to the Western Region economic development plan of 1955 to 1960.

In 1958, the Western Region government of Obafemi Awolowo conceptualize the construction of a twenty-six storey building skyscraper in Ibadan, and the first of its kind in West Africa, known as Cocoa House. Its cost of construction was not mind boggling. The Cocoa House building was awarded to a firm of contractors – Messrs, Cappa and D’Alberto. The firm of Cappa and D’Alberto, a leading building and civil engineering firm established in 1932. Cocoa House like several others were prime ingenuities, political sagacity, economic wizardry of the early pathfinders of our regional growth ably led by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. The Twenty-Six Storey building was proposed by Chief Obafemi Awolowo with proceeds from cocoa exportation. Cocoa House was completed in 1965 at a height of 105 meters. The initial name given to the Twenty-Six Storey building was “Ile Awon Agbe” translated from Yoruba to English to mean “House of Farmers”. The name was later changed to Cocoa House because it was built from the proceeds of cocoa exportation and also it was bult in front of a cocoa tree just in front of a water fountain. It was once the tallest building in Nigeria and the first skyscraper in West Africa.

Similarly, the Western Region government of Obafemi Awolowo in 1958, conceptualize and developed the building and construction of Liberty Stadium – a Thirty-Five thousand seater capacity stadium that was patterned after the popular Wembley Stadium in London to mark Nigeria’s independence in 1960, at a cost that was not prohibitive or exorbitant. According to Chief Obafemi Awolowo; leaders must maintain high fiscal and ethical standards and financial discipline, and must refrain from enjoying in office what they would not be able to enjoy whilst outside the government.

Throughout his tenure as leader of government from 1952-1954 and premier of the Western Region (1954 – 1959), Awolowo lived in his Oke Bola residence, and shares a fence with the popular Ibadan Boys High School, Oke Bola, Ibadan founded by Ibadan’s foremost educationist – Pa. T.L. Oyesina.

Awolowo displayed his fiscal discipline and strict management of the Western Region economy and finance when in 1957 some leaders of the Western Region government attended the London constitutional conference. Alfred Rewane was a member of the AG delegation to the 1957 Constitutional Conference in London. At the conference, Alfred became indisposed; he had no choice but to visit a hospital. The Western Region Agent General in London, Chief M.E.R. Okorodudu took Alfred to the Royal Free Hospital in London, where he was admitted and treated for Vestibular Neurosis billed at 160 pounds sterling. Chief Okorodudu sent the bill to Chief Awolowo’s hotel for approval for payment from the delegation’s vote; Chief Awolowo declined vehemently to authorize the payment. He said; “Afredo, among all the delegates to this conference, you are the closest to me. Your indisposition is not as a result of your attendance at this conference.” He added in jest; “If I authorize the payment of the bill, it will create a dangerous precedent. How am I sure that some of our colleagues who may be suffering from chronic gonorrhea would not ask me to approve payment of the bills for their treatment?”. At that point, Chief Awolowo gave Rewane 50 pounds from his personal purse to pay part of the bill with further support from Chief S.O. Sonibare and Chief Arthur Prest. Alfred made up the money.

This is now a clarion call for the Governor of Oyo State, Gov. Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde to have a second look at this huge budget proposal of N63,479,858,000 to overhaul the government house, Agodi Ibadan with the possibility of scaling it down drastically and very considerably. In any of government actions, Governors should always ask themselves the latin question – Qui Bono (In whose interest)? That question now stares us in the face. Otherwise, the society may end up like the Bourbon Rulers of France who had learnt nothing, and forgotten nothing, or we may all echo the words of Prof. Ola Rotimi in his epic play – Our Husband Has Gone Mad Again!

Hon. (Barr.) Femi Kehinde is the
Principal Partner, Femi Kehinde & Co (Solicitors) and Former Member, House of Representatives National Assembly, Abuja, representing Ayedire/Iwo/Ola-Oluwa Federal Constituency of Osun State, (1999-2003).

Featured

Leatherworld: A Masterclass in Enduring Excellence

Published

4 days ago

March 21, 2026

Eric

Leatherworld defines what it means to be classy. And it has confidently taken the higher road. For more than three decades, it has not merely sold furniture — it has demonstrated what class truly means in business: integrity in craftsmanship, consistency in service, and vision in growth. And as its name, “Leatherworld” implies, it is a world of its own.

Founded in 1994 to meet the demand for high-quality furniture in Nigeria, Leatherworld began as a retail outlet focused on premium pieces through partnerships with Italian luxury brands. However, it has now upped its ante, spreading its tentacles with showrooms in Victoria Island and Lekki Lagos, and also in Abuja in the Federal Capital Territory.

At a time when durability was often sacrificed for cost and quick turnover, the company made a deliberate decision: it would never compromise quality to cut corners. That principle has remained its compass ever since.

This is indeed the story of Leatherworld. For over 30 years, it has defined what luxury furniture means in Nigeria. It is not just a brand, it has consistently stood for one core principle: quality that lasts.

The company’s commitment to seasoned hardwood, aged for up to seven years before production, speaks to a patience that is rare in modern manufacturing. Indeed, its furniture is designed not for seasons, but for decade

Its growth has been matched by recognitions and honours from far and wide. Notable among some of these awards and recognitions are; international honours such as the Quality Summit New York International Award for Excellence (2013) to multiple awards from reputable organisation such as; the Nigerian National Assembly 2004 Awards, Furniture and Allied Products Manufacturers Association of Nigeria Award (2008), Interior Designer Association of Nigeria, IDAN, Award (2012). Indeed, Leatherworld’s name has become synonymous with leadership in interior décor and furniture manufacturing.

But beyond awards and expansion, it is its customer loyalty that tells the real story. For many clients, the Leatherworld experience begins long before the furniture is delivered.

The brand has earned respect across borders. But class is not proven by trophies alone. It is revealed in everyday interactions. Customers consistently describe professional staff, meticulous delivery teams, and after-sale technical support that is “second to none.”

From custom requests handled with speed and care to full-room assemblies executed with precision, Leatherworld treats service as part of the product itself.

Many customers attest to owning Leatherworld pieces for over 30 years — still structurally sound, still comfortable, still elegant. In a marketplace often flooded with disposable options, that kind of longevity is not accidental; it is intentional. This explains why the customers of Leatherworld attests to the durability and high quality of its products.

“I really enjoyed my shopping experience,” says Anita Ajah, who visited the Lagos showroom. “Their customer service was unlike anything I have experienced in Nigeria.”

Diana Ufuah shares a similar sentiment. “Leatherworld is the very best in terms of quality. I bought a sofa there and it is extremely comfortable and durable. What I also find intriguing is their customer service. My family and I were treated like royalty while shopping.”

It is a recurring theme – professionalism, warmth, and attention to detail.

Oluwole Adekoya describes the experience as “first-class quality furniture reasonably priced,” recommending the brand to anyone “with a dimension for taste.”

Kunle Adegbite highlights the end-to-end service: “I found exactly what I was looking for. Not only were the choices incredible, the service was outstanding. I requested their operations team to assemble my living room and they were quick, professional, and executed it beautifully. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Chioma Okonkwo, a long-standing client is more effusive in her review: “You only get bored with the same furniture but the thought of the new price you will pay keeps you loving your FOREVER furniture from Leatherworld!”

Those testimonies indeed speak volumes. Still, Leatherworld has not dithered from its vision to revolutionise the furniture and interior design industry in Nigeria and West Africa. And its message is simple: quality furniture is not a cost — it is an investment. You choose once. You choose well. You buy for life.

Leatherworld’s aesthetic draws inspiration from the elegance of Florence and the opulence of Nigerian culture — a fusion that respects global sophistication while celebrating local identity.

Its collections range from classical and neo-classical to contemporary and simple-line designs, ensuring that individuality is never compromised.

In doing so, the company has positioned itself not just as a seller of furniture, but as a curator of lifestyle — crafting pieces that define spaces for scholars, business leaders, families and discerning homeowners alike.

In business, class is consistency when no one is watching. It is honouring promises made decades ago. It is building products that outlive marketing campaigns. It is choosing long-term reputation over short-term gain.

In a competitive industry where shortcuts are tempting and compromise is common, Leatherworld has shown that real class lies in endurance — of materials, of service, of vision and of trust.

And in doing so, it has not only furnished homes across Nigeria and West Africa; it has furnished an example of how a company can grow, lead, and still remain grounded in excellence.

Bimbo Alashe, as the founder and CEO of Leatherworld Furniture Company, leads the international furniture retailing assemblage and manufacturing company in Nigeria. The company offers top quality leather furniture and accessories in wood, glass, marble, and other authentic and elegant materials, establishing a reputation for excellence in craftsmanship and design.

She is one of the most formidable entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Beyond building her company, she sits on the board of several companies and serves as a mentor to a number of aspiring and established entrepreneurs, sharing her experience and insight to help others grow.

Her story is not the typical one of a person who grows from old money. Alase had to create her story herself, making her way from the rough early days of owning a small mini-store to the point where she became a mega business owner through determination and persistence.

When Leatherworld was established, it entered the furniture space to redefine luxury and class. The business created an opportunity for her to explore her love for creativity, guided by a straightforward vision — to make high-quality furniture available to everyone.

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Tinubu, Atiku, Obi Felicitate with Muslim Ummah, Nigerians at Eid-el-Fitr

Published

4 days ago

March 21, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

The three frontline political leaders in Nigeria; President Bola Tinubu, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and Mr Peter Obi, have in separate messages call for the strengthening of security, sustenance of the spirit of goodwill imbibed during Ramadan as well as kindness among Nigerians as the Muslim Ummah celebrate the 2026 Eid-el-Fitr.

The messages are in response to the successful completion of the 30-day fasting – a period of dedication, sacrifice, spiritual renewal and stocktaking – which end birth the Eid-el-Fitr celebration.

Leading the avalanche of messages, President Tinubu, through a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, reiterated the need to lead a pious life seasoned by empathy and unity among humankind.

He noted that though the Ramadan season is over, but the lessons of piety, selflessness, perseverance, kindness and compassion, which the period is known, must consistently be the watchword of every Nigerian.

The message is captured in details below:

As Muslims worldwide celebrate Eid-el-Fitr, marking the end of Ramadan, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has congratulated the Muslim faithful in Nigeria, urging renewed commitment to the nation and humanity.

President Tinubu enjoined Nigerian Muslims to rededicate themselves to the noble teachings of the holy month, which emphasize piety, empathy, and unity among humanity.

“We have a lot to draw from the noble lessons of Ramadan, especially at a time like this. We must continue to abide by the virtues of piety, selflessness, perseverance, kindness and compassion beyond this period,” he said.

President Tinubu urged all Muslim faithful to extend a hand of kindness to the needy of all faiths, to further show unity and camaraderie.

The President also tasked Muslim leaders to use the occasion to offer prayers for peace and prosperity to prevail in the country.

In the same vein, former Vice President of Nigeria and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar congratulated the Muslim faithful in Nigerian and across the world on the successful completion of the mandatory Ramadan fasting, and the celebration of the Eid-el-Fitr.

A press statement signed by the media office of the former Vice President, admonished Muslims to remain steadfast in piety by maintaining peace and in charitable causes.

According to Atiku, the completion of the obligatory fasting in the noble month of Ramadan should lead to more commitment to the injunctions of Almighty Allah.

“The completion of the Ramadan fasting is a call to duty that ensures we sustain the good deeds that the noble month requires of us.

“We must ensure that the lessons of the month are not lost on us and that the celebration of today is a reminder to the people, especially Muslims, to follow in the tradition of the noble Prophet Muhammad (SAW) in seeking closeness to God through worship and maintaining peace,” Atiku said.

He further called on the government to take it more seriously, stressing that “the protection of the lives and property of citizens is a divine decree and the sole responsibility of every government.”

Atiku similarly enjoins the privileged in the society to keep providing charity to the less privileged as this would go a long way in ensuring that the rising tide of economic downturn does not weigh too heavily on the poor.

“A greater number of people are being crushed by the economic downturn and global events in the past three weeks have further exacerbated the situation. It is incumbent on the wealthy to be more compassionate by taking up the responsibility of charity to help cushion the effect of the burden on the poor,” Atiku said.

Also lending his voice the congratulatory messages, Labour Party’s former presidential candidate, and former Governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, urged Nigerian Muslims to imbibe the spirit of Ramadan going forward even as the 30-day fast has officially ended.

“I join you with heartfelt joy as we celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the blessed festival that marks the successful completion of the sacred month of Ramadan.

“This occasion is a profound reminder of the power of faith, discipline, selflessness, and unwavering devotion to Almighty Allah.

“Throughout Ramadan, you have fasted, prayed, given charity, and drawn closer to God, embodying values that inspire not only the Muslim ummah but every person of goodwill. These lessons of compassion, humility, patience, and solidarity must not end with the month; may they continue to guide our hearts, our actions, and our shared life as Nigerians.”

Many other prominent Nigerians and institutions have also identified with the Muslims in celebration, drumming the lesson of service, patriotism, piety and above unity of purpose to the hearing and learning of all and sundry.

The Eid-el-Fitr is the grand finale of the Muslim 30-day fasting period, popularly known in Islam as Ramadan. It is a yearly spiritual exercise.

Featured

TEF Entrepreneurship: Tony Elumelu Foundation Sets March 22 to Announce 2026 Cohort

Published

5 days ago

March 20, 2026

Eric

The Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), the leading philanthropy empowering young African entrepreneurs will announce the 12th cohort of the flagship TEF Entrepreneurship Programme on Sunday, March 22, 2026.

In 2026, the Foundation will empower a total of 3,200 entrepreneurs across all its entrepreneurship programmes:
1,751 entrepreneurs through Heirs Holdings Group: Heirs Energies, Transcorp Power, Transcorp Hotels, and United Capital; 1,049 entrepreneurs in partnership with the European Commission, OACPS, BMZ and GIZ; 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with Sèmè City Development Agency; 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with DEG, the German Development Agency; 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with the IKEA Foundation, UNICEF’s Generation Unlimited and the Dutch Government; and 100 entrepreneurs in partnership with UNDP and the Rwandan Ministry of Youth and Arts.

Applications to the flagship programme were received from over 265,000 young Africans, representing all 54 African countries, underscoring Africa’s vibrant entrepreneurial sector and the funding challenge for entrepreneurs. The new cohort will join the TEF Alumni community of more than 24,000 entrepreneurs.

The selection process is conducted by Ernst & Young, ensuring an independent and rigorous assessment of applicants.

Each selected Tony Elumelu Entrepreneur will receive $5,000 in non-refundable seed capital, access to world-class business management training on TEFConnect, one-on-one mentorship, and entry into a powerful network of investors, partners, and other entrepreneurs.

The Tony Elumelu Foundation has empowered over 2.5 million young Africans with access to business management training on our proprietary digital hub, TEFConnect, and disbursed over US$100 million in seed capital to more than 24,000 selected entrepreneurs. Collectively, these entrepreneurs have generated $4.2 billion in revenue and created more than 1.5 million direct and indirect jobs. Through our support for African entrepreneurs, TEF has lifted 2.1 million Africans above the poverty line, and positively impacted more than 4 million African households, with 46% of supported entrepreneurs being African women.

Ahead of the upcoming announcement, Tony O. Elumelu, C.F.R., Founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, reiterates his unwavering belief in the potential of Africa’s entrepreneurs:

“The future of Africa will be built by Africans who create businesses, generate jobs and solve the challenges of our continent. At the Tony Elumelu Foundation, we believe that empowering entrepreneurs is the most sustainable path to Africa’s economic transformation.

I look forward to announcing and congratulating the 2026 cohort of Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurs and look forward to witnessing the impact they will create across our continent.”

The general public is invited to join, virtually.