What a fantastic week it has been for Mr. Tony Elumelu, Chairman of Heirs Holdings, the Tony Elumelu Foundation, and United Bank for Africa (UBA).
He proudly accepted a Recognition Award from none other than President Muhammadu Buhari himself on Monday at the Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference in Sokoto.
Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, founder and chairman of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia, Col. Hameed Ali, the controller general of the Nigeria Customs Service, and Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, a former chief of the army staff, were also honored alongside Elumelu. In various ways, each of these individuals had a positive effect on the Nigerian Army.
What specifically about Elumelu’s Foundation made him qualified?
Entrepreneurial and charitable endeavors for our soldiers—alive and dead. He plans and pays the army’s skill-acquisition trainings, showing both live people and the deceased his compassion. At least 220 widows have received assistance from the Foundation, which looks after the children of fallen troops.
Following training, each widow receives a start-up capital of $2,000, and retired and former service members are also given job chances in the conglomerate run by Elumelu. This significantly raises the morale of active-duty soldiers.
What new information did we learn about Elumelu, this deserving son of Nigeria and of Africa, the day after Sokoto? He had been selected as one of the 2022 recipients of the TIME 100 Impact Awards for his unselfish humanitarian efforts and support of the expansion of Africans’ businesses within their own continent. He was also included in TIME’s list of the top 100 global influencers in 2020.
We are all aware of what Elumelu does for young people in Africa, investing millions of dollars in their entrepreneurial development every year. When individuals are pulling foul-smelling money out of dark, damp places to evade the deadline for the redesign of the naira, the chairman of the Elumelu Foundation is being recognized on a national and international scale for his financial success.
What are the secrets of his success? This master investor with the touch of Midas gave a glimpse in a recent thread on Twitter. He said he is where he is today because of luck, noting: “luck is important but that doesn’t make it a substitute for hard work or labor.”
He added: “hard work and passion are the two most important ingredients for luck.
“I am where I am today because of luck. Let me be clear, luck is important, but it is not a substitute for hard work or labor. Luck is part of the cocktail that you need for success.
