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While successive governments and administrations have battled to steady Nigeria’s economy, not much attention has been paid to the peace and unity of citizens.

All the ethnic nationalities that make up the entity called Nigeria have continued to live like sworn enemies. This lack of cohesion has retarded the growth and overall development of the country.

Ephraim Onoja, a retired banker, is at peace with himself and his family at 66 years old. Born on October 10, 1960, nine days after Nigeria’s independence, the Otukpo, Benue State-born Onoja, who worked at three banks before retiring four years ago, counts himself among ‘Independence Babies’.

With four children, seven grandchildren, a house for himself with rent from two tenants and steady dividends from his investments in stocks years ago, Onoja is very fulfilled at 66 and even hopes to clock 100 years in good health.

But that desirable reality seems to have eluded Nigeria as a country for 66 years. Many argue that if Nigeria is to be a man, he may not be able to proudly beat his chest to say I have done well at 66 years.

‘A man at 66 should, at least, be a grandfather. If Nigeria is, I don’t think it is a proud grandfather because both his children and grandchildren are not interested in its welfare; they squander its wealth, kill one another, love outsiders more than their own family, and allow religion and ethnicity to continue to divide them,’ Onoja said, while decrying that Nigeria is far less from the height it should have attained at 66 years.

For more disgruntled citizens, there is less to be desired from Nigeria at 66 years, considering the projections by world leaders at her independence that the country would take the world by storm in terms of development.

Comparing notes, Phillip Aigbe, a Nigerian lecturer at a Botswana university, decried that in 1960, Nigeria’s peers were countries like Brazil and India, which today have gone ahead to develop beyond global projections.

‘Can you compare the developmental strides in Brazil and India with what we have in Nigeria today? They are worlds apart because those other countries did not allow ethnic sentiments, religion and most importantly, corruption, to overshadow their collective interests,’ he said.

‘Let us be sincere, if Nigeria is where it should have been today, South Africans will not attack and force her citizens out of their country; rather, they would be the ones all over the states in Nigeria to enjoy our wealth and infrastructural feats’.

The fact that the reverse is the case today, according to him, is a reason for Nigerians to be sincere and say things the way they are, especially to the politicians, who keep running the country down and using religion and ethnicity to divide the people.

‘Let us be sincere. We may have achieved something, but Nigeria should not be proud at 66 years because there is little to show over six decades of nationhood,’ Aigbe insisted.

Chijioke Umelahi, an Abuja-based lawyer and a former lawmaker, also thinks along the same line. According to him, multi-racial and multi-religion countries like India, Brazil and even Rwanda enjoy peace, political and economic stability today because they have upheld their constitutions above every citizen, tribe, religion or region.

‘At 66, Nigeria has long abandoned its constitution; no federal character. The appointments in Buhari and Tinubu’s administrations attest to that. Some individuals are above the law today; the judiciary is not independent, and the electoral umpire does the bidding of the government that employs its leadership,’ he said.

The fact that the constitution, which guarantees protection, justice and equal rights for all citizens, is not upheld, Umelahi lamented that peace, unity and development will keep eluding Nigeria even at 100 years.

‘They keep saying one country, but the reality is nepotism. What is good in one part of the country is wrong in another. If the insecurity in the northern part of the country were in the southern part, it would have ended long ago because of unnecessary biases. You cannot beat a child and ask him not to cry, and that is why peace and unity are on holiday in the country even at 66 years.

‘The situation will continue unless we elect selfless, development- and people-oriented leaders, unlike the many bigots, corrupt and selfish ones occupying positions today’.

Speaking from a victim’s perspective, Yakubu Pam, a retired security officer, regretted that at 66 years, peace seems to be on holiday in Nigeria as terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other bad elements have continued to terrorise, loot, and kill innocent Nigerians.

‘I have lost five family members, both close and extended, to terror attacks in the last three years. As I speak, my sister, who lost her soldier husband to Boko Haram ambush, is staying with me in Abuja. Many have fled our villages to Jos township for safety. I am not talking about last year, I am talking about now and you say we should clap for Nigeria at 66 years. No,’ the disgruntled retired soldier said.

According to him, the Nigeria of today seems to have lost its military influence that was once applauded on the continent, which also guaranteed a bit of peace in the country because bad elements feared deadly reprisals from the Nigerian military then.

For Bem Hembafan, another security expert, peace is truly a scarce commodity in today’s Nigeria as the escalating insecurity has rendered many homeless, poorer and sadly leaving many dead.

‘I am from Benue State and we all know what the security situation is there. Despite the visits by Muhammadu Buhari, our late president, Bola Tinubu, the incumbent president, international organisations, civil society organisations, Amnesty and others, our people are still being killed daily in Benue,’ Hembafan lamented.

‘At 66, Nigeria leaves less to be desired for an average Benue citizen because we all have lost family members in the last 10 years and our leaders keep politicizing the situation, even those that call God’s name’.

According to Hembafan, whose company runs private security for luxury estates in Abuja, Kaduna and Nasarawa, if you call for the usual march pass for the Independence Day, parents will not release their children to march because it would be in mockery of the sad reality in the state.

‘Let the big men in Abuja release their children from their safe hideouts in UK schools and American universities and cities to come and march in Makurdi, Otukpo, Jos, Lantang, Kaduna and even Abuja. They will not because they know the reality, but are reluctant to deal with the situation head-on,’ Hembafan said further.

From a diaspora’s perspective, Samuel Onikoyi thinks that with the exodus of Nigerians, especially professionals from the country, even in the present administration, all is not well for the country at 66 years.

‘In the late 80s, many Nigerians were checking out of their country. That exodus has even worsened now, pointing to the harsh situations back home today, which have been driving many out to seek greener pastures,’ Onikoyi said.

‘I think, in an honest assessment, Nigeria has not done better at 66 because there are lots of lost grounds that could have been recovered by now. Rwanda has long recovered after her 20 years genocide.

‘Why is Nigeria still battling with corruption, ethnicity and religion when her peers are developing jets for space missions to hoist their flags, and inventing things through advanced technology.

‘If you consider how much the country has made since discovering crude oil and compare that with the development on ground today, you will simply ask the country to wake up from her long slumber. It has been too long a slumber, and our political class seems to care less that we lag among our peers globally’.

Going forward, he urged the leaders to, at least, ensure peace in the country, if infrastructural development is difficult in this high-technology age where people simply copy models like UAE, Qatar and Bahrain have done, copying European and American developmental models that are luring the world to their countries today.

‘At 66 years, the least the government can do for the citizens is to guarantee their peace and protection in their own country. The government should match their promises with action to ensure that criminal elements are flushed out for people to go about their businesses, especially farming in the hinterlands, peacefully. At 66, there should be no more killing of innocent citizens, no more ransom paid and those connected to all these arrested, prosecuted and no amnesty for them,’ he concluded.

However, the handlers of the government and politicians think otherwise. According to them, Nigeria has a lot to celebrate after 66 years of independence.

‘This is the only government that dared to release Nigeria from the strong grip of cabals. Petrol subsidy is gone; other reforms of this administration are working. The new tax law has guaranteed more funds for the government, and the states and local governments have more money to develop their areas,’ Olumide Ade-Sikiru, an Alimosho-based politician, said.

According to the former local council chairman, the present administration has pools of infrastructural development that should excite Nigeria at her 66th independence anniversary.

For Mahmud Udahe, a Kogi State politician, detractors only see the negative about the country, while leaving out the many positive things. ‘We have some constitutional victories to celebrate at 66, new infrastructure, some international partnerships that have started yielding fruits and no fuel scarcity,’ he said.

For Bob Otega, an economist, the fact that Nigeria is still united at 66 is something to celebrate.

‘I am not a supporter of this government, but the fact remains that Nigeria is still our only country. If we are still here as a country today, it means the nation is moving on despite its many challenges. I think that unity at 66 is worth celebrating,’ he said.

But Pam countered, arguing that the country is more divided now than in 1960 and even last week.

‘We are in campaigns for the 2027 elections. Have you heard what the politicians are saying, the sentiments out there that our man must continue, even if the country is sinking, that those being killed deserve to die because they are not our people or our religious sect, that some regions do not deserve attention for expressing their civil rights.

‘Bigots are at work again, telling their adherents who to vote for and why others are less Nigerians. Where is the unity when the president fears to bring closer other people outside his tribe? I don’t think Nigeria is united; it is just a makeshift arrangement until something permanent happens,’ he said.

Hembafan also sees no peace at 66, as the thousands of innocent people who have died since the insecurity challenge, which, according to him, the government is paying lip service to, bore witness to the strife and aggression in the country today.

‘The only period we enjoyed peace in the country was during the first republic between 1960 and 1965. Our trouble started with the 1966 coup, and since then, it has been from one coup to the other, from religious riots to social unrest, and today, from kidnappers to bandits and to terrorist attacks. The scars are visible in our lag in socio-economic development today,’ he noted.

Nations are often remembered through the leaders they elect. Just as often, however, they are shaped by the entrepreneurs they produce.

The story of modern Nigeria cannot be told without its great business builders. Aliko Dangote redefined industrial production. Tony Elumelu transformed banking and democratized entrepreneurship. Femi Otedola expanded his influence in energy while elevating the culture of strategic philanthropy.

Among them stands Mike Adenuga, one of the most consequential yet least understood figures in Nigeria’s economic history.

Known as both the ‘Gentle Giant’ and ‘The Bull,’ Adenuga has spent more than four decades reshaping Nigeria’s economy while avoiding the spotlight. He grants few interviews, makes even fewer public appearances, and appears to have concluded long ago that publicity is overrated. Instead, he lets his businesses do the talking.

They have been remarkably chatty.

From telecommunications and oil to banking, real estate, aviation, sports, and entertainment, Adenuga has built enterprises that touch virtually every strategic sector of the Nigerian economy. His companies have done more than create wealth. They have challenged monopolies, expanded access, created jobs, and strengthened indigenous participation in industries long dominated by foreign interests.

Nowhere is that more evident than in telecommunications.

When Globacom entered Nigeria’s telecom market in 2003, mobile communication remained too expensive for many Nigerians. A few operators dominated the industry and consumers had limited options. Adenuga recognized something simple but powerful: telecommunications could not drive national development if ordinary people could not afford to use it.

His introduction of per-second billing changed the game.

Competitors were forced to rethink their pricing models, and millions of Nigerians suddenly gained more affordable access to communication. It was not merely a clever marketing strategy. It reshaped an industry.

But Adenuga was never interested in winning today’s battle and ignoring tomorrow’s war. Through investments such as the Glo-1 submarine cable and an extensive fiber-optic network, Globacom helped lay the infrastructure for Nigeria’s digital future.

More than two decades later, Globacom remains Nigeria’s only wholly indigenous telecommunications giant. In a capital-intensive industry dominated by global players, that achievement is both commercial and symbolic. It demonstrates that Nigerian-owned companies can compete at the highest level and win.

His success in oil and gas tells a similar story.

Through Congas and Conoil Producing, Adenuga built one of Nigeria’s leading indigenous energy companies in a sector historically controlled by multinational corporations. At a time when many assumed only foreign firms possessed the expertise and financial strength to operate at scale, Conoil proved otherwise.

Long before ‘local content’ became a policy buzzword, Adenuga was already practicing it. His success challenged the notion that world-class energy companies had to come from somewhere else.

His influence extended into banking as well, although that chapter receives far less attention.

Through his early investment in Equitorial Trust Bank, Adenuga supported efforts to expand access to modern financial services during a critical period in Nigeria’s economic development. His philosophy was straightforward: people cannot build wealth, grow businesses, or participate fully in the economy if they remain outside the financial system.

That vision outlived the institution itself. Equitorial Trust Bank later became part of Sterling Bank during the banking consolidation era, helping create a stronger institution with wider reach and greater capacity. While often overshadowed by his achievements in telecoms and energy, Adenuga’s contribution helped advance financial inclusion and strengthen Nigeria’s banking landscape.

Yet his ambitions were never confined to balance sheets and boardrooms.

Across Nigeria’s cities, his real estate investments have helped shape the physical spaces where economic activity occurs. Telecom networks may connect people and banks may finance growth, but somebody still has to build the offices, commercial hubs, and developments where that growth happens.

Real estate rarely enjoys the glamour of a telecom revolution or an oil discovery. Innovation gets magazine covers. Buildings get security guards and parking attendants. Yet cities do not grow on headlines. They grow because investors are willing to commit to concrete, steel, and long-term confidence.

Adenuga understood that. The same logic explains his presence in aviation.

Private jets are easy targets in a country where inequality remains a concern. But managing an enterprise that spans telecom networks, oil assets, banking interests, commercial properties, and multiple markets is not exactly a work-from-home arrangement.

For Adenuga, aviation is less about luxury than efficiency.

It is the difference between waiting and moving, between delay and execution. His aircraft serve as business tools that keep executives, engineers, and decision-makers connected across complex operations.

More importantly, every flight supports an ecosystem of pilots, engineers, maintenance specialists, airport operators, and service providers. In classic Adenuga fashion, what appears at first glance to be a personal asset often turns out to be part of a larger economic machine.

The man buys a plane; an entire value chain clocks in for work.

Perhaps the most revealing aspect of Adenuga’s career is that he rarely speaks about national development while consistently investing in it.

His support for football, entertainment, and culture has helped project Nigerian talent beyond the country’s borders. Through sponsorships and strategic investments, he has backed not only businesses but also something economists often struggle to quantify: national confidence.

Successful nations export more than products. They export culture, talent, stories, and identity.

Long before ‘soft power’ became fashionable policy language, Adenuga appeared to understand its value. His investments in sports and entertainment have amplified Nigeria’s voice globally while creating opportunities for artists, athletes, and creative professionals at home.

Perhaps that perspective comes from his own journey.

Before becoming one of Africa’s richest businessmen, Adenuga worked as a taxi driver in New York while pursuing his education. His rise from modest beginnings to the summit of African business has become part of Nigerian entrepreneurial folklore.

Yet the significance of his story is not simply the wealth he accumulated.

Many people make money. Far fewer redefine industries.

What distinguishes Adenuga is his repeated willingness to enter sectors where Nigerians were told they could not compete and then proceed to prove the skeptics spectacularly wrong.

Most business leaders are remembered for the companies they build. A much smaller group are remembered for changing entire industries.

Mike Adenuga belongs firmly in the latter category.

Today, his influence is woven into the fabric of modern Nigerian life. Millions communicate through networks he built. Businesses operate within systems he helped shape. Entire industries became more competitive because he challenged assumptions others accepted as permanent.

Mike Adenuga is more than a billionaire. He is a nation-builder, a disruptor, a patron of culture, and a powerful symbol of indigenous enterprise. His legacy extends far beyond market valuations and rich lists.

The ultimate measure of his contribution may be the idea he has spent decades proving: that Nigerian-owned companies can innovate, compete, and succeed on the global stage.

The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), Pan-Atlantic University, has been recognised among Nigeria’s Top 100 Travel and Tourism Icons and received the Travellers Award 2025/2026 in the category of Top Art Galleries and Museums in Nigeria for promoting excellence in travels.

The award, presented by ATQ News and Travellers Magazine, was received by YSMA during the 22nd Akwaaba African Travel Market, which was held on September 13, 2026, at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos.

The recognition followed a public voting process and celebrates organisations making notable contributions to Nigeria’s travel, tourism, arts and cultural landscape.

For YSMA, the recognition comes as the museum continues to expand its role beyond the exhibition and preservation of artworks to serve as a platform for learning, cultural exchange, community engagement and the promotion of Nigeria’s artistic heritage.

Speaking on the recognition, Dr. Jess Castellote, director, YSMA, said that the award reflects the museum’s growing relevance as a place where art, education and public engagement intersect. ‘We are pleased to receive this recognition because it acknowledges something that is central to what we are trying to do at YSMA: make Nigerian art and cultural heritage accessible, meaningful and relevant to diverse audiences,’ Castellote said.

‘A museum is not only a place to preserve objects; it is also a place for people to encounter ideas, learn, connect and develop a deeper appreciation of their heritage. We are grateful that this work is increasingly being recognised within Nigeria’s tourism and cultural landscape.’

The recognition also highlights the significance of the museum’s location within a university environment. Since its establishment, YSMA has sought to contribute to the educational mission of Pan-Atlantic University while opening the university to wider communities through exhibitions, educational programmes, workshops, research, public programmes and partnerships.

For Enase Okonedo, a professor and vice-chancellor, Pan-Atlantic University, the award is an affirmation of the university’s commitment to creating spaces where education extends beyond the conventional classroom.

‘The recognition of YSMA among Nigeria’s leading travel and tourism icons is a source of great pride for Pan-Atlantic University. It affirms our belief that a university can contribute to society not only through academic excellence, but also through culture, creativity, heritage and public engagement. YSMA has become an important part of the university’s contribution to Nigeria’s cultural ecosystem, and this recognition reflects the dedication of the museum team and the wider university community to that mission,’ the vice-chancellor said.

The award was presented as part of the Travellers Awards, which have recognised individuals, organisations and businesses contributing to aviation, travel, tourism and hospitality since 1996.

Travellers Magazine, first published in 1993, is described by ATQ News as the first travel magazine published in West Africa, while ATQ News was established in 2014 as a travel news platform covering Nigeria and Africa.

Ikechi Uke, founder, Akwaaba African Travel Market, publisher, Travellers Magazine and CEO, ATQ News, noted that the recognition reflects the growing importance of cultural institutions to Nigeria’s tourism offering. ‘Tourism is not only about hotels, airlines and destinations; culture is at the heart of the experience,’ Uko said.

‘Museums and galleries preserve the stories, creativity and heritage that give destinations their identity.

The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art has continued to create opportunities for people to encounter Nigerian art and heritage, and its recognition in the Travellers Awards reflects the contribution such institutions make to the development of tourism in Nigeria.’

The recognition further positions YSMA within a growing network of cultural and tourism stakeholders and reinforces its potential as a destination for cultural tourism in Lagos. The museum’s collection comprises more than 1,000 artworks and includes works by some of Nigeria’s most significant modern and contemporary artists.

Beyond its collection and exhibitions, YSMA has developed educational and public programmes designed to connect different audiences with art and cultural heritage, including engagements with schools, universities, communities and international museum professionals. Its participation in international museum networks and collaborations has also expanded opportunities for cultural exchange and professional development.

The Travellers Award adds to YSMA’s growing recognition as an institution that contributes simultaneously to art, education, heritage, tourism and public engagement. For the museum, it is not simply an acknowledgement of its visitor destination status, but an affirmation of the broader role that museums can play in connecting cultural heritage with contemporary learning, community participation and the development of Nigeria’s cultural tourism ecosystem.