Kola Kehinde/
Nigerian Banker and philanthropist, Anthony Onyemaechi Elumelu CFR, was yesterday celebrated by former American President Bill Clinton and 60 beneficiaries of his empowerment programme across Africa on his 60th birthday.
Elumelu, the Chairman of Heirs Holdings, Transcorp, and the founder of The Tony Elumelu Foundation, who has been named on Time’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world was celebrated during a brief event tagged “T.O.E at 60 Symposium” at UBA House, Marina, Lagos.
According to his wife, Dr. Awele Vivian Elumelu, the Chairperson of Avon Medical Practice Limited, Elumelu would have loved to keep his 60th birthday celebration small and in-house, but one proposal got him to change his mind on that decision. It was the opportunity to meet and listen to the come-up stories of entrepreneurs who benefited from a project that has brought him great fulfillment – The Tony Elumelu Foundation.
Several entrepreneurs from across the African continent mounted the stage at the T.O.E at 60 Symposium to share their stories and express gratitude towards Elumelu. They shared the struggles they had faced while trying to bring their ideas to life right from conception to how the foundation came through for them, to the growth their ideas have undergone since they gained the support of the Tony Elumelu Foundation.
According to the proprietors, the foundation has funded over 18,000 African entrepreneurs while creating over 400,000 jobs and training over 1.5 million Africans.
Entrepreneurs from Nigeria, Zambia, Cameroon, Togo, Benin, and a few other nations took the podium to tell their stories. They did not just cover various countries, they also covered several industries from Agriculture to Fashion, and even Laundry.
T.O. E’s first daughter, Oge Elumelu, was present at the event gracing the stage to give her dad a heart-warming birthday speech, followed by a thank you speech from his wife. The rest of his children sent in their birthday wishes in form of video messages from their bases outside the country. The messages were televised at the event.
The 42nd President of the United States, Bill Clinton, followed suit with a heartwarming birthday message for Elumelu.
He said, “From your successful career in business to your amazing work with your foundation, you have accomplished so very much throughout your first remarkable six decades.”
Present at the event were past and present directors of the United Bank of Africa where Elumelu is the CEO.
While celebrating Elumelu on his birthday, Nigerian leaders issued congratulatory statements.
President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the Minority Caucus of the House, rejoiced with Elumelu.
Buhari, in a goodwill message signed by his media aide, Femi Adesina, said, “Elumelu’s benevolence typifies his humble background and upbringing, starting out as a young banker, daring to dream of a modern and technologically-friendly financial institution, Standard Trust Bank and leading one of the biggest mergers with the UBA which made history and strengthened the economy.”
Osinbajo stated, “This is indeed a milestone anniversary, one that calls for enormous gratitude to the Almighty for the grace, wisdom, and good health He has bestowed on you thus far.”
Obasanjo’s words: “This is a milestone and I join your family, friends, and well-wishers in recognizing a life characterized by outstanding accomplishments, visible productivity, and remarkable experiences through your 60 years on this earth under God’s grace.”
According to Gbajabiamila, Elumelu is worthy of being celebrated, owing to his humanitarian services to Nigeria and Africa.
He stated: “Tony Elumelu is one Nigerian that we all should celebrate. He has used his God-given resources to change the narrative in the lives of many of our compatriots. He has been an employer of labor who has put smiles on the faces of an uncountable number of people. In fact, the entire African continent is blessed to have Tony. We have seen how he transcends Nigerian borders with his activities and positively affects the lives of other Africans.”
Tony Elumelu’s younger brother – Ndudi Elumelu, who is the Minority Leader of the House, Ndudi Elumelu, stated that over the years, Tony Elumelu had distinguished himself as “an exceptionally patriotic Nigerian; a quintessence of the Nigerian resilient spirit; an undisputed trailblazer with astonishing insight and extraordinary capacity to achieve success even in the face of daunting challenges”.
He added, “Our caucus and indeed all well-meaning Nigerians are proud of Tony Elumelu’s outstanding contributions towards the economic stability and development of our country, especially in stimulating greater productivity in critical sectors of our national economy.
“As representatives of the people, our caucus extols Tony Elumelu’s dedication to raising, mentoring, and empowering thousands of young entrepreneurs across the 54 African countries through his Tony Elumelu Foundation and other platforms, for which he has received numerous global recognitions, including being named in Times list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
“The Minority Caucus also acknowledges his untiring philanthropic activities, with which he continues to touch humanity in many special ways.”
