Nigerian-Million-Makers (Chief Dele Momodu)

DELE MOMODU

More than 85 percent of all millionaire entrepreneurs never went to higher institution or never finished.  What makes it possible for people who might seem ordinary to achieve great things? It is passion. Nothing can take the place of passion in their lives.  I am particularly surprised how we under rate the power of passion.

One man who is so passionate about what he does is Chief Ayobamidele Ojutelegan Momodu, a renowned Ghana-based journalist and the publisher of Ovation International, a monthly celebrity magazine.  Born May 16, 1960 in Ihieube Sabogida-Ora in Edo-State, Dele Momodu attended L.A. Primary School, Ifewara; Ohu Orogbo High School; St. John’s Grammar School; and then University of Ife, Ile-Ife, where he studied Yoruba. He lectured at Oyo State College of Arts and Science, OSCAS, Ile-Ife, where he taught Yoruba and English literature and later worked as a hotel manager at Motel Royale in Ile-Ife.

He started his journalism career when he took up a job at the defunct Premier newspaper, owned by Akin Omoboriowo, former Deputy Governor of old Ondo State.  He later joined Weekend Concord a weekend tabloid as a Literary Editor from where he rose to become the News Editor. Bob Dee as he is fondly called left the Weekend Concord to join Classique magazine in1990. In 1993 he became the public Relations Consultant to M.K.O Abiola’s (Hope 93) Presidential Campaign Team.

He later became a bread distributor with Wonder Bakery, an outfit owned by the late Chief Moshood Abiola. That was the beginning of his relationship with the late industrialist which culminated to his joining Abiola’s political organization. It was here he got his first baptism of fire when he was arrested and detained by the police at Alagbon over his role in the struggle for the actualization of the annulled June12, 1993 Presidential election. When he was released the fear for his life drove him into self exile in London.

He was returning from Abeokuta to Lagos, sometime in 1995 when he met his wife, Mobolaji on the way, and she told him not to go home as four hefty men had earlier paid a visit to their house warning him to disappear, because the Late Nigerian ruler, Gen. Sani Abacha was making plans to incarcerate him.  On July 26, he disguised as a farmer and escaped through the bush into Cotonou, Benin Republic and from there to Ghana and finally to the United Kingdom.  He was later joined by his wife and son and they were accommodated by a friend, Gbenga Olunloyo.

His desire was to publish an African magazine for Africans and to create a forum where the real picture of Africa would be represented to the world. Ovation’s main focus, which is still its core value today, is the celebration of Africa.  That was why when the first edition rolled out of the press in 1996, it had Egyptian billionaire and owner of Harrods, Mohammed Al-Fayed on the cover.  Taken after the red-on-white cover as Britain’s Hella! The publication became an instant toast not only in Africa but across the globe.

With a monthly circulation of around 100,000, the magazine in 2003 launched Ovation Afrique in Accra, which is geared towards unifying the continent and helping propagate the ideals of its founding fathers. Though forced to flee the shores of our great country by Gen.  Sani Abacha in 1995, yet Abacha’s children’s weddings and parties grace the pages of the magazine, which is today the only bi-lingual in its category, publishing every story in English and French languages.

Dele Momodu who has as his hobby modeling, socializing, writing and traveling has invested millions of dollars, in Ghana and in December of 2006 introduced a new brand in the Ovation group of companies that now include Ovation Protocol, Ovation Television.  African Star Communication, publishers of Star newspaper and of course House of Ovation Restaurant.  He has won several awards and recognition for his leadership roles.