Business
Like Father, Like Son, The Inspiring Story of The Ekehs And The Digital Sector. How They Won Thisday Awards By Jimmy Enyeh
Like Father, Like Son, The Inspiring Story of The Ekehs And The Digital Sector. How They Won Thisday Awards By Jimmy Enyeh
Victor-Marie Hugo, a French poet, novelist, and essayist died more than two centuries ago but there still stands some immortal and memorial thoughts he blessed the world with before his demise in 1885 when he once postulated and I quote: “There is one thing stronger than all the armies in the world, and that is an idea whose time has come.”
Hugo’s thoughts bear striking parallelism to the fecundity of fresh ideas, vision, and drives which the Ekehs have injected into the digital sector.
Recognising their superlative and unprecedented achievements which culminated into what many have described as a rare feat, Thisday and Arise Television honoured Mr. Stan Leo Ekeh and his very innovative son, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh on Monday, January 27, 2025 in Lagos.
The colourful ceremony saw the serial digital entrepreneur shared the same podium with his son, Prince Ekeh, as winners in different categories of the much-coveted awards.
The top rated awards commemorated the 30th and 12th anniversaries of Thisday Newspapers and Arise News, respectively.
While the father, Leo Stan Ekeh, Chairman of Zinox Group, was honoured with the CEO of the Year award, his Oxford-trained son, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, CEO of Konga Group, was bestowed with the Young Global Leader Award for his transformative role in navigating Konga as a foremost composite e-commerce giant in Nigeria and Africa.
It was indeed a splendid sight to behold being the first time ever that a father and his son would be honoured on the same night in the nation’s Infotech ecosystem.
Unknown to many, debonair and handsome Prince Ekeh was 19 and a student at University of Lancaster, United Kingdom, when he birthed the idea of Yudala, a brutally ambitious e-commerce outpost.
The silent and reclusive brilliant bloke has remained consistent like the shinning star since he came up with Yudala.
His record speaks volumes and are humongous beyond imagination.
That the youner Ekeh has gone this far is not far fetched as he majored in Economics/Politics with a minor in Entrepreneurship which apparently motivated him to take Yudala to the pinnacle
Prince Ekeh returned home to serve his fatherland through the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC),
He nurtured Yudala to the peak, employing over 250 staff at that time. And ever since, he has navigated the company to the crest of e-commerce players in Africa.
He would later top up his academic kit with an MBA from Oxford and numerous entrepreneurial certifications from Lagos Business School, Leysin American School, Switzerland, and Harvard, among others.
Yudala was the first composite e-commerce outpost in Nigeria (a hybrid of the online-offline one-stop-shop). This idea has caught global attention and is now being replicated across the continent.
Prince Ekeh in 2018 achieved what many thought impossible. His start-up, Yudala, acquired Konga, a top player in Nigeria’s e-commerce space, in a landmark merger that became effective May 1, 2018. The whizz-kid has since expanded Konga to a leading e-commerce house in Africa, retaining the composite character of Yudala. He has creatively expanded the market share value and networth of Konga by building its business verticals to include logistics, fintech, travel, and leisure.
Young Prince Ekeh is not new to awards. He had been nominated for the prestigious Future Awards for Business Excellence, and featured as Top 100 Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) in response to the proclamation by United Nation’s General Assembly Resolution 68/237, and had been awarded Icon of Human Transformation by the National Association of Nigerian Students. The Thisday award is, therefore, another feather to the decorated cap of the result oriented entrepreneur.
So slso for the digital mogul, Leo Stan who was honoured with the CEO of the Year Award in the private sector, the only CEO in the highly competitive and sometimes treacherous private sector to be so honoured. The historical and symbolic moment was not lost on him. He recognised the honour of sharing the same platform with his son, both being rewarded for their peerless contribution to Nigeria, nay Africa, digital economy. It was a rarity, more so, as they shared the same podium with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was voted Thisday Man of the Year for his bold reforms and leadership exemplum on the African continent.
Leo Stan is not keen on competition but to keep extending and expanding the frontiers of the digital sector.
He is not new to awards as he bagged numerous prestigious awards in the past.
Among the top rated awards bestowed on the astute businessman are Personality of the year award by the Nigeria Computer Society (NCS),
Fellow, Nigeria Computer Society,
Fellow, Nigeria Law School,
Forbes Best of Africa Leading Tech Icon,
National Award of Officer of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, OFR (2004).
On October 1st, 2001, Ekeh was honoured as Icon of Hope by former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, for his sustained pioneering efforts in deepening Information Technology in Africa and as a pride to modern Nigeria.
Mr. Ekeh’s ceaseless zeal for productivity and excellence was rewarded by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari with the National Productivity Merit Award (NPOM) in November 2019.
A distinguished member of the Nigeria Economic Summit Group and Fellow of the Nigeria Computer Society, Ekeh is a recipient of one of the country’s highest National Honours – Order of The Federal Republic (OFR).
He is rated by professionals as a global digital giant and a man whose vision and performance have bolstered integrity for the indigenous players in the ICT sector. His unmatched interventions have seen him receive over 60 local and international awards. He has also served on a good number of Federal Government Committees, which includes the Presidential Committee for Job Creation, Nigeria Thinkers, ICT Roadmap, among many others.
Other awards won by Ekeh are National Productivity Order of Merit Award, 2019,
Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa), University of Jos,Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa), Imo State University
Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa), Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi
Doctor of Technology (Honoris Causa), Federal University of Technology, Owerri
Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa), Federal University Birnin Kebbi.
He has over 15 Honorary Fellowship Awards from Nigerian Federal and State Polytechnics
The older Ekeh is academically sound. He bagged B.Sc. (Hons.) In Economics from Punjab University, India, a Post Graduate Diploma in Risk Management, Nottingham University, England,
Pioneer ICT
Leo Stan Ekeh is Africa’s foremost innovative serial digital entrepreneur. He is a living legend, an exemplar of visionary leadership and integrity, a serial disruptor endowed with uncommon courage to dare and a knack to anticipate the future. He does not only anticipate the future, he creates the future.
An outlier and first-rate India-trained Economist and former Global Advisor to Microsoft, Mr. Ekeh holds a Post Graduate Degree in Risk Management from Nottingham University, England in addition to several honorary doctorate degrees from highly respected universities for his impactful entrepreneurship and pioneering efforts in the field of Information Technology.
A Forbes Best of Africa Leading Tech Icon, Ekeh is currently the Chairman of Zinox Group, Sub-Saharan Africa’s biggest integrated technology conglomerate with its businesses spreading from Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Europe.
With a mindset to disrupt and transition Nigeria from analogue to digital economy, he started out as a desktop publishing company in a flat at Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos. He has scaled up the startup into a global enterprise comprising Zinox Technologies Limited, Zinox Telecoms Ltd, Task Systems Ltd., TD Africa, Ashour Corporation FZE, Dubai, Infotech UK, among others. Over time, the conglomerate has invested in oil and gas, real estate, composite e-Commerce, Fintech and still counting.
A gifted and futuristic risk-taker, Ekeh runs one of the most structured and tech driven conglomerates in Africa. He has inspired several generations of budding entrepreneurs and startups, many of whom are currently disrupting the technology space in Nigeria and beyond.
His business odyssey is a journey of many firsts and pioneering feats. He pioneered e-commerce in Nigeria with BuyRight Africa Dotcom and made a remarkable rebound in 2018 with the acquisition of Konga from its previous majority investors, Naspers and AB Kinnevik, in what is regarded as one of the most ambitious, seamless and discreetly managed corporate acquisitions in Africa.
He pioneered Desktop Publishing and Computer Graphics in Nigeria in 1987 with his first company – Task Systems Ltd. He launched the first ICT support company in Nigeria – ITEC Solutions Ltd. He pioneered the deployment of digital dispensing pumps for petrol and gas stations in Nigeria in partnership with Elf Oil (now Total Plc.) after he was cheated by an attendant at a fuel station in Lagos. He pioneered ICT Distribution in West Africa with the launch of Technology Distributions Limited (today known as TD Africa) which has remained the biggest technology, lifestyle and cutting-edge solution distributor in the West African sub-region.
Zinox was the first internationally certified indigenous computer brand in West Africa and the first computer brand in the world to incorporate the Naira sign (N) on its keyboard. The first Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) in sub-Saharan Africa to receive Microsoft Windows Hardware Quality Lab Certification (WHQL); first Microsoft Prime Production Online Automation Partner in Sub-Saharan Africa with the OA Version 3.0; first Intel Premium Partner; first OEM in West Africa to attain the ISO 9001-2015 Certification; first to acquire the Google Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA) in West Africa; first OEM in Nigeria to introduce renewable energy and lifestyle products and attaining the status of Intel Platinum Partner in sub-Saharan Africa, amongst others.
With Ekeh’s supervision, his company Zinox Technologies delivered integrated digital equipment in weeks worth over $370m that altered for good the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) voters’ registration in 2006 and 2010 when foreign contractors could not deliver after months of promises. He also supervised the digital registration of voters in Guinea Bissau which Zinox deployed the tech equipment.
These were rated the largest ICT rollouts in Africa. Under his leadership, Zinox Technologies and Zinox Telecoms pioneered and delivered the largest single e-Library and Wireless Cloud rollout project on the continent. By him and through him, INEC has eliminated fraudulently introduced exotic names like Mike Tyson, Michael Jackson, etcetera, from its voter register. He has been hailed as the power behind Digital Democracy in Nigeria and some West Africa countries.
Using his special purpose design, Zinox Technologies delivered nationwide the technical backbone for the yet-to-be conducted Nigeria’s first ever digital census expected to produce the most credible human and housing data on Nigeria since Independence.
A humanitarian capitalist, his Zinox Group pioneered the highly commendable practice of granting paternity leave in Nigeria to reduce stress on young male staff and enable them support their spouses when they welcome a new baby.
He has quietly touched many lives through the Leo Stan Foundation – his personal foundation. Among these are charitable works such as donation of N100m to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East, over N200m to the Nigeria Computer Society, the umbrella body for all professional computer associations. He has one of the most active platforms for scholarship awards to hundreds of indigent students across Nigeria to study both at home and abroad, as well as the inauguration of a N1.5bn revolving loan scheme for disadvantaged students and entrepreneurs, among several others. An advocate of digital democracy, he has donated cutting-edge and well-equipped digital centres to several secondary and tertiary institutions across Nigeria.
Ekeh has silently invested in education, provided medicare to the needy and supported churches and other religious organisations through the Foundation. During the Covid-19 lockdown, the Leo Stan Foundation leveraged on staff of the various companies in the Zinox Group to feed over 7,000 families across Nigeria for two weeks. He has also regularly supported state governments in various parts of the country by funding construction of roads. He has donated patrol vehicles to improve security in some states, among other donations.
Ekeh, a former mass servant and chorister in his Imo state community’s Catholic church, is one of the foremost champions of gender equality in Nigeria. He has consistently advocated for and also empowered women and the girl child, whom he regularly addresses and challenges to aspire to greatness at various public fora. His passion for gender equality is reflected in the Zinox Group where women, led by his wife, Mrs. Chioma Ekeh, occupy the first four executive management positions at TD Africa, the biggest company by revenue in the Group. Also, he has another female as Managing Director of Zinox. The Group’s Human Resources Unit is also headed by a female.
He is happily married to Mrs. Ekeh, a Mathematician, Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and CEO of TD Africa.
The union is blessed with successful children.
Jimmy Enyeh, a renowned Journalist wrote in from Abuja
NNPCL and Corruption’s Final Throes
By Pius Olasanmi
In the twilight of the Obasanjo administration, when Nigerians were still capable of being outraged, when Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of refineries was a buzzword that still held some mysticism to bamboozle citizens, during a conversation, a certain man said something profound. The man said, “As a businessman, if I were the owner of these refineries, knowing that they are three decades old, I would take the last money I have, hire bulldozers, raze them to the ground, and obtain loans to build new ones.”
When we pressed him further on why he would engage in such waste, he explained that repairing the refineries is the real waste. He explained that even if the TAM were honestly carried out, a thirty-year-old refinery would never compete favourably with a new one that would integrate contemporary technology. Operating at its best, such a refinery would never be comparatively more efficient. It is therefore pointless to have spent another one naira on the refineries at that point.
A few months later, I had a conversation with a then-lawmaker on an entirely different matter. I mentioned that the National Assembly has failed by not crafting legislation that would criminalise and punish public office holders who foist wrong decisions on the country. The logic: a public office holder need not steal to be punished, wrong decisions should attract penalties for an office holder who opts for the worst of all options when there are less injurious ones.
These established premises speak to the ongoing nauseating efforts at revisionism by those who wrecked the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its previous iteration, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). Notably, this campaign to rewrite history is traceable to Engineer Mele Kolo Kyari, the disgraced immediate past Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL and his hirelings. They have suffocated the news and the public opinion space with even more lies than they spun while in office.
The Saint Kyari campaign is anchored on convincing Nigerians that the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna Refineries were fully functional when he was booted out of office. So brazen is the campaign that one of its talking heads challenged the group chief executive officer (GCEO), Engr. Bayo Ojulari, to “inform Nigerians categorically what happened to the functioning refineries he inherited from his predecessor, Engr. Mele Kyari.” The effrontery.
We have not forgotten so soon the charade that followed the baffling claim that Nigeria has spent $2.8 billion on the repair of the refineries, while they are not churning out even a single litre of refined product among them. Saint Kyari and his goons played all manner of tricks, all of which embarrassed President Bola Tinubu, who had counted on ticking off the return to productivity of the refineries as part of his achievements, only to realise that he was deceived into celebrating phantoms. Tragic.
Lest we forget, 200 trucks were arranged as props in a well-directed video clip to celebrate the re-streaming of the Port Harcourt Refinery. The disappointment. Nigerians were to learn from several reports that the Port Harcourt refinery was not producing and was instead using old, stored petroleum products to load trucks. Worse still, the Kyari crew was passing off sanction-tainted Russian-sourced crude oil refined in Malta as locally refined products. More insult was piled on the assault on our collective sensibility with the lies that the Port Harcourt Refinery exported semi-finished products. Brazen.
Meanwhile, Kyari and his hirelings called those who pointed out or protested these glaring scams all manner of names. They hid behind industry technicalities and jargon to create the impression that those of us who knew Nigerians were being robbed did not understand what we were saying. The point remains that a $2.8 billion investment can potentially build a refinery with a capacity of around 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). Of course, the actual capacity of such a refinery will depend on various factors, including the complexity of the refinery, the technology used, and the location. That is the amount that Kyari’s regime at the NNPCL took and did not give Nigerians refined products.
Fast forward to Kyari’s sack and the appointment of Engineer Bayo Ojulari, who has demonstrated that things can indeed be done differently. Kyari’s exit was expectedly followed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) going after him and his associates. The extent of the theft is better understood against the backdrop of N80 billion being found in the bank account of one of his associates. They went on the run.
Perhaps because the EFCC was biding its time on securing international warrants for the arrests of these characters on the lam, they have become emboldened. They have decided to fight back and rewrite the story of their participation in the greatest fraud against Nigerians. Engineer Ojulari’s renewed mindset, which is entrenching a semblance of the transparency Nigerians demand, became their natural target. The demons that once roamed around the corporation came out with malevolence. They started spinning stories of corruption to tarnish the incumbent who refused to hide their crimes. The objective: bring Ojulari down. But alas, he is winning the war as it stands.
His innocence is proven, and it is glaring that those who want him out are mere charlatans who can no longer ply their corrupt wares because of the impact of the new reforms. Corruption in the NNPCL is in its final throes. The fake news being unleashed against the incumbent leadership is akin to corruption’s last kicks as reforms in the sector strangulate it and its practitioners. The reforms must take place in the NNPCL, whether the industry demons like it or not.
As a parting shot, Kyari and his associates would do well to prepare their defence. In addition to accounting for the $2.8 billion they laundered in the name of repairing the moribund refineries, they must also answer for the poor decision to fix that which is irretrievably broken. Awarding contracts for Turn Around Maintenance of 59-year-old refineries that a right-thinking person had suggested should be demolished almost twenty years ago, when they were only 30 years old, is criminal. Trying to deceive Nigerians that the fake repairs worked is treason.
Olasanmi is a public affairs analyst writing from Lagos.
GRANDIS 5STAR LUXURY APARTMENT & SUITES SET TO REDEFINE LIVING IN VICTORIA ISLAND
Set to Rise elegantly against the Lagos skyline, is the Grandis 5Star Luxury Apartment & Suites. According to Adejuwon Ademola, The General Manager of the Development company, it is more than just a residential building
“it’s a lifestyle statement. Standing 17 floors high in the heart of Victoria Island, this revolutionary masterpiece of modern architecture will offer a panoramic 360° view of Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, and Ikoyi, transforming every apartment into an exclusive penthouse experience for the world’s most discerning elite.”
Developed by Dumarco Construction Limited, a globally acclaimed company with decades of delivering complex, high-value projects in the highly regulated petroleum, oil, and gas industries, Grandis 5Star brings unmatched international safety standards, uncompromising quality, and timeless elegance into Nigeria’s luxury property market.
> “When you live in Grandis, you’re not just buying a home—you’re investing in peace of mind, world-class safety, and an effortless luxury experience that will remain pristine for decades,” says Adejuwon A. Ademola, General Manager of Dumarco Construction Limited.
The Gold Standard in Safety and Quality
Dumarco’s roots in the oil and gas sector mean the company operates to some of the strictest safety protocols in the world. Every stage—from conceptualization, design, construction, to long-term maintenance—follows internationally accepted procedures and quality assurance measures. Cutting corners is simply not in Dumarco’s vocabulary.
> “In the oil and gas industry, there’s no room for compromise. We’ve brought that same discipline and zero-tolerance for mediocrity into property development,” says Ademola. “That’s why Grandis will be one of the safest and most enduring residential developments in Nigeria.”
To ensure transparency and prevent (project complacency), Dumarco deliberately separates the developer, contractor, and consultant roles, engaging only the most competent professionals in each respective field. Dumarco’s project team includes globally recognized contractors such as Julius Berger, Cappa & D’Alberto, and Elalan, Migliore Construczione & Tecniche (MC&T) and their partners VENCO IMTIAZ CONTRACTING COMPANY (VICC) based in Dubai, UAE, Business Contracting Limited, alongside leading consultants like Morgan Omanitan & Abe, LAMBERT, and James Cubitt.
Grandis – Investments, appreciation, returns and profitability
Our selection process for the location of the project alone was pains-taking and completely thorough scientific process. Top professional companies were employed to conduct a scientific data acquisition and analytical survey of the entire Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki and Eko Atlantic before a project site is selected. Analyzing and acquiring areas developmental charts and trends, studying and gathering historical and present sale prices, rental charge and occupancy rates over a 50 year period from every individual street before the selection of the location of any of our developments especially true for the Grandis Project
He adds,
“Our clients and residents can be rest assured that the location of Grandis has been scientifically proven through all existing data to provide our clients with a 100% occupancy rate, highest developmental location, highest rental income and investment returns. ”
The Grandis Experience
Located minutes away from international corporate headquarters, embassies, and landmarks such as Eko Hotel, Radisson Blu, and the Radisson Red, Grandis offers unmatched convenience for professionals, diplomats, and high-net-worth individuals. Every residence is designed for both indulgence and efficiency, with high-grade finishes, smart-home systems, and private amenities that ensure seamless living.
From sunrise over the Atlantic to the glittering Lagos night skyline, residents will enjoy uninterrupted luxury, supported by discreet and highly trained staff, advanced security systems, and a design that prioritizes comfort and privacy.
> “We designed Grandis for people who want everything—security, elegance, convenience, and the assurance that their home will look as spectacular in 20 years as it does on day one,” Ademola notes.
A Legacy That Lasts
With its combination of visionary architecture, peerless safety, and meticulous maintenance planning, Grandis is built to remain iconic for generations. Thanks to Dumarco’s meticulous approach, the building’s service charges are expected to remain low while its value and appeal continue to appreciate over time.
In a market often marred by shortcuts and substandard practices, Mr Ademola says
Grandis stands as a beacon of what luxury living should be—safe, spectacular, and built to last.
“Grandis 5Star Luxury Apartment & Suites — Where safety meets sophistication, and every detail is designed for a life well-lived.”
He added
Website -www.dumarcoltd.com
Project website – www.26idowutaylor.com
Email [email protected]
Tel / WhatsApp +234 9077777883
GM – Adejuwon A. Ademola
celebrity radar - gossips
Nationwide Talent, One Broadcaster: Tinubu Picks Pedro, Bello, Din, Mohammed to Lead NTA
-
society5 months agoRamadan Relief: Matawalle Distributes Over ₦1 Billion to Support 2.5 Million Zamfara Residents
-
Politics2 months agoNigeria Is Not His Estate: Wike’s 2,000‑Hectare Scandal Must Shake Us Awake
-
society4 months agoBroken Promises and Broken Backs: The ₦70,000 Minimum Wage Law and the Betrayal of Nigerian Workers
-
society3 months agoOGUN INVESTS OVER ₦2.25 BILLION TO BOOST AQUACULTURE