There is, as the Holy Book says, a time for everything under the sun.
For the Globacom Limited family, it was indeed a time for celebration. For this conglomerate, which in the past two decades has bestridden the Nigerian landscape on so many levels, spawning many positive outcomes and influencing positive perceptions across and beyond the shores of Nigeria – there is indeed much to celebrate.
And as in everything Glo does, it was a special shindig, an evening of sumptuous entertainment, fine dining, and razzmatazz (against the backdrop of the company’s signature green) which was designed to live long in the memory. The event, tagged, ‘An Evening with Glo‘ was held at the Eko Hotels & Suite, Victoria Island, Lagos on Saturday, November, 2023. It was an event whose theme resonated powerfully with all who graced it, from Globacom’s internal and external systems, representatives of the company’s corporate partners, its vast and diverse clientele and customer base – both current and prospective – and high net-worth individuals from various walks of life.
It was also an evening that was mercifully short on speeches but long on projections. These projections have to do with the company’s plan for the next decade of engagement with its current and target markets and other stakeholders. Typical of Glo, there was no shortage of creativity in the manner in which these projections were conveyed to the assembled guests. Tightly-scripted narrative, evocative visuals, as well as professionally-realised cinematography helped to illuminate the presentations to showcase the company’s medium and long term vision. Globacom used the occasion of its celebration to unveil it’s brand-new, freshly-minted television commercials to give expression to its new communication strategy and direction.
Globacom’s new communication strategy is hinged on the payoff, “Powering Ambition”- which was launched amidst fanfare back in August 2023, during the company’s 20th anniversary celebrations, As repeatedly stressed at the event, that payoff, and the campaign that is set to drive it in coming days, demonstrates the conglomerate’s ability and readiness to provide companies and individuals with the services and resources they need to set and meet challenging goals on a personal and professional level. The founder of the organisation, Dr. Mike Adenuga, CFR, and those who help him run the organization, have over the years understood and believed that when people realize their individual and collective ambitions, there is shared prosperity among families, communities, interest groups and Nigerians as a whole.
Ambition – bold, daring and willing to go where the imagination and strong desire may lead – has been the cornerstone of Globacom’s fortuitous emergence in August 2003 and its strides so far in the Nigerian and other telecommunications markets and jurisdictions. Because of this, the company’s keen corporate antenna has demonstrated a knack for identifyibg ambition whenever it sees it; not only that, Globacom’s support and reward mechanism for ambition, especially the ambition to make a positive difference on the part of individuals and corporate organisations, including startups – is second to none.
The event at the Eko Hotels & Suites was graced by senior officials of the company, in the persons of the Chief Technical Officer (Roll Out), Remi Makinde; the Director of Customer Care, Catherine Bomett; the Executive Vice-Chairman, Bella Disu, and others.
In her welcome address at the event, Glo’s Executive Vice-Chairman, Bella Disu, was full of praise and gratitude to the company’s loyal subscribers, partners and other stakeholders whose bond with the company has only grown stronger since the network’s launch in 2003. Their contributions, she said, had been instrumental to Globacom’s roaring success story in the last two decades. Disu (nee Adenuga) also paid glowing tribute to her illustrious father, Dr. Mike Adenuga, Jr. for his towering vision, tenacity and leadership skills, describing him as a guru and a well of creative ideas.
Recalling the early days of the network, Disu noted the vast leaps in both the technologies and paradigms that have informed Globacom’s work and services to its customers and clients over the 20 years of its operations. “What was once deemed impossible,” she exulted, “is now the norm. As a digital solutions provider, we embrace … unlimited opportunities to serve our customers by constantly investing in the latest tools and technology.” She invited Globacom’s clients, customers and partners to stay on course for yet another exciting twenty years and beyond – during which period, Mrs. Disu said, the company would perfect the art of not just meeting the needs of those who benefit from its services, but also of anticipating those needs well in advance, as well as anticipating challenges before they occur. The symbiosis between the company and its people (both internal and external), she maintained, is a win-win situation.
Unveiling the ‘Powering Ambition‘ commercial, the company described it as more just a proposition; it was a promise that the company would serve as a platform to amplify the voices and entrepreneurial impulses behind ventures of all sizes, from start-ups (eg, via Glo SME in A Box) and the next tech giant, as well as consolidate on the wins of the already accomplished local businessman.
Playing on Globacom’s former payoff, Unlimited, the company’s officials attributed Glo’s exponential success to the unlimited potentials of the Nigerian people themselves and their ambitious, aspirational, never-say-die spirit – which mirrors Globacom’s own work culture and business model. “Your ambition is Nigeria’s greatest resource,” the commercial creators observed, “and we’re here to power it, so that it catapults us all from the realm of ideas into the plane of reality.”
That has been the story of Globacom, a company that done so much to turn the dreams of Nigerians into reality. in two short but eventful decades, this indigenous and proudly Nigerian telecommunications giant has become the veritable symbol of an unshakable commitment to deliver excellent and innovative services, anchored on outstanding communication strategies and global best practices.
‘An Evening with Glo,’ was far more than just about speeches and unveilings. Compered by the award-winning comedian, Gordon, the event was designed to also underline Globacom’s enduring covenant of cooperation and far-reaching support for the arts and those who create art in Nigeria. From the green carpet (hosted by actors Tobi Bakre and Tope Olowoniyan), to the pre-dinner cocktail, Glo was out to make this event an unforgettable event. The air was rent by both vocal and instrumental performances – among them many soulful renditions by the master saxophonist Yemi Sax. These performances were interspersed with comedy from some of Nigeria’s standout acts (most, if not all, of whom are Glo Ambassadors) such as Arinze Baba. More Glo Ambassadors, such as Asake, Chike, set the event venue on fire with favorites such as “Osondi Owendi”, “If You No Love”, “Roju” as well as “Sungba “Joha”, and “Lonely”, etc. Performers on the night also included a troupe of highly dexterous tap dancers from South Africa.
Another highlight of a highly-charged evening was a raffle draw, which saw four winners bag a Globacom-sponsored all-expense-paid business class trip to London, UK,.
With such a proud history, coupled with an ongoing success story, it is not beyond the realm of possibility to say that Globacom is set for a future marked by now even greater impact and far-reaching influence, not just on the Nigerian telecommunications ecosystem, but on the Nigerian economy and the prosperity of her people. This confidence in the company’s prospects, which is universally shared, is borne out of the massive investments the company has put into infrastructure with a view towards accelerating internet speed – a state of affairs which the company’s Chief Technical Officer, the aforementioned Mr Remi Makinde said, would go a long to perfect its 4G connection by building the right infrastructural support and would move to 5, 6 and even 7G in due course. “With the current challenge of energy globally,” he noted, ” we are optimising our power systems nationwide on all our field stations to ensure that despite the global energy challenge in terms of diesel pricing and power supply, we are deploying green energy solutions.”
In addition to establish its imprint as one of Africa’s foremost telecommunications providers, Glo’s inroads into other African countries such as Ghana and neighboring Benin Republic has established Nigeria as a driver of African innovation, and given the country an image of positivity that years of misgovernance have not managed to do for our country and its image abroad.
Much has, of course, been said of its revolutionary decision to introduce per-second biling for its telephony services as early as 2003 – at a time when users of these services were told that such billing was ‘impossible’. It showed Glo’s capacity for disruption, and its identification with the Nigerian consumer in his and her bid to enjoy its services without breaking the proverbial bank.
Such a combination of attributes and actions embody Globacom’s determination to do well (and to help its market to do well, too) by doing good and, yes, by powering the ambitions of millions of Nigerians, whether as individuals, families, communities, institutions and interests.
Recall that only a few days ago, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the renewal of Globacom’s UASL (short for Unified Access Services Licence) for a period of another ten years – effective from December 1, 2023 to November 30, 2033. It was a development that underscored the Tinubu-led administration’s recognition of Globacom’s unique place in the Nigerian telecommunications ecosystem – being the first (and till date the largest) indigenous operator in Nigeria. The licence renewal is also a call-to-action to Glo, to continue its leadership role in terms of quality services and social impact in the country. The company’s announcement of its new corporate direction at the ‘Evening with Glo’ event in Lagos has given its teeming stakeholders the confidence that if the last two decades of Glo’s operations and service delivery in Nigeria are anything to go by, then the next decade will be even more eventful and impactful.
Like the proudly Nigerian (but globally mindful) conglomerate it has proved to be in the last 20 years, Globacom has fully embraced its obligation to ALWAYS protect the interest of the Nigerian populace in general by making sure that its services remain a catalyst for the economic regeneration of our country, the prosperity, welfare and security of its people. By pledging to power the ambitions of its fellow-citizens (especially the young and increasingly tech-savvy demographic and psychographic segment of the population, who make up the bulk of the company’s clientele and customer base), Globacom has placed itself front and centre in the quest to give our people the ability and the tools to compete effectively (and WIN decisively) in the emerging 21st century global marketplace of goods, services, information and ideas.
