As the Shakespearean saying has it, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Granted that it is true to an extent, one cannot help but note the peculiarly beautiful way the life of Bella Disu is playing out. Her name “Bella” which has its etymological roots in Latin means “beautiful”. In the Spanish, Portuguese and Italian languages, or anglicized as “Belle”, it means the same thing. Rendered in French as “belle”, it means beautiful as well. Taking that into consideration, perhaps it is not by chance that being popularly called Bella has resulted in her life taking the beautiful turns that it has.
Undoubtedly she is beautiful and either in conversation with her or from viewing the outcomes of her diverse endeavours, it is clear that she has a beautiful mind. Not a lot of people know her by her birth names of Belinda or Ajoke. It is only close family that mainly calls her Bunmi. Yet Bella has stuck to her across continents and has her on first name basis with some of the most respected and most powerful people in the world. Whether it’s in a room with French President Emmanuel Macron, or at a business forum with Paul Kagame of Rwanda and other Presidents, even though she may be young, she still leaves quite a favourable impression everywhere she goes.
So favourable an impression has she left on the nation of France that she ended up being conferred by its government with the high honour of the Chevalier dans ‘l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for her undeniable efforts towards promoting French culture. She is one of the youngest ever recipients of that award and notably so, for a citizen of a non Francophone country. Hearing her weave through the language, a certain musicality can be detected and then on learning that she is also a pianist and a saxophonist, she brings to mind the words of Plato who had said that “Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything”.
The harmony with which Bella manages her roles as Executive Vice Chairman of Globacom, as Chief Executive Officer of Cobblestone Properties and Estates Limited, non executive director on the board of Julius Berger Nigeria PLC, director on the board of Abumet PLC while being an amazing mother to two lovely children and a darling wife to a loving husband is nothing short of beautiful! It is similar to the skill with which a seasoned conductor leads an orchestra and while she does have a Masters degree in Leadership, it seems she was born with the genes to succeed at life, in business and the other endeavours she takes on. She is after all, the daughter of the inimitable telecoms billionaire, Chief Mike Adenuga.
It seems almost inevitable that Globacom will overtake MTN as Africa’s number one telecoms company. When it does happen, Bella may very well the catalyst but as is typical of her, she will deflect all the praise. In the last quarter of 2019 she launched arguably one of the most beautiful luxury residential properties in Ikoyi, Lagos: the Sisi Paris. The edifice is truly breathtaking and guests who were are its launch could not stop gushing over it. With Bella at the helm of affairs, Cobblestone Properties is well on its way to attaining its stated vision and mission. In a few weeks, she will launch a book she has authored for children and add another laurel to her name. That she could find the time to write a book for children despite her busy schedule shows the beauty of her heart and that her passions are prioritized in the right order.
It’s almost as if everything she touches turns to gold. Now that’s surely a beautiful thing.