Wale Adenuga is a Nigerian series producer, who is popular for his productions; Ikebe Super, Binta and Friends, and Super Story. He was once a cartoonist and a publisher.
Wale Adenuga is also the founder and Chairman of Wale Adenuga Productions, WAP TV, and the PEFTI Film Institute.
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Wale Adenuga Background
Wale Adenuga was born on the 24th of September 1950, in Gbongan, to Chief J.A. Adenuga, a big businessman in Ile-Ife. At age 10, he moved to Ile-Ife, where he grew up.
He attended St Luke, Gbongan, for his primary education, before moving to Ile-Ife, where he furthered his educational pursuits. When he moved to Ile-Ife, his parents enrolled him at the Ibadan City Academy, where he obtained his O-Level certificate.
Mr Wale was a smart student who always had an A in all his subjects, so his academic prowess earned him a scholarship to King’s College, Lagos, where he obtained his higher school certificate.
In 1971, he got admission into the University of Lagos (Unilag), where he obtained a Bachelor of Science degree (BSc) in Business Administration in the year 1974. Wale Adenuga is married to Ehiwenma Adenuga, and they are blessed with children.
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Wale Adenuga Career
At age 7, Mr Wale had discovered his innate abilities for drawing, singing, and acting. While he was in Ibadan City Academy, he formed a pop band called the Social Brothers Band. They usually sang Ebenezer Obey and Sunny Ade’s songs to entertain the school. The band dissolved after a while because the junior members decided to form their own group.
Wale Adenuga’s interest in music died down in the University because not many people were interested in his music. So, he focused on drawing and soon became the Chief Cartoonist of the school’s magazine, Bugging Magazine.
The magazine made huge sales as it was very popular, so he decided he would start publishing his own magazine after he graduates from school.
In 1976, he started the publication of the magazine, Ikebe Super, which sold 600,000 copies every month, such that he made his first million Naira in 1977.
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Wale Adenuga commenced the publication of Super Story in 1978, and in 1982, he bought 3 Volkswagen cars, a Mercedes Benz, built a house, and also bought two lands in Ejigbo.
Due to the high rate of inflation in the country, the sales of magazines dropped drastically from 600,000 to 60,000 per month. As such, Wale Adenuga quickly went into film production to salvage the situation, and in 1984 he debuted his first TV series, Papa Ajasco, and Company.
Filmography
- Nnenna and Friends TV Show
- This Life
- Super Story
- Papa Ajasco and Company
- Knock Out
- The Babington Family
- Akpan and Oduma
- Soul Sisters (Multi Award-Winning Talk Show)
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Wale Adenuga Awards And Nominations
- Success Digest Enterprise Award for the Most Creative Business Owner of the year – 2001
- Best Producer at the Nigeria Film Festival – 2002
- At the Nigeria Film Festival, he was named Best Script Writer of the Year – 2002
- Honoured as the Best Script Writer at the Nigeria Film Festival – 2002
- Best Director at the Nigeria Film Festival – 2002
- 11th and 12th DAME Awards in the TV Drama Category – 2002
- At the Nigeria Film Festival, his TV drama was named Best Television Drama of the Year – 2002
- Honoured as the Best Socially Relevant Television Production at the Nigeria Film Festival – 2002
- Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) – 2009
- City People Movie Award for Best Movie Producer of the Year (English) – 2019
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Wale Adenuga Quotes
“That is why entrepreneurs have to be very careful. Sometimes you kill yourself with expansion. If you are a publisher, remain a publisher, the job of changing machines every year to the latest one is the job of the printer, not the publisher so that you can concentrate.”
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“I discovered you need the blessing of God to manage men. If you have enough money, your business will thrive. If you have good, dependable machines, your business will thrive. If you have original genuine materials, your business will thrive, but original or genuine is not written on any man’s forehead…”
“Talent is talent, and that’s why you can’t query talent because talent is God-given.”
“You never see Wole Soyinka wearing a shoe. He wears those Hausa slippers and his presence would still be felt.”
“In Nigeria, people respect you by what you wear, the type of car you drive and so on.”
“When I say that I am nothing but pencil in the hand of the creator, I mean that it is God that is holding me and that I am just a pencil in his hands. He is using me to create all these stories.”
“We complement each other. No competition. Some are doing serious drama; some are doing comedies. We are all entertaining.”
“An artist is an entertainer of mankind. You are created to entertain all political parties, not to prefer one political party because you have been compromised. It’s unethical.”
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Entrepreneurial Lessons
Harness Your Talents
As an entrepreneur, learn to use your talent to its full capacity. At every point in time, Wale Adenuga grasps any opportunity to showcase his God-given talent.
He was never shy, and he never bothered about what people would say about him. He consistently self-developed himself and is a pro in film production.
We are encouraged to make use of our talent, because if you don’t use your talent, it will go to waste.
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Learn From Those Ahead Of You
After Mr Wale graduated from secondary school, he went to work with his father for a while, before leaving for the University. When he graduated from the University, he also went to work with his dad to learn the fundamentals of business which he applied to his business. No business knowledge is a waste.
If you want to be successful in your business pursuit, be ready to go through a training process. It mustn’t be through your parents. You just need to be willing to serve and learn under an established person, and the sky would be your starting point.
Image Credit: vanguardngr.com, encomium.ng, guardian.ng, legit.ng.
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