Billionaire Businessman, Leo Stan Ekeh, Retires
Without a doubt, Leo Stan Ekeh, is arguably Africa’s biggest digital entrepreneur, comes across as a restless spirit. Indeed, if he were a writer or an artist, one would be right to say that his muse has never left him. But more important, he is in constant quest to rule his world: the nation’s ICT sector.
So many would be shocked to hear that the man that is described as a wizard in the industry has retired from a business that has fetched him surpassing influence, towering connection as well as enormous wealth.
A source disclosed that his plan to go into retirement when he turned 65 was further reinforced when he reportedly stated that he would quit his chairmanship position if the group could hit $10bn in valuation by that time.
What also lent credence to the rumour is that Ekeh was said to have added that he would change the lives of his devoted employees by making every member of the management staff in the group, who had served him with utmost loyalty, a billionaire and others millionaires before retiring into full-time research in technological and social works.
In a chat with Society Watch, a source close to the businessman said: “This is his ambition and I hope he realizes this, especially considering the turbulent Nigerian economy. This was one of the reasons his group did not retrench any staff during the last economic recession, an unprecedented feat that is highly commendable in view of the gale of retrenchment that greeted the economic downturn.”
But as he is yet to clear the air on the rumour, another source revealed that the award-winning entrepreneur might be planning his exit from the company as chairman, so he could focus on his political ambition to govern his state in 2023.
Though Society Watch gathered that the billionaire businessman had not yet succumbed to pressure to go into politics in Nigeria, the source added that “his going into retirement is a strategy towards achieving his governorship ambition in 2023.”
However, another source quickly countered that saying the planned retirement has not to do with politics as the high-networth businessman is not interested in contesting any political position.
If there is anything you could say with certainty about Ekeh, it is the fact that he has his eyes fixed on the future.
His company had recently acquired Konga in one of the best business acquisitions in Africa.
Ekeh, who was honoured by former President Olusegun Obasanjo on October 1, 2002, for his sustained pioneering efforts in the area of information and communications technology (ICT) and as a model for Nigerian youths, has been consistent with several technological innovations in Nigeria and beyond.
The serial digital entrepreneur has also been credited with pioneering paternity leave in Nigeria when he introduced it in his company a few years ago.
His retirement will come as a surprise to many, especially in view of his very active lifestyle, devotion to healthy living and spartan discipline which has made him look much younger than his years.