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Femi Otedola, billionaire businessman and Chairman of Geregu Power Plc, has opened up about his unusual educational background, revealing that he neither completed high school nor attended university.
In his newly released memoir, Making It Big, the 62-year-old mogul recounts how persistent struggles with academics forced him out of the classroom and into the world of business, where he would eventually build one of Africa’s most successful enterprises.
Born in 1962, Otedola began his education at the University of Lagos Staff School. Despite the privileged environment, his poor academic performance was evident from the start. He admitted that he consistently ranked at the bottom of his class, repeating one year of primary school before moving on to Methodist Boys’ High School, Lagos, in 1974.
The institution was famed for its elite alumni, but Otedola found little improvement in his academic fortunes. By 1977, his parents transferred him to Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, hoping a boarding environment would instill discipline and focus. However, Otedola confesses in his memoir that his disinterest in formal learning persisted.
While school continued to frustrate him, another passion was taking root. His father, Sir Michael Otedola, was establishing a printing business Impact Press in Surulere, Lagos.
The young Femi became fascinated with the machines and processes of printing. By the time he was supposed to proceed to Upper Sixth, he had made a decision: the classroom was not for him. Much to the dismay of his mother, who wept over his choice, Otedola left school to work full-time at his father’s company.
Otedola quickly proved himself in business. He learned typing and shorthand from his sister and began handling correspondence for his father. By 1987, at just 25, he had risen to the position of Managing Director of Impact Press.
His determination to carve out independence soon led him to strike a new arrangement: instead of working as a regular employee, he became a sales consultant for the company, earning commissions on business deals he secured. This move marked his first real taste of entrepreneurship.
The results were transformative. Leveraging his energy and keen eye for opportunity, Otedola brought in contracts from major corporations and advertising agencies. Impact Press flourished, competing favorably with established printing giants like Academy Press.
For Otedola, the thrill of closing deals and expanding networks was far more rewarding than any academic exercise he had once struggled through.
By 1991, Otedola’s trajectory shifted again when his father launched a successful campaign for governor of Lagos State.
This political opening and the family’s improved visibility gave the young businessman confidence to start on his own. In 1994, he founded Centre Force Ltd. with ₦10 million in capital. That venture became the seed for a diversified business empire that later spanned oil and gas, shipping, finance, power generation, and philanthropy.
Otedola went on to acquire African Petroleum, rebranding it into Forte Oil, and later invested heavily in power through Geregu Power Plc. Today, he chairs the board of FirstHoldco Plc, one of Nigeria’s largest financial services groups. His career, spanning decades, has made him one of Africa’s most influential entrepreneurs.
The revelation of his lack of formal higher education may come as a surprise to many, especially given widespread assumptions even on his Wikipedia page that he had studied at the University of Lagos. But in his memoir, Otedola insists his real education was in the business world.
His lessons, he says, came from observing his father’s leadership, experimenting with enterprise, and learning from mistakes.
“I never returned for my Upper Sixth. All I wanted was to get involved in business,” Otedola writes. That decision, once a source of shame and disappointment for his family, ultimately set the foundation for his success.
His journey underscores a reality: while formal education can be an important tool, determination, persistence, and entrepreneurial instinct can sometimes open doors that degrees alone cannot.
In Making It B, Otedola offers a candid message. He does not glamorize dropping out of school warning readers not to see his story as an excuse to abandon education but rather emphasizes discipline, vision, and resilience as the true engines of success.
His story is not just about privilege or connections, but about spotting opportunities, embracing risk, and following a passion for business.
Ultimately, his memoir illustrates how unconventional paths can lead to extraordinary destinations. Femi Otedola may not have been shaped by lecture halls or diplomas, but he has left an indelible mark on Nigeria’s business landscape, embodying his own title: he truly “made it big.”
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