Some of Today’s Wealthy Men Were Once Drivers: Where Are the Children of Those They Drove?

Mike Adenuga, the prominent Nigerian businessman and founder of Globacom once worked as a taxi driver to fund his education.

While studying at Northwestern Oklahoma State University and later at Pace University in New York, he earned degrees in Business Administration. All thanks in part to his earnings from driving cabs.

Today, he is one of Nigeria’s wealthiest individuals, with vast interests in telecommunications, oil and gas, and several other sectors.

Adenuga is just one of many prominent Nigerians who once drove taxis or took on other low-level jobs to survive. We’ve heard similar stories about people who later became governors, administrators and captains of industry.

Drivers are often looked down on. They are barked at, spoken to condescendingly, and generally treated as 'less than'.

They drive their bosses to fancy banquet halls but are never invited in. If they’re lucky, they might get takeaway food or a brief gist from the event. If they’re unlucky, they clean up after drunk bosses or passengers, deal with rude madams, or even get accused of stealing what was misplaced during flirtatious moments.

But this is not just about the plight of drivers. This is about how some of them, like Mike Adenuga, found their way to the top. And now, it raises an important question: where are the children of those they once drove?

Beyond the drivers, this conversation extends to all those who did what society considered small jobs but turned their experiences into ladders of growth.

What did they learn from the people they worked for? What inspired them to dream big while riding in the backseat of someone else's hustle? What did they pick up from listening in on business calls, witnessing deals, or simply observing how things were done?

And what happened to the children of those former bosses? The same bosses who shouted "Uncle Driver!" and expected obedience without respect? Those children who were often shielded from the grit of business and placed in 'safe' civil service jobs or pushed into roles that required minimal hustle?

The driver, on the other hand knew every inch of the business terrain. He ran errands, delivered consignments, interacted with clients, and eventually learned the ropes. Many started businesses of their own, armed with firsthand knowledge. Some succeeded wildly. The cycle continued.

Meanwhile, the children of the original boss waited to climb civil service ranks, often reaching meaningful positions only in their 40s. By then, the business of the parents may have declined, or been outpaced by new methods the former drivernow a boss mastered.

Not everybody (or children) is meant to go into business. But if you’re running a business, involve your children. Let them start from the bottom and grow through the ranks. Let them understand every aspect of it; not just as beneficiaries , but as contributors.

And if you're in the civil service, equip your children with modern skills like management, tech, AI and so on, so they can thrive in today’s competitive world.

Don't let the people you hire to grow your business leave your children behind. For everything you entrust to others, ensure your children are learning alongside them.

Let them rise together.