As he turns 69, Saturday, February 22, Leo Stan Ekeh, Africa’s foremost serial digital entrepreneur, has truly come of age. In the natural order of life and in entrepreneurship, he has fully embodied the Nigerian dream. And much more, the trademark Nigerian spirit of courage even in stormy times.
A role model to many, especially the younger generation, he has in the last 38 years proven that there is a Nigerian dream. He has fulfilled that dream and still counting. An incurable patriot and nationalist, he belongs to the rare tribe of Nigerians who are not hemmed into the darkly den of ethnicity or manacled to the primitive props of religion. Free-spirited, fair-minded species of homo sapiens, he believes Nigeria offers limitless possibilities and opportunities. And like most statesmen of his genre, he holds high, at all times, the banner of hope. Encounter him and you have encountered a man who epitomizes the unique selling points of Nigeria: Grit, hard work, courage, raw optimism and derring-do. Leo Stan, as he is fondly called, models the typical Nigerian spirit of resilience, adaptability, self-assured confidence and creativity.
Encounter Leo Stan, you encounter an iconoclast with a sprinkling of Victorian nattiness. You encounter a listless visionary; a far-sighted wonk who matches street smartness with book wisdom. You encounter intelligence, pragmatism and a genius who strikes when the iron is hottest. Gifted with a knack to spot opportunity ahead of the crowd, he has in the last 38 years of unbroken entrepreneurial voyage that has taken him from ICT through the convoluted contours of banking and insurance, a whiff of oil and gas service, to the paved path of real estate investment, created thousands of jobs and opportunities for Nigerians across tribes and tongues.
Brick by brick, Leo Stan has built a vast layout of opportunities for young Nigerians to hone their ICT skills through the various tech hubs his businesses and Foundation donated to tertiary institutions in different parts of the country. His philosophy of quietly executed, structured, targeted and productive philanthropy has seen him gift tech hubs equipped with light-years-ahead digital gadgets to tertiary institutions as well as offer scholarships to many for studies in Nigeria and overseas.
He has demonstrated that greatness can be earned through diligence and hard work. For most great men and women, the road to the top is often paved with spikes and spines. It has been so for Leo Stan who upon his return to the country after his studies in India and the United Kingdom, founded Task Systems, a fully integrated IT solutions services company in 1987. It has since grown into a conglomerate under the Zinox Group. He took a risk to return to Nigeria to start a journey into the risk-laden world of entrepreneurship. For someone with a post-graduate degree in risk management, it was only a matter of time when the inherent risk factors in the industry became fodders of opportunities for him.
He moved swiftly into the media space and in the same manner that German printer, Johannes Gutenberg, changed the face of printing in the 15th Century, Leo Stan changed the face of publishing in Nigeria at the twilight of the 20th Century when he computerised Nigerian newsrooms and advertising agencies. He created a brave new world for the media and ever since the buzz has resonated beyond the media to all facets of the nation’s life. Today, he is the undisputed leader in the nation’s computer industry bestriding the digital firmament as Chairman of Zinox Group. A genuine digital democrat.
Leo Stan at 69 is the story of the proverbial rolling stone. Legendary writer Publilius Syrus, who was credited with the proverb – a rolling stone gathers no moss – must have meant that people who are always on the move, who avoid taking on responsibilities end up achieving nothing. But latter-day interpretation has a smarter meaning. It means that those who keep moving, never stagnating, achieve more because they are full of ideas, take the next risk, are never bogged down by conventions and never afraid to fail hence they dare and keep daring and ultimately keep succeeding.
This best illustrates the twists and turns that highlight the career trajectory of this illustrious son of Africa. He is your ideal upwardly mobile man; taking entrepreneurial risks in ICT, oil and gas, banking, e-commerce and property. Plus, he was once a Disc Jockey (DJ), yes, this non-smoking teetotaler (never smoked cigarette or tasted alcohol in his life because as he said “they never appealed to me”) was once a freak on the console.
And if American molecular biologist and Nobel Prize winner, James Watson, is still steeped in his controversial theory that black people are less intelligent than their white folks, he has a ready counteracting response in Leo Stan, a man once described by Adams Oshiomhole, the former comrade Governor of Edo State as a ‘Digital Militant’. In his chosen field of ICT, he has not only debunked the demeaning and vexatious illogic by breaking frontiers, he has also earned the recognition of the white man for his listless exertions, entrepreneurial acuity and excellent leadership exemplum. Microsoft was left with no choice than to make him a Microsoft Global Advisor. Over 30 global ICT and other brands namely Hewlett Packard, Elon Musk’s Starlink, Lenovo, Apple, Dell, Acer among others thought it wise to partner with him rather than compete with him. And as he has maintained a strong foothold in the hardware marketplace, so he has ramped up his hold in software engineering making his Zinox Group a fully integrated ICT solutions conglomerate and clearly one of the largest in Africa.
Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, is noted for his frugality with praise and laudatory plaudits for men but not when the subject is Leo Stan, Obasanjo never ceased to speak good of him. On October 1, 2001 he decorated the ICT magnate with Icon of Hope Award as a testament for his exemplary digital revolution. He is also a recipient of many awards, national honours and honourary doctorate degrees.
So far, Zinox has proven both competence and capacity at home and other parts of Africa. It was the preferred technology that powered several mega projects including the 8th All Africa Games codenamed COJA 2003; the 18th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Nigeria in 2003; the All-Africa University Games held in Bauchi in 2004; the 7th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Africa Union (AU) held in The Gambia in 2006. It has also undertaken critical interventions by transforming the Nigeria and Guinea Bissau electoral systems from analogue to digital. The conduct of Nigeria general elections in 2007 and 2011 is a good example. Zinox has also fully provided the technology for Nigeria’s postponed first ever digital national census.
He has served the Nigerian government in several strategic Presidential Committees including the strategic seven-man Committee under President Obasanjo administration – The Nigeria Thinkers – headed by the President himself and involved in visioning the Nigeria road map and possible dominance in select sectors in Africa and the world.
As Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker once said, “whoever renders service to many puts himself in line for greatness”. Leo Stan has rendered service to many including nations. He has put himself in line for greatness. Therefore, he deserves 69 thrills on his birthday for his service to humanity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gaya, ICT entrepreneur, writes from Abuja
