Femi Otedola has revealed he built his fortune without finishing secondary school or attending university.
In his memoir, he recalls struggling with academics before pursuing business, where he rose to success.
Billionaire businessman Femi Otedola has revealed that his rise to fortune came without completing secondary school or obtaining a university degree. The 62-year-old chairman of one of Nigeria’s leading financial groups said his struggles with academics pushed him out of the classroom and into the business world, where he eventually built a multi-billion-dollar empire.
In his memoir, Making It Big, Otedola recalls beginning school in 1968 at the University of Lagos Staff School, where he was classmates with Kola Abiola, son of the late Chief Moshood Abiola. He admitted, however, that academics never interested him, and he often ranked at the bottom of his class.
He went on to attend Methodist Boys’ High School in Lagos and later Olivet Baptist High School in Oyo, but his performance did not improve. In 1977, his parents enrolled him in a boarding school in hopes of instilling discipline, but Otedola noted that his focus was already on business rather than studies.
Eventually, he left school altogether to join his father’s company, Impact Press, where he rose to become managing director at the age of 25. Seeking greater challenges, he later switched to sales consultancy on commission, a move he described as a turning point. By investing in cars for marketing, he began attracting contracts from top companies and advertising agencies, laying the foundation for his future business empire.
His disclosure has surprised many, as he was long believed to have attended the University of Lagos. At one point, even his Wikipedia profile listed him as a graduate of the institution.
