At a Glance
- Dele Momodu unveils Leadership Center in Ibadan to foster leadership and intellectual growth.
- The center addresses Nigeria’s unemployment by creating at least 30 new jobs for youth.
- Momodu’s gesture reflects a long-standing commitment to education, infrastructure, and pan-African influence.
By all standards, Aare Dr. Dele Momodu is no stranger to transformation. The Nigerian media icon, political commentator, and business magnate, has spent decades shaping public discourse, inspiring a generation through journalism, and building bridges between the media and political spheres. Now, the trailblazing founder of Ovation International has turned his sights toward a bold new frontier: transformative leadership.
In the heart of Ibadan, the historic city that once served as a beacon of intellectual renaissance in West Africa, Dele Momodu has unveiled the Dele Momodu Leadership Center—an ultra-modern institution poised to become a crucible for leadership, innovation, and intellectual empowerment in Nigeria and across the continent.
Nigeria gets new leadership development space
The official launch, a grand and dignified affair, drew an elite crowd that included Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke, and a host of dignitaries, scholars, and admirers. For Momodu, who has consistently used his platform to uplift the voices of others, this moment was deeply symbolic—planting institutional roots in Ibadan, Nigeria’s third-largest city by population and a historic seat of learning, culture, and political activism.
Inspired by the prestigious Bellagio Center Residency Program in Lake Como, Italy, the Dele Momodu Leadership Center is not merely a building—it is a vision concretized in brick, marble, and forward-thinking philosophy. The center will serve as a sanctuary for scholars, thought leaders, practitioners, and creatives to engage with complex societal issues, develop actionable solutions, and reimagine leadership in an African context.
It features state-of-the-art libraries, fully equipped conference halls, administrative offices, residences for scholars, and a dedicated building for staff. Beyond its intellectual ambitions, the center also addresses Nigeria’s acute unemployment challenge by creating at least 30 new jobs for young Nigerians.
New leadership center reflects philanthropy vision
The creation of this institution builds on Momodu’s long-standing commitment to education. In 2020, he awarded educational scholarships to 20 male and female students, a testament to his belief that education remains the most powerful vehicle for social mobility and national progress. This belief is now enshrined in the center’s mission, offering emerging leaders a springboard to scale societal hurdles and shape national narratives.
The center’s opening is part of a broader series of milestone events that have recently marked Momodu’s expansive personal and professional journey. Only months earlier, he launched his exquisitely designed country home in Ihievbe, Edo State. But in true Momodu fashion, this was more than just real estate.
He transformed the surrounding community infrastructure—laying concrete roads, installing solar-powered street lights, and giving the entire neighborhood a fresh coat of paint, in a subtle yet striking homage to the White House in Washington, D.C. The Ihievbe project was preceded by another family home launch in Osun State, setting the tone for what would become a symbolic countdown to his 65th birthday—a celebration of life, legacy, and leadership.
From journalism to pan-African influence
Aare Dr. Dele Momodu’s illustrious journey began in 1988 as a staff writer at African Concord, a magazine owned by the late Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola. His ascent was meteoric. By the early 1990s, he had become Nigeria’s highest-paid editor and later transitioned into public relations with the establishment of Celebrities-Goodwill Limited.
The firm’s clientele was a who’s who of Nigeria’s elite, including Abiola himself, telecoms magnate Mike Adenuga, and banking powerhouse Hakeem Belo-Osagie. This trajectory culminated in the founding of Ovation International in 1996, a glossy pan-African lifestyle magazine that catapulted him into continental and global relevance.
Through Ovation, Momodu redefined African media, blending storytelling with celebration, journalism with glamour. His vision of a vibrant, confident, and powerful African narrative came alive each year through the Ovation Carol and Awards, a star-studded annual gala that fused entertainment with philanthropy.
From Lagos to Accra, and with performances by global and African music icons like Wyclef Jean, Wizkid, Evelyn “Champagne” King, Tiwa Savage, 2Baba, Burna Boy, and many more, the event grew into a symbol of unity and cultural pride, often graced by dignitaries including former Presidents J.J. Rawlings and John Dramani Mahama, business moguls Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola, and Nollywood royalty.
Investments and institutions: Dele Momodu’s strategy
Yet, beyond the stages and covers, Momodu’s ambition has always rested in institution-building. His investments speak to that intent—from real estate holdings in Victoria Island and Eko Atlantic City to luxurious residences in Ghana, and the United Kingdom. Each property, each project, reflects a desire to shape spaces that speak to aspiration and legacy.
In launching the Dele Momodu Leadership Center, the media mogul is not just giving back—he is giving forward. He is creating a legacy institution that encapsulates his journey: from humble beginnings to international acclaim, from ink-stained journalism to global influence, from chronicling leaders to cultivating them.
As Nigeria and the African continent continue to confront old and new challenges—from governance deficits to youth disenfranchisement—Momodu’s latest initiative positions itself not just as a center of thought, but as a catalyst for change.
For a man who has spent his life building platforms for others to shine, the Dele Momodu Leadership Center is perhaps his most enduring stage yet. Not for performance, but for purpose. Not for applause, but for action. And in that, it mirrors the very essence of its founder—visionary, relentless, and committed to the future.
