I recently came across an interesting story about African billionaire Femi Otedola – at first glance, nothing extraordinary, but when you dig deeper, you see patterns that actually work. The guy says that his entire success is built on three pillars: a positive attitude, self-confidence, and the courage to believe in the right opportunities. It sounds like a motivational poster, but looking at his track record, it’s clear that these are not just words.

Femi Otedola made his first billion by age 41, and now his net worth is estimated at around $1.5 billion. The path wasn’t straightforward – he started with his father’s printing business, then jumped into energy and finance sectors, areas where you can really build something if you understand how the system works. Interestingly, he describes himself in school as a “restless soul” who knew that textbooks weren’t his thing. He dreamed of owning his own business before he was ten. Now that’s what I call knowing your path before adults try to draw it for you.

His signature approach: takes struggling companies, completely turns them around, and then sells them for a good profit. Not just reselling assets, as he says, but transforming them. Forte Oil Plc is a classic example. Under Otedola’s leadership, the company became a disruptor of traditional practices in Nigeria’s lower market segment, applying flexible procurement and distribution methods for petroleum products. By the time he sold it in 2019, it was one of the most efficient companies on the Nigerian Stock Exchange. That’s scale.

Now Otedola is looking to the future and sees electricity. But he’s not naive – he’s a pragmatist who understands that oil and gas will still play a role in the global energy balance for at least the next three decades. Demand will simply shift toward petrochemicals and aviation. The digitizing economy will require more and more electricity, which renewable sources can’t fully supply yet. Nuclear energy and natural gas are needed. Nigeria and Africa as a whole shouldn’t miss this wave of investment.

The company produces about 1.3 million barrels of crude oil per day, plus they’ve opened the Dangote refinery with a capacity of 650,000 barrels a day – the largest in the world with a single technological line. Nigeria could become a locomotive for deep changes in the continent’s energy balance and significantly reduce energy imports. That’s the strategy.

But Otedola isn’t just about business. He says that after achieving success, you should give back to society. And his approach here is the same – direct, without intermediaries. He doesn’t hire an army of investment managers or pass on thinking to a family office manager. He relies on his own research and instincts. The same goes for charity – through his daughter Florence “Cappi” Otedola’s foundation, who is herself a figure – an international DJ and advocate for youth empowerment. Recently, she was appointed “Guardian of Goals” for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Through Cappi’s Foundation, they’ve donated $17 million to Save the Children for humanitarian resources in Nigeria, $135,000 for African Oxford students, $67,500 for students at the Royal College of London, $100,000 for students at NYU. Plus generous donations to educational institutions in Nigeria for underprivileged students. It’s not just money – it’s a system.

Femi Otedola believes that one person can’t change everything alone, but a few people with the right ideas and motives can change the entire course of a nation. That’s why he counts on like-minded individuals such as Aliko Dangote, Samad Rabi’u, and current President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The philosophy is simple: a positive attitude, strategic thinking, and long-term vision. His recently published book, “Making it Big: Lessons from a Life in Business,” is exactly about this – sharing knowledge and investment philosophy with the next generation of entrepreneurs. Interestingly, it worked precisely because he didn’t just talk, but acted.