Chief Chief may refer to: Title or rank Military and law enforcement * Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force * Chief of police, the head of a police department * Chief of the boa ...

Michael Ade-Ojo, OON (born June 14, 1938) is a Nigerian

business magnate A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...

and founder of

Elizade University Elizade University (E.U) is a private university in Ilara-Mokin, Ondo State in Nigeria. It was founded by Micheal Ade Ojo. Elizade University has five faculties which are Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Facult ...

Ilara-Mokin Ilara-Mokin () is an Ekiti town located in a central part of Ifedore local government of Ondo State. Ilara-Mokin is about 12 km from Ondo state capital, and has Ipogun, Ipinsa, Ikota, Ibule-Soro and Ero as neighbouring towns. History ...

Ondo state, Nigeria.

Early life

Michael Ade-Ojo, known as "The Chief" is a Yoruba from

Ondo state Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to t ...

southwestern,

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

and was born Michael Adeniyan Ojo on June 14, 1938, in

, a town in Ondo state into the family of the late Chief Solomon Ojo (c.1878-1956), the Lisa of Ilara-Mokin, and Mrs. Beatrice Ademolawe Ojo (1891-1991), the 5th of six children. His father was

polygamous Crimes Polygamy (from Late Greek (') "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, sociologists call this polygyny. When a woman is ...

and had 3 wives. His mother, Ademolawe, was the third child of Fatunsin, a daughter of the Ifa priest Erubuola. He attended St. Michael's Anglican School,

Ondo State, Nigeria Ondo State ( yo, Ìpínlẹ̀ Oǹdó) is a state in southwestern Nigeria. It was created on 3 February 1976 from the former Western State. It borders Ekiti State to the north, Kogi State to the northeast, Edo State to the east, Delta State to t ...

(1944-1950). He later attended Imade College,

Owo, Nigeria Owo is a local government area in Ondo state, Nigeria. Between 1400 and 1600 CE, it was the capital of a Yoruba city-state. The local government area has a population of 222,262 based on 2006 population census. History In their oral tradit ...

(1954-1958), where he obtained the West Africa School Certificate. He proceeded to the

University of Nigeria, Nsukka The University of Nigeria, commonly referred to as UNN, is a federal university located in Nsukka, Enugu State, Eastern part of Nigeria. Founded by Nnamdi Azikiwe in 1955 and formally opened on 7 October 1960, the University of Nigeria has thr ...

(UNN) in 1961, where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in

Business Administration Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...

in 1965.

Achievements

Chief Michael Ade-Ojo is the founder of Elizade University, Ilara Mokin, Ondo State and Elizade Motors. Today, the company which Ade Ojo started with just one support staff in 1971 has become a conglomerate with several subsidiaries including Toyota Nigeria Limited, Mikeade Investment Co. Ltd, Mikeade Property Dev. Co. Ltd, Classic Motors Ltd, Elizade Autoland Nigeria, Okin Travels Ltd, Oodua Creations Ltd, among others. and just recently, The Chairman, Toyota Nigeria Limited, and founder of Elizade Nigeria Limited, Chief Michael Ade.Ojo, for more than four decades, he has bestrode the Nigerian automotive sector like a colossus, He began to sell various auto brands like Peugeot, Volkswagen, etc., before finally settling for Toyota, a product he turned to a household name in the country. has challenged his son, Demola, who is leading the Elizade Autoland in pushing a new baby of the company, the JAC, to make the Chinese brand another household name among automobile lovers in Nigeria.
Ade.Ojo, who said there was still more for Toyota to achieve in Nigeria, also urged the JAC handlers to take a cue from leading auto brands by targeting the number one position. He said, “We want to continue to be the number one auto company in Nigeria and make the JAC brand to become the number two or even overtake Toyota. I want to see a healthy rivalry between the two automobile brands that are connected to me in Nigeria.” Ade Ojo is gradually transforming his native town Ilara-Mokin from a village to an economically vibrant town through his various community development projects. President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the Chairman of Elizade Motors, Chief Michael Ade-Ojo, as he celebrates his 80th birthday on June 14. Malam Garba Shehu, the President's Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday said the president's congratulatory message was contained in a letter addressed to Chief Ade-Ojo by the president. President Buhari joined the business community, family and friends of Chief Ade-Ojo in felicitating with the “highly resourceful

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values th ...

as he celebrates his 80th birthday on June 14, 2018.’’

Fellowship

*Fellow, Academy for Entrepreneurial Studies (F.AES) by Ausbeth Ajagu (2007) *Fellow of

Lagos State Polytechnic Lagos State University of Science and Technology is a government-owned tertiary institution located in Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria. The institution was formerly known as Lagos State College of Science and Technology (LACOSTECH) and later ...

, Ikorodu, Lagos. 2009

Personal life

Chief Ade-Ojo married his first wife, Elizabeth Wuraola Ade-Ojo on February 26, 1966, in

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

, Nigeria, he had met her at the University of Nsukka. He combined her first name Elizabeth with his middle name, Ade, to create his company name Elizade. He later added his middle name to his last name, Ojo, and it became Ade-Ojo. Among his children include Adeola Ade-Ojo, a fashion designer, Olakunle Ade-Ojo, a businessman, and Ademola Ade-Ojo, a businessman as well. Both of his sons are managing directions in Toyota Nigeria. His wife died and he later remarried to Taiwo Ade-Ojo in 2012.

Early life

Achievements

Fellowship

Personal life

References

See also