Media entrepreneur and Managing Partner of Red Media Africa, Chude Jideonwo celebrated his 30th birthday on Monday 16 March, 2015 with a thanksgiving service. The event held at Terra Kulture in Lagos, Nigeria.
Family, friends and colleagues who gathered at the ceremony to celebrate with him were; Pastor Sam Adeyemi, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, Pastor Wale Adenuga, Hon. Abike Dabiri, Pastor Taiwo Odukoya, represented by his son Jimi Odukoya, Osayi Alile, Pastor Ngozi Jideonwo (Chude’s mother) Mo Abudu, Tara Fela-Durotoye, Mfon Ekpo, Adebola Williams, Tolu Ogunlesi, Noble Igwe, Toolz, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, Mai Atafo, Makida Moka, Latasha
Ngwube, Kemi Lala Akindoju, Funke Bucknor-Obruthe, Seun Onigbinde, Bolanle Austen Peters, Eben, TosinMartins, Tosin Ajibade, Somkele Iyamah, Pastor Godman Akinlabi, Nkiru Olumide Ojo, Ayo Sogunro, Akintunde Oyebode, Denola Grey, Zina Anumudu, Isoken Ogiemwonyi, Mosunmola Umoru, Jideonwo’s uncle and aunt, Henrietta Olih and Medua Jideonwo, and a host of others.
The celebrant acknowledged the impact of his children’s choir teacher when he was 6, Aunty Aisha before bringing her on stage: “Aunty Aisha played an important role in my life in validating me at a time when I was trying to build confidence: she made my life colourful and beautiful, she taught me to believe in myself and that there is nothing I can’t achieve and that’s why I had to bring her in from London today.”
Pastor Sam Adeyemi, who is one of the celebrant’s mentor said “With everything I have witnessed here today, it is clear that God’s calling is upon Chude’s life because God calls people to function in different offices’.
Former World Bank VP Obiageli Ezekwesili also spoke. “I am so delighted to celebrate Chude, ‘I refer to Chude as one of the children I carried in the womb of my heart,” she said, at what became a very emotional evening. “As we can see, from the words of my sister (Chude’s mother), parenting is the foundation of greatness, Chude’s life is defined by what his parents did, which does not happen accidentally.”
Chude also invited the founder of the Hearts of Gold Hospice, Laja Adedoyin, which is his adopted charity he had not spoken about until now. “We began to get this donation from his account, but I kept looking for who it was,” Adedoyin, who takes care of children with terminal illnesses, said. “Until one day I found him, and we are very grateful to him. We are grateful to those like Governor Fashola, who I call the father of my kids – for taking us from a 2-bedroom bungalow to a massive building in Onilegogoro.”
Chude also pleaded with the audience to donate on a sustained basis to the charity, to enable it’s crucial work.
Pastor Wale Adenuga and Nathaniel Bassey performed singing worship songs while Eben closed the thanksgiving ceremony with more praise.
ABOUT CHUDE JIDEONWO
Named by Forbes as one of Africa’s 30 best entrepreneurs under 30, Chude Jideonwo’s career is centered on using the media as an active tool to galvanise a generation of Africans to action. He is Managing Partner of RedMedia Africa, owners of The Future Africa Awards Africa &Summit, Y! Africa, and YNaija.com; and founding Executive Director of The Future
Project, which empowers young people across Africa through leadership and enterprise.
In 2010, he convened friends and colleagues to hold the historic EnoughisEnough protests and co-founded EnoughisEnough Nigeria, which has become the country’s foremost good governance group for young Nigerians. A lawyer and award-winning journalist, he has a Master’s Degree in Media and Communication from the Pan-African University. He is a Global Shaper with the World Economic Forum, a member of the African Leadership
Network and sits on the boards of the Oando Foundation and Micosoft4Afrika.
In October 2014, he emerged winner of the CNBC All Africa Young Business Leader of the Year. His latest book, ‘Are We the Turning Point Generation?’ was published by Farafina in May 2014 and has toured Lagos, Abuja, Jonannesburg, London, Paris and New York. He is featured author at the Port Harcourt Book Festival, the Ake Festival, the Lagos Book and Art Festival, the Copenhagen International Film Festival and he spoke at TEDxEuston in December, 2014.