Femi Otedola’

Last week, Africa's business and investment community was set alight with excitement around the launch of 'Making It Big', a new book from renowned Nigerian billionaire and magnate Femi Otedola. Currently standing as Amazon's #3 Bestseller in the Business Biographies and Memoirs category, the book is a rare personal account of the experiences that have shaped Otedola's journey to the top, and has already been celebrated as a 'must-read' by African business leaders and policymakers alike. Yet, as 'Making It Big' continues to enjoy incredible success across the continent, global audiences have also shown a growing interest in the author's unique insights – and for good reason.

Today, entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom are facing a tumultuous landscape. The country's investment landscape is increasingly volatile, and its key industries are now struggling to keep up with international competitors who must navigate fewer obstacles. As a result, recent years have been defined by little to no growth, with an economy that is too unpredictable to inspire short-term confidence or long-term progress. This uncertainty has placed a strain on innovation and risk-taking, with many early-stage ventures hesitating to scale and investors tightening their appetite for bold ideas.

Amid such challenges, there is desperate need for resilience and reinvention - principles which helped build the UK into a global powerhouse, and which are once again required to overcome these significant challenges. Both in the public and private sectors, leaders must remain committed to the promise of perseverance and transformation, championing the ambitions and innovations of the next generation who seek only to drive this country forward into an evolving world economy.

It is in this climate that 'Making It Big' has truly made its mark, as the next generation of pioneers and entrepreneurs look for guidance on how to break the insurmountable barriers to success – a tale that Femi Otedola knows very well.

Spending most of his career in the energy industry, Otedola has played a key role in reshaping this essential sector during periods of great instability and upheaval. At the helm of Forte Oil PLC, he transformed the company into one of Nigeria's highest-performing enterprises despite massive gaps in available infrastructure and power supply. Years later, Otedola leveraged these very gaps to drive his next success, Zenon Petroleum and Gas Ltd.

Otedola launched Zenon in response to a unique opportunity in Nigeria's fuel retail market, which had been plagued by constant disruptions in supply and service. As owner and chairman, he invested more than N15 billion in downstream infrastructure development and acquired storage depots, which saw Zenon gain a major share of the Nigerian diesel market. By 2005, the company was supplying fuel to most of the country's major manufacturers, including Dangote Group, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Nigerian Breweries, MTN, Unilever, Nestle and Guinness.

In 'Making It Big', Otedola explains that 'if Nigeria had been working well, I would have no business controlling the diesel market. There was no good reason for diesel to be scarce in an oil-producing country. But scarce it was. I simply saw a gap and capitalised on the inefficiency in the system... The demand was huge due to millions of people needing this resource to survive, because there was no reliable electricity. Still, dominating the market required hard work, manoeuvring and investment.'

This incredible story is only one among many, as every page provides exclusive insights on the tumultuous but rewarding path that led Otedola to become one of Africa's top business magnates and billionaires. Far more than a recounting of deals and numbers, 'Making It Big' is packed with powerful personal experiences, important lessons, and a distillation of the mindset required to persist through upheaval.

Right now, with markets unsettled and investment signals mixed, business leaders across the UK are facing their own upheaval, and relying on traditional systems and cautious approaches is unlikely to uncover new opportunities for growth in this uncertain landscape. But for those prepared to think differently and move decisively, this is not just a moment to survive — it is a chance to lead the next chapter of success.

Making It Big doesn't offer a formula, but rather an unfiltered view into how one entrepreneur navigated his own high‑stakes terrain to build something enduring. That its message is already resonating far beyond Africa is no accident; it speaks to every risk‑taker who senses that history's next great success stories will be written in times exactly like these.

To secure your copy of 'Making It Big', go to www.makingitbigbook.com or www.amazon.com, or visit select bookstores worldwide.