Adedeji Tajudeen Adeleke is a Nigerian businessman, educationist and philanthropist whose influence reaches far beyond his roles as the father of Afrobeats star Davido and the elder brother of Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke. Born on 6 March 1957 in Enugu and rooted in Ede, Osun State, he is the fourth of six children.
His academic journey took him to Western Kentucky University in the United States, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Finance in 1979 and an MBA in 1981. He later obtained a doctorate in International Business and a second doctorate in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix in 2007.
In 1983 he founded Pacific Holdings Limited. What began as a modest drilling and water treatment company grew into a diversified conglomerate with interests in energy, power generation, banking, logistics and real estate.
Through Pacific Energy Company Limited, he operates the Omotosho Power Plant in Ondo State and the Olorunsogo Power Plant in Ogun State, with a combined installed capacity of 640.8 megawatts. A 1,250 megawatt plant under construction in Ajebandele, Ondo State, is estimated at two billion dollars and could make Pacific Energy Nigeria’s largest independent power producer.
Beyond business, Adeleke established the Springtime Development Foundation in 1996 to sponsor underprivileged Nigerians through higher education. In 2011 he founded Adeleke University in Ede in honour of his late wife, Dr Veronica Adeleke. The university is built on Adventist principles of moral discipline and academic excellence.
A widower and devout Christian, Adeleke is blessed with five children and six grandchildren. He enjoys lawn tennis, reading and travelling.
