Nigerian billionaire businessman, Femi Otedola, has revealed why he dropped out of school and never pursued a university degree. In his newly released memoir, Making It Big, Otedola disclosed that he struggled academically from childhood, often finishing at the bottom of his class despite attending good schools.
After completing Lower Sixth at Olivet Baptist High School, Oyo, he chose not to return for his final year, abandoning formal education altogether. His decision, he explained, stemmed from a deep fascination with his father’s printing press, where he became immersed in learning the trade.
Otedola soon took up full-time work at Impact Press, his father’s company, where he mastered shorthand, typing, and business correspondence. By the age of 25, he rose to become Managing Director of the firm, marking the beginning of his journey into entrepreneurship.
According to him, while academics did not favor him, his passion for practical business laid the foundation for his later success in the oil, energy, and investment sectors.