Michael Ade-Ojo was born on 14 June 1938 at Ilara-Mokin in Ondo State, Nigeria, and as a child from a family that struggled financially, sold charcoal, matches and firewood on the street before his mother's earnings from grinding corn financed his education.
After secondary school at Imade College, Owo, and stints at CFAO, the federal civil service and BP Nigeria, Ade-Ojo walked away from secure colonial-era employment, resolved to build his own enterprise within a decade of graduation.
In 1971 he founded Elizade Independent Agencies with his wife, Elizabeth Wuraola Ojo, combining her name with his to create Elizade, initially trading textiles before securing the Toyota franchise for Nigeria, which he built into the country's most sought-after automobile brand.
The Elizade Group grew into a conglomerate encompassing Toyota Nigeria Limited, RT Briscoe, Classic Motors and Elizade Autoland, and in 2015 Ade-Ojo completed a $50 million vehicle assembly plant capable of producing 40,000 units a year.
Ade-Ojo founded Elizade University in his hometown of Ilara-Mokin, personally subsidising it by roughly $5 million annually, and his group has contributed an estimated ₦200 billion to the Nigerian economy in taxes and duties between 2005 and 2015.
- Built Nigeria's exclusive Toyota franchise into the country's leading automobile brand
- Founded the Elizade Group, spanning automotive, education, hospitality and real estate
- Completed a $50 million vehicle assembly plant capable of 40,000 units a year
- Founded Elizade University in his hometown of Ilara-Mokin
- Contributed an estimated ₦200 billion to the Nigerian economy in taxes, 2005–2015
- A decade-long resolve can outlast the safety it gave up. Ade-Ojo set himself a ten-year deadline to build his own business and walked away from secure colonial-era jobs to meet it.
- Wealth built can be reinvested in the town it came from. He personally subsidises Elizade University in his home village by millions of dollars a year.