When Leo Stan Ekeh, the Founder and Chairman of Zinox Group, turned 70 on Sunday, February 22, two outstanding endorsements ushered him into the sacred club of septuagenarians. Ekeh got two Presidential endorsements, all attesting to his innovation prowess, patriotic fervor and peerless impact on the nation’s digital economy.

First, President Bola Tinubu described him as “one of Nigeria’s pioneering innovators in the information technology sector.” He described Ekeh’s launch of Zinox range of technologies as “a groundbreaking moment for indigenous technology production.”

Tinubu acknowledged Ekeh’s contributions to the growth of the nation’s manufacturing and information technology ecosystem and commended him for being a “pace-setter and dynamic industrialist.” Tinubu should know. He was governor of Lagos in 2001 when Zinox was launched. And he participated actively in the launch as Host Governor.

Hours later, on that day, another Presidential laudation came from the mouth of President Olusegun Obasanjo who ruled Nigeria from 1999 to 2007. Obasanjo was president in 2001 when Ekeh turned on the switch on patriotism and product nationalism by launching the Zinox brand, an assortment of desktop computers, laptops and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems. Obasanjo, a huge fan of Ekeh, did not send a goodwill message. He appeared at Ekeh’s home with his wife and in the full glare of high networth Nigerians present at a family prayer meeting organised by Ekeh’s wife and children, showered encomiums of the Zinox boss. Obasanjo described Ekeh as “one of the people who made it possible for people to say the good things they say about me and about my period in government.”

A little throw back. In 2021 when Ekeh marked his 65^th birthday; then President Muhammadu Buhari shared his thoughts about Ekeh. Buhari described Ekeh as “renowned investor whose interest in technology has brought great pride to the country.”

He complimented Ekeh for the courage to explore a path that was least travelled before the launch of his Zinox brand in the country, “setting up a technology company with clear global relevance and standard, that completely repositioned markets, and encouraged a new entrepreneurial chain, particularly among young people.”

Buhari believed that Ekeh’s interest in digital technology and e-commerce also energised public and private institutions to look inward for solutions in education, health and business, with many customised and tailored applications that readily cater for the needs of customers, patients and governments.”

From Obasanjo through Buhari to Tinubu, these three Nigerian leaders were in agreement on Ekeh’s innovative skill, courage to dare and entrepreneurial grit to plough the digital ecosystem in a manner never before seen in the country.

Obasanjo in particular spares no words in his adulation of Ekeh’s unrelenting efforts to computerise Nigeria and enthrone digital democracy across every sphere of the nation’s socio-economic life. Zinox more than justified the confidence Obasanjo reposed in Ekeh and the brand. It did not just transform into a formidable African brand, it scored many firsts, a salute to the legendary innovative entrepreneurial skill of Ekeh and his team and a testament to the outstanding leadership clairvoyance of Obasanjo. It is safe to say that in Zinox, Obasanjo saw the future. After the launch, Obasanjo invited the management to Aso Rock and endorsed the Zinox brand as a national pride. It was no surprise that Obasanjo branded Ekeh ‘Icon of Hope’, on 1st October, 2002, as role model to Nigerian digital entrepreneurs, a fitting cap for an exemplar of the true Nigerian spirit of chutzpah, excellence, innovation, humility and integrity.

Though pan-Nigeria, Ekeh plays everywhere. His entrepreneurial footprints are seen beyond his native Nigeria. He is in other parts of Africa and in the Arab world where he has partnered with global investors to execute mega-projects in West African countries of Guinea Bissau and Gambia, in addition to other rollouts in Iraq, Libya and the Middle East, among others.

His Zinox Technologies played a crucial role working with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in laying a foundation for credible elections in Nigeria, first in 2006 when it delivered the nationwide voters’ registration ICT platform. He achieved this when foreign contractors could not deliver after months of promises. Zinox repeated the feat in 2010 when it designed and deployed the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines which has helped to capture and streamline Nigeria’s voter database, reduce post-election litigations and move the country closer to electronic voting. The 2010 contract, worth over $200 million, was delivered within two months and acclaimed as the single biggest IT project rollout in Africa.

With unflinching missionary zeal, Ekeh took on the challenge of computerising the nation. And he has made a success of this through the Computerise Nigeria Initiative and other similar landmark ICT-driven projects that have impacted on young Nigerians, from students to young graduates turning otherwise rusty rookies into geeky nerds. Appointed a Microsoft Ambassador, a global recognition for his unrelenting commitment to widen and deepen Nigeria’s digital economy, Ekeh has nonetheless refused to walk in the shadow of any foreign conglomerate. He pioneered e-commerce when he launched Buyright Africa, a forerunner to Konga, which many said came ahead of its time. With that, he laid the foundation for the buzz of e-commerce across the nation today. Buyright Africa was shut down for several years until his son, Prince Nnamdi Ekeh, revived and renamed it Yudala with which he later strategically acquired Konga.

Ekeh’s greatest asset is his integrity and strict adherence to healthy corporate governance. This has earned him trust and partnerships with American entrepreneurs and corporates. A Microsoft Ambassador, he has earned partnerships with Elon Musk’s Starlink, Hewlett Packard, among other OEMs and global brands in Asia and Europe including L’Oreal, a leading global beauty brand.

In his 70 years of existence, Ekeh has built a digital family. His wife, Lady Chioma Ekeh, a mathematician and chartered accountant oversees TD Africa, the biggest tech distribution company in sub-Saharan Africa. His first son, Oxford-trained Prince Nnamdi Ekeh leads Konga. His first daughter, Mrs. Gozy Ajogun (nee Ekeh), an alumnus of London School of Economics (LSE) oversees Task Systems; the second daughter Miss Chidalu Ekeh with Masters in Digital Marketing from Imperial College, London, is a Fintech whiz, while his other two younger sons also play in the tech space. Listless Ekeh has added digital value to Nigeria and Africa. For this, Africa celebrates its illustrious son.