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Barely three days after its global release, Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola’s new book Making It Big: Lessons from a Life in Business has stormed Amazon’s UK best-seller list, reaching the number three spot in the business biography and memoirs category.
The memoir, published worldwide on August 18, has quickly gained traction among readers in Nigeria and beyond, becoming one of the most ordered titles in its category. On August 21, it ranked third on Amazon.co.uk’s list of books purchased from Nigeria, underscoring both the anticipation around its launch and the appetite for stories of homegrown entrepreneurial success.
Praise from Africa’s business elite
Making It Big has drawn endorsements from some of Africa’s most influential figures. Aliko Dangote, Africa’s richest man and founder of Dangote Group, hailed the memoir, as did Prince Samuel Adedoyin of the Doyin Group. Global leaders also lent their voices, including Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, and Arunma Oteh, former head of Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission.
The 286-page memoir charts Otedola’s rise, from the scrappy ventures of his youth to his emergence as one of Africa’s most influential businessmen. It recounts stories of his early ventures — from running a nail-cutting “enterprise” as a child and working for his father’s printing press to starting a money-lending business, dabbling in diesel sales, and eventually building multi-sector enterprises. The narrative lays bare not just his triumphs but also the setbacks, humiliations, and comebacks that shaped his career.
From Lagos streets to global shelves
Now 62, Otedola is chairman of First HoldCo Plc and Geregu Power Plc, where he continues to play a central role in Nigeria’s corporate landscape. With his memoir, he’s turned to storytelling to inspire a new generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.
The memoir is widely accessible, sold through makingitbigbook.com, Waterstones, and Amazon in both the UK and US, as well as in bookstores across Nigeria, Cameroon, Uganda, Tanzania, South Sudan and the UK. With sales already gaining strong momentum, the title is shaping up to be one of the year’s standout African business books.
For Otedola, who built his reputation on bold bets in energy and finance, this latest foray into publishing looks to be another win — one aimed not at profits, but at influence and inspiration
