After award-winning memoir, Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola begins writing second book, Making It Bigger
Nigerian billionaire investor and business magnate Femi Otedola has embarked on another literary journey, announcing that he is writing a second book titled Making It Bigger, less than a year after the remarkable success of his award-winning memoir, Making It Big: Lessons from a Life in Business.
The announcement signals a new chapter for one of Africa’s most respected businessmen, whose inspiring story of resilience, reinvention and long-term wealth creation has resonated with entrepreneurs and business leaders across the continent and beyond.
Otedola, chairman of First HoldCo, shared the news with his followers on X while in Geneva, Switzerland, revealing that he had spent part of his day writing the manuscript before taking a bicycle ride through the Swiss city.
“This sunny afternoon today in Geneva, taking a ride after a busy morning writing a few pages of my next book, Making It Bigger,” he wrote.
Although the billionaire did not disclose the publication date or reveal the central themes of the upcoming book, the announcement has already generated excitement among readers eager to learn from his latest business experiences and investment journey.
The news comes as Making It Big continues to receive widespread international recognition. Released in August 2025, the memoir chronicles Otedola’s extraordinary rise from entrepreneur to billionaire, the devastating financial setbacks that nearly crippled his business empire, and his eventual comeback through strategic investments and disciplined leadership.
Combining autobiography with practical business lessons, the book quickly captured global attention. Within just 24 hours of its release, it became an Amazon bestseller, climbing to the top of the entrepreneurship category after ranking among the platform’s best-selling business biographies.
Its commercial success has since been matched by critical acclaim. Earlier this year, Making It Big won the prestigious Business Book Gold Medal at the 2026 Axiom Business Book Awards in the United States, recognising it as one of the year’s outstanding business publications.
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The memoir also earned international recognition in the United Kingdom after being named first runner-up at the Business Council for Africa’s African Business Book of the Year Awards in London, further cementing its reputation as one of Africa’s most influential business books.
The publication attracted endorsements from some of the continent’s most prominent leaders, including billionaire industrialist Aliko Dangote, World Trade Organization Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, and African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina. They praised the memoir for offering an honest account of the realities, challenges and opportunities involved in building successful businesses across Africa.
While details surrounding Making It Bigger remain closely guarded, industry observers believe the sequel could explore the significant developments that have reshaped Otedola’s business empire over the past year.
Since completing his first memoir, Otedola has overseen several landmark transactions that have further strengthened his position as one of Nigeria’s leading investors.
Among the most notable was his exit from Geregu Power, where he sold his controlling stake in a transaction valued at approximately $750 million (N1.088 trillion). The deal marked one of the largest corporate exits by a Nigerian businessman in recent years and brought to a close a transformative chapter that began when he acquired the power company during Nigeria’s electricity privatisation programme before turning it into the country’s first publicly listed power generation company.
Following that milestone, Otedola has increasingly shifted his attention to the banking sector. As chairman of First HoldCo, he has steadily expanded his ownership in the financial institution through successive share acquisitions, reinforcing his influence within one of Nigeria’s largest financial services groups.
Regulatory filings have continued to show additional purchases, highlighting his long-term confidence in the banking sector and his commitment to strengthening the institution’s future.
Reinvention has become one of the defining characteristics of Otedola’s career. His first memoir recounted how he built Zenon Petroleum into one of Nigeria’s leading diesel suppliers before expanding into downstream oil through African Petroleum, later rebranded as Forte Oil.
The billionaire also spoke candidly about one of the most difficult periods of his career, when falling global oil prices, mounting debts and a weakening naira severely impacted his businesses, bringing his once-thriving empire close to collapse.
Rather than retreat from business, he reinvented himself by investing in electricity generation through Geregu Power before once again repositioning his investment strategy towards Nigeria’s banking industry, demonstrating resilience and adaptability that have become hallmarks of his entrepreneurial journey.
Although Otedola has yet to reveal the contents of Making It Bigger, many believe the book will examine life beyond financial success, exploring how wealth can be sustained, strategically invested and transformed into lasting influence through business leadership, corporate governance and philanthropy.
As anticipation builds, readers across Africa and beyond are looking forward to another compelling account from one of the continent’s most accomplished businessmen. If Making It Big chronicled the remarkable journey of building wealth against the odds, Making It Bigger is expected to explore the greater challenge of preserving success, creating enduring impact and shaping the future of African enterprise.
