The CHAMS story at 40 is an impactful part of Nigeria’s technological development and history. Writing about CHAMS at 40 is, first and foremost, to celebrate a visionary and trailblazer, Sir Ademola Benjamin Aladekomo (ABA). Successful tech entrepreneurs are pioneers, visionaries, risk-takers, problem-solvers, leaders, and boundary pushers. Sir Aladekomo, beyond the famous ones who have changed recent tech history like Bill Gates (Microsoft), Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX), Jeff Bezos (Amazon), and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), is a treasurer of God’s itinerant kingdom with a lifestyle shaped by the fear of God as the source of his inspiration.

Sir Aladekomo’s unwavering spirit, which states, ‘big dreams do not require grand beginnings, only conviction, faith, and the courage to start,’ is worthy of emulation. Starting from the humble space of his family studio apartment as the first Chams office, which became the birthplace of what is now Chams Holding Plc, Sir Aladekomo explained that “That first day in September 1985, just after completing my MBA, is etched in my memory. There were no polished desks, no corporate signs, no capital to boast of, just a few borrowed chairs and a briefcase. But we didn’t feel poor. We felt rich in vision, in faith, and in determination.” According to him, ‘from the very beginning, the compass was clear: faith in God and service to humanity.’ Sir Aladekomo’s hope became the fuel for pioneering innovations that shaped Nigeria’s digital landscape.

Chams at 40 is about Sir Aladekomo’s model of a tech entrepreneur who continues to leverage technology to create solutions that meet market demands. Sir Aladekomo, as a model of tech entrepreneur, generates and refines ideas for new tech products or services, often by identifying gaps or inefficiencies in existing markets or technologies. Sir Aladekomo is gifted by God and shaped by his training to develop Chams’ business model, strategy, and roadmap, taking Chams’ idea from concept to market, including fundraising, pricing, and marketing strategies. Chams at 40 is about building and managing teams. Sir Aladekomo, based on his relational model of leadership, is talented and able to discover, recruit, and lead technical and business teams, including developers, engineers, marketers, and operations staff, to build and grow Chams over the past 40 years. For Sir Aladekomo, the greatest joy for him is not just the Chams platforms we created, but the people: the young minds who found their first home with us, the leaders who grew through our culture, the friends who became family, and the partners who trusted us when the odds were stacked high. Chams at 40 is not just about an organisation. It is about resilience, about believing in possibilities, about daring to build where others doubted.’

Sir Aladekomo, as a tech product developer in his own right, is practically involved in designing, developing, and iterating Chams’ products, working closely with engineers and designers to bring them to life. Raising capital for Chams by Sir Aladekomo is part of his vision to not only build technology but also to prosper others as investors and co-travellers in Chams’ venture capital, utilising crowdfunding to finance product development, scaling, and market entry. Sir Aladekomo not only oversees the launch of the Chams product, monitors market reception, and develops strategies to scale the business, often by entering new markets or expanding product lines, but he also inspires the next generation to shine brighter. Sir Aladekomo, as the risk manager for Chams for the past 40 years, has consistently adapted to market changes, technological advancements, and competitive pressures, making decisions that balance growth with long-term sustainability. Sir Aladekomo explained that, when he ‘began the Chams journey in 1985, I wasn’t thinking about writing a book. The early days were too uncertain, too fragile for such thoughts. My focus then was survival, service, and proving that Nigeria could build technology for itself. But over time, as Chams weathered its first storms, the failures as much as the victories, I began to notice something: every challenge carried a lesson, every setback revealed a truth, and every breakthrough reaffirmed a purpose.’

Sir Aladekomo’s great innovative and pioneering works in Chams extended to his pioneering PC Maintenance between 1985-1987; Local, Metropolitan and Wide Area Networking 1986-1990; Identity Management 1992-1999; and E-payment solutions 1992-1999.’ He achieved the Guinness World Record for the largest internet mall in Abuja and Lagos, Chams-City, in 2009. Achieved the largest identity card personalisation plant in Abuja with the capacity to do 1.75 million cards per day. Led the successful implementation of the first of its type in the world, the Bank Verification Number project for Nigerian Banks 2013-2015.’ By the grace of God, Sir Demola Aladekomo grew Chams from a one-man outfit to a Nigeria Stock Exchange-listed company with six subsidiaries and investment in a few others.’ Prophetically, in the word of Sir Aladekomo, “There is going to be massive explosions in new businesses, new organisations, and new markets, as a result of technology.”

Celebrating Chams at 40 reminds one of those tiny apartments with deep gratitude and ‘that big dreams don’t require grand beginnings, only conviction, faith, and the courage to start.’ According to Sir Aladekomo, ‘at 40, Chams is more than a company. It is living proof that a vision anchored in service, faith, and family can stand the test of time. Forty years ago, all we had was a belief that Nigeria could build and sustain its own technology story. No safety net. No certainty. Just a dream, a toolkit, and the quiet conviction that we could do it. From repairing faulty computers in Surulere to building solutions that served banks, governments, and millions of Nigerians, Chams has walked a road that was anything but easy, yet it was always worth it.’

To God be the glory for Chams’ 40 years of grace, 40 years of grit, and 40 years of growth. Our prayer is for greater grace upon Sir Aladekomo, his wife, and his Chams’ teams as they continue to shape the future of technology in Nigeria, Africa, and the world at large.