Back to day job for African prince who stops leaks for Thames Water

An African prince is working in London running a team of engineers for Thames Water.

Akeem Adenuga comes from the Nigerian state of Lagos where his brother, King Asunmo Aderibigbe Adenuga, is The Paramount Ruler of Odo-Ayandelu.

In 1994, Prince Akeem took a break from his royal duties to study in the UK. He had planned to return home but fell in love with England, and four years later became a trainee leakage technician at Thames Water.

He now runs a team of 24 engineers finding and fixing hidden underground leaks across London.

Akeem Adenuga is an African prince who spends his day hunting leaks for Thames Water (Akeem Adenuga)

Thames Water is spending more than £1 million a day trying to reduce the water wastage on its network.

He said: “As a prince back home, my family gets a wonderful welcome every time we visit.

“There is always a big reception, people coming to visit.

“But I always remember the advice my late father gave me many years ago — be humble, kind and productive. That’s a really good way to live and has always carried me through.” 

Akeem Adenuga and his wife, Princess Olamidun Adenuga (Akeem Adenuga)

Prince Akeem, 62, a married father-of-five, now lives in Tottenham and is a huge Arsenal fan. Despite having moved away from Nigeria, Prince Akeem remains deeply connected to his home town of Agbowa-Ikosi and visits Nigeria at least twice a year with his family.

In 2017, he and five friends also donated £20,000 for an ambulance to take patients to the nearest hospital which is an hour away.

He added: “I fell in love with England and I love my job, and the people I work with really make it special. That’s why it’s so important to me that I look after my team — it gives me joy every day when they all get home safely.”

Evening Standard