By Abiyamo
Young Aliko was born in the ancient city of Kano of the famed groundnut pyramids. Kano has been a commercial center for centuries with it being a focal point for all kinds of economic activities ranging from the sale of slaves in exchange for salt to the trade in spices, kolanuts, leather, cotton, sugar and gold. Alhassan Abdullahi Dantata (named for Tata, the nurse who raised him, Dantata means ‘the son of Tata’) was his maternal great grandfather and he also learnt the art of business and making money from his own father.
By 1913, he was the largest exporter of kolanuts in West Africa. The coming of the colonial masters with the railway was too good an opportunity for him as he took advantage of the rails to move his kolanuts along the Lagos-Kano route. With time, he became the sole distributor for the Lever Brothers (later Unilever) and add the profits of the groundnut boom, he was already super-rich, the richest in Nigeria, and by 1955 when he died, he was clearly the richest in West Africa.
The children of the late polygamous merchant swore to an oath by the Holy Qu’ran with their father on the deathbed to work together and not split the family’s business empire. Till today, the Dantatas run things in Nigeria -without any noise. Groundnut trader, Sanusi Alhassan Dantata, Nigeria’s first millionaire, was the eldest of the siblings and was the overseer of the family’s business activities.
Dangote grew up in the loving care of his maternal grandfather, Sanusi who took Aliko, his first grandson, into his care after the untimely death of his father. Sanusi transformed the family business even beyond the wildest dreams of their late dad. This grand old rich man died in 1997, and left many children, one of whom is Mariya, his eldest daughter and Umm Aliko (the mother of Aliko).
Rewind to the 1950s and we meet a man named Mohammed Dangote, a businessman, fellow Qadirriya sect member and ally of Sanusi Dantata. This man would later ko-enu-ife-si (‘toast’) Mariya, the daughter of his friend, through her father and his business associate, Sanusi Dantata. Mohammed Dangote dabbled into politics and was even a Member, Northern House of Assembly and belonged to the Northern People’s Congress (NPC) of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu Bello. By the mid-50s, the two lovebirds were joined together in holy matrimony in Kano. That was the fusing point of the Dantatas and the Dangotes.
On the 10th of April, 1957, a bouncing baby boy weighing just a little above three kilogrammes was born in Kano. The radiant mother was Mariya and the small baby boy of that day is the reason you are reading this. A week after, he was named after his father while his overjoyed grandfather, Sanusi Dantata gave him the name ‘Aliko’ which means ‘The Victorious One Who Defends Humanity’.
His middle name, Mohammed, named for the Holy Prophet Mohammed (SAW) is a common one in the Islamic faith and it means ‘The One Who Is Worthy of Praise.’ Dangote did not grow up with his mother and did not know much of his father (he met him on very rare occasions) as he died in 1965 when he was just eight years old, and he was raised by his maternal grandfather who was very fond of him and made sure he lacked nothing while growing up in their expansive Koki Quarters in Kano. Dangote later said:
From his own mother’s side, Dangote has three siblings: Sani, Bello and a younger brother who died in an air crash in Kano with Ibrahim Abacha in 1996. Dangote’s mother, who became a widow in 1965 is still very much alive, was honoured with a degree by the Bayero University, Kano (BUK), runs one of the largest charities in Nigeria but is protected from the public eye. When Dangote bought his recreational boat, he named it after his Abiyamo (Mother), calling it Mariya.
For someone who grew up in Kano, a city of knowledge, it was no surprise that Dangote took to educating himself. Like many of his peers growing up under the great influence of Islamic scholars of the old city, he took off to one of the oldest universities on earth, Al Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.
-1964: Kano Capital Elementary School (during break time in the high-brow primary school with other schoolkids who wanted sweets, Aliko would bring out a handful and told his jolly good friends that they could have one for a dime. He was that sharp.)
-1964: Sheikh Ali Kumasi Madrasa (Arabic School): He attended the Quranic school when he returned from the primary school, a pattern that is common with many Nigerian Muslims.
-1970s: Capital High School, Kano.
-1970s: School of Economics & Business, Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt, where he bagged a degree in business studies and administration. In addition to all these forms of formal education, he also got a great deal of informal education from his grandfather, which he makes use of till this day. Hear him: ‘All my business acumen and instincts I inherited from my maternal grandfather. As his first grandson, he poured his business wizardry into me. I would not have been where I am today without him; a very great man, loving and caring.’
Before I proceed any further, I must make it abundantly clear that although Dangote was born with a platinum spoon and onto the laps of luxury, influence and power, he defined his own path to greatness and carved a niche for himself by becoming a man of independence, detaching from family business, setting up his own enterprise in 1978 and transforming it into a global success.
This writer strongly believes that even without his privileged background, Dangote has all it takes to reach the capstone of the financial pyramid. For someone who grew up in a business environment, Dangote took interest very early in entrepreneurship ventures. He says: ‘I can remember when I was in primary school, I would go and buy cartons of sweets and I would start selling them just to make money. I was so much interested in business. Even at that time, I was very used to buying and selling. It is in my mind all through. I did that on a part-time basis. I usually bought packets of sweets and gave some people to sell for me. I would join them whenever I closed from school. I would collect my profit and give them something out of it. And we continued like that.’
When he left for Lagos as a 20-year-old in 1977, Nigeria was enjoying stupendous oil profits and the military government of the day decided to spend some of it on FESTAC’77. There was massive construction going on in various parts of the country and it was at that moment Dangote went to his beloved grandfather to ask for a loan so he could import cement which will be used for some of the FESTAC buildings. He narrates:
As for partnerships, he later elucidated: ‘I don’t like business partnerships or joint ventures. They create a lot of problems. When you enter into business partnership with any one, there is always room for suspicion. When you buy a new car, your partner’s wife would tell him it is the business money and company funds you have used. This is why I don’t enter into business partnership. I prefer to mind my own business.’
It can sound like a bitter pill to swallow but the fact is that billionaires cannot survive without political power . It is clearly a case of mutualism. You scratch my back, I rub your craw-craw. Former President Obasanjo said of him:
‘If after 50 years of our cement business in Nigeria we could not get it right and under four years, Dangote has gotten it, we have to support him.‘
And former president Obasanjo was true to his words as he placed a ban on the importation of bagged cement and even ordering that a newly-built cement bagging plant be closed down, stating that only those who have invested in cement production in Nigeria before will be allowed to do that.
It took Dangote three decades to amass one billion US dollars. His journey is a very interesting one, showing all the features of luck, opportunity, hard work and divine providence. Under the Shagari regime, there was an unprecedented importation of essential commodities and products. Dangote’s company, then named Alco Company was one of the major importers. He also supplied huge tonnage of cement to the governments at different levels embarking on construction of vast housing projects.
When the Shagari government decided to also pay more attention to the construction of Abuja, the proposed new Federal Capital Territory, Dangote’s cement was also on point. When General Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 1983, he clamped down on all the importation .
Businessmen and tycoons like Dangote were not too happy with the new style of the regime but he played it calm and quickly adapted. Being the smart dude that he is, while other businessmen were complaining and groaning under the iron fists of Buhari and Idiagbon, his Ilorin-born no-nonsense deputy, Dangote veered and formed Dangote General Textiles Products Enterprises and focused on what the government of the day wanted: exportation of local products such as gum arabic, cotton, millet, cocoa, leather products, cotton and cashew nuts.
Some years later, Dangote paid a visit to Brazil where he saw the wonders of manufacturing. He was inspired and motivated at the same time. He thought that even though Brazil was hugely indebted as a nation, their manufacturing sector was vibrant enough to support the economy. He made up his mind to go into manufacturing, continued exportation and reaped huge profits until IBB came unto the scene.
He said of his trip to the Latin American nation: ‘The first company I visited was called Arisco, and the company produced 503 different items. I was impressed when I went to one of their factories. They had over 4,000 workers. Even though in Nigeria at that time, we were not in manufacturing, the only manufacturing company we had at that time was textiles. Going to Brazil I thought that we were at the same level with Brazil because I used to hear of Brazil as a debtor nation owing so much money. But when I went there, I saw massive industrialization, it was unbelievable. I started thinking that how come they have these things in Brazil and we don’t have it in Nigeria. So with that now, when I came back, I said okay, fine, I want to venture into industry.’
NARROW ESCAPE:
Dangote has had very close shaves with death. In 1983, while he was cruising in his first aircraft, the plane crash landed in London and went up in flames. He narrowly escaped death but his pilot was not so lucky as his nervous system was crushed, leaving him paralyzed. The second one was in his home state of Kano and he also escaped death by the whiskers. That would not be the last.
Not long after Forbes announced him as Africa’s richest man in 2008, his private jet almost crashed when he left South Africa after an executive meeting. The jet was about to enter Angola when the pilot’s voice boomed throughout the aircraft: one of the engines had started misbehaving.
Strings of sweat formed on Dangote’s face even in the cool interior of the luxury jet but he was calm. Others in the jet too were visibly apprehensive. At thousands of feet above sea level, the last thing anyone will wish for is engine trouble. Dangote talked of that terror-filled moment: We were returning from South Africa. The engine problem developed about 138 miles from Luanda (capital of Angola) as we were crossing over the Angolan airspace to Nigeria. The plane was vibrating. It was terrible. It was a very bad experience. The pilot was calm. We were all calm.
But fortunately for the business magnate, the pilot was able to make an emergency landing at the Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport, Pointe Noire (PNR/FCPP), Republic of the Congo. Just two minutes after the plane landed, the second engine stopped functioning. Yes, Dangote was that close to death. But he took the whole thing with a calm philosophical mien saying death does not make him apprehensive that when the appointed time comes, that’s it. He stated that instead of getting jittery in these scary circumstances, all he did was to pray to his Creator.
Not a few people are intrigued with the stupendous success of Dangote and are understandably curious to know how he did it and learn one or two things from his methods. Dangote has hinged his secrets on these main cardinal points:
FAITH & BELIEF IN GOD:
Although this writer emphatically believes that whatever you believe in is your private issue and your personal business , the deep-rooted importance of faith (or hope) cannot be underestimated. Born into a devout Muslim family and raised along Islamic tenets, Aliko Dangote never fails to ascribe much of his success to his Creator.
FORESIGHT:
One of the very best decisions Dangote ever made was leaving Kano for Lagos. Although at that time, Kano was still a bubbling commercial center and many members of the family felt comfortable doing business there, Dangote knew that the future of business was in Lagos, where he operates today and owns one of the most palatial residences in Africa. In 1977, he followed his late uncle, Usman Amaka Sanusi Dangote to Lagos when he was just 20. He thought the patriarch would oppose the move at first, feeling they might think Lagos life would corrupt him but he had to risk it any way. He said family business was good but you have no independence and one cannot make it much there so he had to map out his own path to greatness, all by himself. Dangote states:
‘Having come from a rich family does not give you an automatic license to riches. You just have to create your own idea and work hard. I have never seen any Nigerian that has really made money from inheritance. It is very, very difficult. And that is why I always encourage my own children to work very hard especially when it comes to making their own money. I am not saying they shouldn't rely on the fact that yes, they come from a rich home. But sometimes, it can be a great disadvantage. Because there are some certain businesses that you wouldn't like to do because your name is so and so.‘
He also said: ”I did not really inherit anything from my father, apart from maybe two buildings. I had three Benz 911 (10-tonner trucks) which my grandfather bought for me and they were working and he was keeping the money for me at that time. So by the time I came out, I had about N127,000 or so. And then my grandfather also gave me a letter to collect N500,000 as loan to be paid back in two years but there was no interest.’
In an interview with Forbes in September 2012, he stated: …although I came from a rich home, I did not use my family’s money to reach where I am today.
Dangote also said of family business: ‘Working with the family, you hardly ever succeed because you have other children. You know it is difficult when you come from a large family.’
PASSION FOR SERVICE:
The very interesting with the Dangote story is that, like many other billionaires across the globe, they actually did not set out to be billionaires in the first place. However, they had a burning passion and desire for a dream, service or product. For Bill Gates, it was to place a computer in every house on earth, for M Zuck, it was to ensure more connection for all of humanity, for Adenuga, it was to revolutionize the telecommunication sector and link more people seamlessly while for Dangote it was to do something spectacularly great for his nation by identifying the needs, creating useful products and placing it at the doorsteps of his people. Making money was not initially his principal goal but a deep desire to have a positive and tangible impact on his immediate society.
PRUDENCE:
Let me quote Dangote here in his own words: ”I do not spend my money any how.” It was a few years ago while reading The Millionaire Next Door that I really understood the difference between being ‘rich’ and ‘wealthy’. Footballers like Didier Drogba, Lionel Messi are rich while people like Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim, Aliko Dangote, Amancio Ortega and Prince Abdulwaleed al-Talal are obscenely wealthy.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT NICHE:
Today you hear of Dangote noodles, Dangote spaghetti, Dangote salt, Dangote sugar, Dangote flour, Dangote cement, Dangote juice and all those brands which all relate to the basic needs of mankind. Dangote said he will never dabble into a business he knows nothing or little about.
TAKING CALCULATED RISKS:
Most people are comfortable in their present states and would rather die like that than take any form of risk. But the truth be told, the greater the achievements, the greater the risks. Dangote, is a consummate risk taker. He knows that life is full of many battles, some you win, and some you lose, but the most important thing is not to drop the sword. Fortune favors the bold and courageous. When he came down to Lagos, his biggest fear was failure but he still took the plunge. He said of those early beginnings: ‘I had that fear of being totally on my own because if there is a failure, it will show immediately but if you are with somebody and there’s a little failure, you’d still have a cover up because they’ll be looking at that bigger signboards.’
DANGOTE TODAY:
Like a raging bull in a china shop, Dangote seems unstoppable and it is a matter of time before he dominates the global scene. Right now, he is setting his eyes on one of his most ambitious goals ever: building a refinery and entering the very lucrative oil and gas sector of Africa’s most populous market. This is not the first he would make his foray into the sector. Towards the end of Obasanjo’s second tenure in 2007, Dangote bought the moribund petroleum refineries in Kaduna and Port Harcourt with plans to construct another one with a 300,000 bpd (barrels per day) capacity in Lagos. However, In May 2008. President Yar’adua gave an executive directive clamping down on the sale stating that vital national assets should not be sold off to a few individuals who could hold the entire nation to ransom . However, Dangote was not deterred by and is already making plans to build his own private refinery at a cost of $8 billion.
RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION:
Dangote is a Sunni Muslim and takes his religious beliefs with all seriousness praying five times a day despite his maddening schedule, fasts regularly and has gone for the Holy Pilgrimages repeatedly. Also, because of the fact that Islam prohibits interest-based banking, he is not into the conventional interest-based banking system. He actually opened a bank, named Liberty Bank, but he later closed it down and never re-opened it. He is a solid backer of Islamic banking and personally gives out loans without collecting interest, again, according to the dictates of his faith. He gives hefty financial support to various religious-based institutions (both Islamic and Christian, I don’t know who the traditional worshippers have offended…lol!) and sponsors many on Hajj and Umrah (the Holy Pilgrimages) on a regular basis. During Sallah, he tops it up at his various residences where hundreds of cows are killed for people to consume and merry freely in addition to the foods his company supplies to those fasting throughout the month of Ramadan.
Worth an estimated $20.8 billion USD, Dangote is the 43rd richest man on earth and that puts him far ahead of many popular billionaires, some of which are listed as follows:
-RINAT AKHMETOV, Ukraine’s richest man, $15.4 billion. (I sha admire Akhmetov too sha).
-MICHAEL DELL, USA, Chairman/CEO, Dell Computers, $15.3 billion.
-STEVE BALLMER, USA, CEO, Microsoft, $15.2 billion.
-PAUL ALLEN, USA, Microsoft Co-Founder, $15 billion.
-DHANIN CHEARAVANONT and family, richest in Thailand, $14.3 billion.
-SUSANNE KLATTEN, Germany’s richest woman, $14.3 billion.
-LUIS CARLOS SARMIENTO, Colombia’s richest man, $13.9 billion.
-MOHAMMED AL-AMOUDI, Saudi Arabia’s 2nd richest man, $13.5 billion.
-TADASHI YANAI and family, richest in Japan, $15.5 billion.
-MARK ZUCKERBERG, USA, Facebook founder, $13.3 billion.
-HENRY SY and family, richest in the Philippines, $13.2 billion.
-ROBERT KUOK, richest in Malaysia, $12.5 billion.
-MIUCCIA PRADA, Italy’s third richest and owner of Prada fashion label, $12.4 billion.
-RUPERT MURDOCH, USA, Chairman/CEO, News Corp (Fox News, Twentieth Century Fox and The Wall Street Journal, The Sun (United Kingdom), The Times (United Kingdom) and the Sunday Times (UK)), $11.2 billion.
-ERNESTO BERTARELLI, richest person in Switzerland, $11 billion.
-CHARLENE DE-CARVALHO HEINEKEN, richest person in Switzerland, $11 billion.
-ROMAN ABRAMOVICH, Russia, $10.2 billion (Baba Olowo Chelsea force).
-GIORGIO ARMANI, Italy’s fourth richest and fashion designer, $8.5 billion.
-RALPH LAUREN, American fashion designer, $7billion.
-SILVIO BERLUSCONI, Italian media magnate and former prime minister, $6.2 billion.
-RICHARD BRANSON, United Kingdom, Virgin Group, $4.6 billion.
-MALCOLM GLAZER and family, USA, Manchester United FC owner, $4.4 billion.
-STEVEN SPIELBERG, American moviemaker, $3.2 billion.
-DONALD TRUMP, USA, $3.2 billion.(He even trumped Trump upon all the ariwo).
-PATRICE MOTSEPE, South Africa’s only black billionaire and 4th richest, $2.9 billion.
-OPRAH WINFREY, USA, media entrepreneur, $2.8 billion.
-DAVID ROCKEFELLER, SR., USA, oil merchant, $2.7 billion.
-MARK CUBAN, USA, online media tycoon, $2.4 billion.
-PETER THIEL, USA, PayPal co-founder, $1.6 billion. (with all of PayPal’s shakara for Nigerians, shhhooo!)
-MOHAMMED IBRAHIM, United Kingdom (of Mo Ibrahim Foundation), $1.1 billion.
HIS MOST HEART-TOUCHING STORY?
When asked of what touched his heart the most, he talked of a time he was called upon to donate for some needy communities who had no water and other basic provisions of life. He gave them a sum of ‘just’ $500,000 and out of that amount, around $200 was taken and given to a woman. Unknown to him, this lady had five children whom she could not afford to send to school and feeding was hell for her family. She took the money (that’s a little over N30,000) and started a small business selling some food on the street. After two years, the woman reported back to them, and Dangote was so thrilled to know that from that little $200, she was able to feed her kids, send all of them school, take care of herself and her husband. This is one story that Dangote said really touched his heart and encouraged him to do even more. You can feel the emotions in his voice as he narrated this particular story.
DANGOTE FOR PRESIDENT?
Well, he has made it known and in very clear terms that he has no business being a politician and has absolutely no intention of joining politics . He stresses this point: ‘We cannot all be the same thing. It is much better for me as a person to run my business because everybody cannot be in business.’
WHEN ASKED HOW HE FELT BEING THE RICHEST AFRICAN:
I've never even really thought of making it even to the Forbes List. That is to start with, but I am really grateful to God that I am there. You know it is also tough to be there and when you are there, you really really have to make sure you don’t get thrown out of the list (general laughter).
THE KEY TO HIS SECRETS?
-Hard work and hard work. We are a very focused company. Any business I do not understand very well, I don’t go into it at all. And that is really why we are successful.
What Dangote Has To Tell You:
‘The problem with our youths today is that they just want to jump and see themselves up there overnight. It doesn’t really happen that way. What you need to do is to be very focused as a person, and be dedicated to whatever it is that you are doing. It is not really good for you to now go and try something and after a month, you just say no, it doesn't work. You jump into something else. I think you need to be very focused. You do not need to take your job or your profession as a work but as a part of your hobbies. That is when you do it better'.
ABOUT NIGERIAN GRADUATES COMING INTO THE LABOR MARKET WITHOUT JOBS
It is true there are very few people that are offering jobs but I know that Nigeria too is a place where people also want to be their own bosses. And that is what I keep saying: if there is enough power, today you will see about 60% of young graduates, they are very creative, they can start their own businesses and can even succeed better than working for others. Mr. Dangote believes the government should create an enabling environment and he places a lot of emphasis on steady production and supply of electricity.
'Always know that once there is life there is hope. And you can also make it to the top. In fact, you guys even have a better future than us because you are well-educated and not only that, I mean today, talking of IT, which makes things a lot easier. When we were growing up, there was even no mobile phone at all but right now, you have Facebook, you have Twitter. Everything is there are your fingertips. What you need (for those studying abroad) is to also come back home and contribute your own quota. If you do not come back and contribute, Africa will never grow'.
If you want to be the next Dangote, you need to have a large heart, be honest, have a very good name and make sure that you tell yourself and believe that nothing is impossible. You need a bit of luck too and hard work is very important.
At this point, the words of a former US President, Woodrow Wilson comes to mind, piercing it like an arrow flying through the chilly wind: ‘All big men are dreamers; they see things in a soft haze of spring day or in the red fire of a long winter’s evening. Some of us let our dreams die, but others nourish and protect them through bad days till they bring them to sunshine and light, which always come to those who sincerely believe their dreams will come true.‘
'Money is something that is really funny. You can have it today and it might not be there tomorrow. You really need to respect it. You just don’t spend it anyhow, and I do not really spend my money anyhow. However, the most expensive ‘toy’ that I have ever bought is my aircraft which cost me about $50 million'. -ALIKO DANGOTE
One thing that sets Dangote aside from many other tycoons is that he ploughs back his profits into the local economy for expansion and to create more employment opportunities in the process. Like or hate this titan of African economic history, there are three features that have endeared millions of Nigerians to his products: high-quality, affordability and an unbridled sense of patriotism. About 25,000 Nigerians are employed in his Group and many more are indirectly employed. There is virtually no aspect of a Nigerian’s life that Dangote is not involved. You drink Coke? He supplied the sugar. You did wedding? The jollof rice was cooked with his salt. You are launching a new house in Magodo Estate? Dangote cement produces it.
CRITICISM:
Like every other capitalist, Dangote is the subject of vociferous criticism from many quarters. From competitors who lost out in the hard tussles of the business world , Dangote has learnt to cope with the endless barrage of criticism with a philosophical calm, and he also defends himself whenever the opportunity for such arises.
AFRICAN NATIONS:
Aliko Dangote is not limiting his influence to Nigeria but all over Africa and the following nations are where he has successfully made solid in-roads. He is in the following countries:
1-Algeria
2-Ghana
3-Senegal (In 2011, he bought 100,000 acres of land for his sugar ambitions. Isn’t that sweet?!)
4-Sierra Leone
5-Cameroon
6-Tanzania
7-Gabon
8-Sao Tome and Principe
9-Congo Republic
10-South Africa
11-Uganda
12-Democratic Republic of Congo
13-Ivory Coast
14- Zambia
15-Togo
16-Benin
17-Liberia
18-Ethiopia
19-Guinea
20-Mali
21-The Gambia
22-Equatorial Guinea
All this in addition to the fact that he has plans of expanding into and taking over the Asian (his subsidiaries, Dangote Industries Senegal and Dangote Industries Zambia have already entered into a $228 million contract with Sinoma International Engineering of China) and European markets. The world may be looking at the very first trillionaire, right from Africa. That’s not too tall a dream. After all, the richest man of all time, Mansa Kankan Musa (1280-1331), King of the ancient Mali Empire, came from the same continent. The 14th-century king amassed a fortune of $400 billion.
I leave you with the immutable words of JK Rowling, writer of the Harry Potter series: “There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.” That is not all. The legendary French writer and philosopher who rejected the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, Jean-Paul Sartre also said: “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give life a meaning!!
This writer strongly believes that even without his privileged background, Dangote has all it takes to reach the capstone of the financial pyramid. For someone who grew up in a business environment, Dangote took interest very early in entrepreneurship ventures. He says: ‘I can remember when I was in primary school, I would go and buy cartons of sweets and I would start selling them just to make money. I was so much interested in business. Even at that time, I was very used to buying and selling. It is in my mind all through. I did that on a part-time basis. I usually bought packets of sweets and gave some people to sell for me. I would join them whenever I closed from school. I would collect my profit and give them something out of it. And we continued like that.’
When he left for Lagos as a 20-year-old in 1977, Nigeria was enjoying stupendous oil profits and the military government of the day decided to spend some of it on FESTAC’77. There was massive construction going on in various parts of the country and it was at that moment Dangote went to his beloved grandfather to ask for a loan so he could import cement which will be used for some of the FESTAC buildings. He narrates:
‘For me, I started small as a trader in cement. Then I left cement around 1978. Because there was this armada and cement was difficult to get at that time. I had my own money which my grandfather gave me free, but then he gave me also an additional loan of N500,000 (about $3,000) which was big money in those days. At that time (1978), you could purchase ten Mercedes Benz cars with that amount as each was sold for N5,000 while a Volkswagen Beetle went for N900 to N1,000. The money was quite a substantial amount then. The loan was supposed to be paid back whenever I was okay-maybe after three or four years. But I paid the loan back within six months.’
The real genius of Dangote is his ability to transform that seed money of yesterday into the billions of dollars today. The crux of the matter here is not that he got a helping hand from his rich grandfather but what he did with the assistance.
Throughout the Obasanjo regime down to Shagari, Buhari and IBB, there were vast construction projects: estates, federal universities (like UNILORIN) and so on. And cement was obviously needed. Obasanjo and Dangote, who was still working with his uncle, first met in the 1970s when he was the federal commissioner (minister) of transport. Also, while he was in Lagos, he learnt a lot from his uncle, Usman who had already formed solid ties with the military governments and got rice importation deals in 1970 at the end of the 30-month Nigerian Civil War. When their fellow Kano man, the late Murtala Mohammed came to power, his 27-year-old uncle was one of those contracted to decongest the Nigerian seaports in Lagos and made huge fortunes. With time, Aliko was brought on board, following them to business meetings in the dead of the night. It was during this time in Lagos he began to learn how to speak the Yoruba language.
While working with his uncle in Lagos, ‘squatting in his office’, he learnt a lot. He said of those times: ‘I started with the business of cement, which was giving us a lot of money because at that time, Nigeria was making so much money and we were doing a lot of constructions. On a vehicle which I normally get from my uncle, I was making about N1,350 to N1,400 per day, and I had an allocation of about 3-4 trucks including Saturdays and Sundays. Later , I realized I was making a lot of money though then I didn’t have a lot of ideas of what to do. It was only cement business that I knew and I was stuck to it up till 1980, when I started knowing Lagos, becoming a Lagosian, understanding where to go and finding people to buy import licenses from. Within three months, I paid my grandfather back because I had no further need of his money.’
Like other billionaires out there, Dangote is a very smart dude. He knows that you have nothing to gain and the whole world to lose if you decide to fight or oppose the government as a businessman.
When Nigeria became independent in 1960, Dangote’s maternal grandfather adopted the policy of being friendly with the government and that paid off hugely. Like Otunba Mike Adenuga, the Apesin of Ijebuland and Nigeria’s second richest man, Dangote has no business in politics but he is friends with the politicians who have the power to make him rise or destroy all he has been building all his life in a matter of minutes. All it takes is just a signature. Dangote later revealed:
‘I happened to be the first grandson of Sanusi Dantata. I learnt a lot from his hard work, from his simplicity. People always talk about my humility but nothing can compare with him. When you see him you would think he doesn't have anything. His humility is the type I have never seen anywhere. He was a very humble person. He never looked down on anybody. He is always a respecter of authority. He always advises us: No matter what you do, you must always respect the authority of the day. Do not fight government. You must be an obedient person. And that’s something I learnt and took seriously. I inherited my business skills from my grandfather. They were also business people -the Dantatas.
Before his great grandfather, Alhassan Dantata died, he called his children to his deathbed and clearly spelt out four main rules one of which was for none of his descendants should dream of or even think of opposing the government. Others included marrying within the family to maintain the purity and business advantage, not to enter partnerships with another family or lineage and to ensure survival and continued progress of the dynastic business.
Dangote and his other family members have stuck to all these rules with all the seriousness of a brain surgeon. Even though he is not directly involved in political activities, Dangote is not an ote (nincompoop) and he takes keen interest from the background as to the type of government in power, which he also subtly and surreptitiously influences ensuring ‘mischievous and evil-minded’ politicians do not come to power. He explained:
‘I am close to the people in power because I am one of the big businessmen in Nigeria. If we have the wrong people there, then all the money I have is useless. I do not want Nigeria to become another Zimbabwe so I am concerned about the political direction of my country, because if bad and inexperienced politicians control power in Nigeria, my wealth may turn into poverty and I am not ready to become a poor man.’ -ALIKO DANGOTE.
The real genius of Dangote is his ability to transform that seed money of yesterday into the billions of dollars today. The crux of the matter here is not that he got a helping hand from his rich grandfather but what he did with the assistance.
Throughout the Obasanjo regime down to Shagari, Buhari and IBB, there were vast construction projects: estates, federal universities (like UNILORIN) and so on. And cement was obviously needed. Obasanjo and Dangote, who was still working with his uncle, first met in the 1970s when he was the federal commissioner (minister) of transport. Also, while he was in Lagos, he learnt a lot from his uncle, Usman who had already formed solid ties with the military governments and got rice importation deals in 1970 at the end of the 30-month Nigerian Civil War. When their fellow Kano man, the late Murtala Mohammed came to power, his 27-year-old uncle was one of those contracted to decongest the Nigerian seaports in Lagos and made huge fortunes. With time, Aliko was brought on board, following them to business meetings in the dead of the night. It was during this time in Lagos he began to learn how to speak the Yoruba language.
While working with his uncle in Lagos, ‘squatting in his office’, he learnt a lot. He said of those times: ‘I started with the business of cement, which was giving us a lot of money because at that time, Nigeria was making so much money and we were doing a lot of constructions. On a vehicle which I normally get from my uncle, I was making about N1,350 to N1,400 per day, and I had an allocation of about 3-4 trucks including Saturdays and Sundays. Later , I realized I was making a lot of money though then I didn’t have a lot of ideas of what to do. It was only cement business that I knew and I was stuck to it up till 1980, when I started knowing Lagos, becoming a Lagosian, understanding where to go and finding people to buy import licenses from. Within three months, I paid my grandfather back because I had no further need of his money.’
Like other billionaires out there, Dangote is a very smart dude. He knows that you have nothing to gain and the whole world to lose if you decide to fight or oppose the government as a businessman.
When Nigeria became independent in 1960, Dangote’s maternal grandfather adopted the policy of being friendly with the government and that paid off hugely. Like Otunba Mike Adenuga, the Apesin of Ijebuland and Nigeria’s second richest man, Dangote has no business in politics but he is friends with the politicians who have the power to make him rise or destroy all he has been building all his life in a matter of minutes. All it takes is just a signature. Dangote later revealed:
‘I happened to be the first grandson of Sanusi Dantata. I learnt a lot from his hard work, from his simplicity. People always talk about my humility but nothing can compare with him. When you see him you would think he doesn't have anything. His humility is the type I have never seen anywhere. He was a very humble person. He never looked down on anybody. He is always a respecter of authority. He always advises us: No matter what you do, you must always respect the authority of the day. Do not fight government. You must be an obedient person. And that’s something I learnt and took seriously. I inherited my business skills from my grandfather. They were also business people -the Dantatas.
Before his great grandfather, Alhassan Dantata died, he called his children to his deathbed and clearly spelt out four main rules one of which was for none of his descendants should dream of or even think of opposing the government. Others included marrying within the family to maintain the purity and business advantage, not to enter partnerships with another family or lineage and to ensure survival and continued progress of the dynastic business.
Dangote and his other family members have stuck to all these rules with all the seriousness of a brain surgeon. Even though he is not directly involved in political activities, Dangote is not an ote (nincompoop) and he takes keen interest from the background as to the type of government in power, which he also subtly and surreptitiously influences ensuring ‘mischievous and evil-minded’ politicians do not come to power. He explained:
‘I am close to the people in power because I am one of the big businessmen in Nigeria. If we have the wrong people there, then all the money I have is useless. I do not want Nigeria to become another Zimbabwe so I am concerned about the political direction of my country, because if bad and inexperienced politicians control power in Nigeria, my wealth may turn into poverty and I am not ready to become a poor man.’ -ALIKO DANGOTE.
As for partnerships, he later elucidated: ‘I don’t like business partnerships or joint ventures. They create a lot of problems. When you enter into business partnership with any one, there is always room for suspicion. When you buy a new car, your partner’s wife would tell him it is the business money and company funds you have used. This is why I don’t enter into business partnership. I prefer to mind my own business.’
It can sound like a bitter pill to swallow but the fact is that billionaires cannot survive without political power . It is clearly a case of mutualism. You scratch my back, I rub your craw-craw. Former President Obasanjo said of him:
‘If after 50 years of our cement business in Nigeria we could not get it right and under four years, Dangote has gotten it, we have to support him.‘
And former president Obasanjo was true to his words as he placed a ban on the importation of bagged cement and even ordering that a newly-built cement bagging plant be closed down, stating that only those who have invested in cement production in Nigeria before will be allowed to do that.
It took Dangote three decades to amass one billion US dollars. His journey is a very interesting one, showing all the features of luck, opportunity, hard work and divine providence. Under the Shagari regime, there was an unprecedented importation of essential commodities and products. Dangote’s company, then named Alco Company was one of the major importers. He also supplied huge tonnage of cement to the governments at different levels embarking on construction of vast housing projects.
When the Shagari government decided to also pay more attention to the construction of Abuja, the proposed new Federal Capital Territory, Dangote’s cement was also on point. When General Muhammadu Buhari came to power in 1983, he clamped down on all the importation .
Businessmen and tycoons like Dangote were not too happy with the new style of the regime but he played it calm and quickly adapted. Being the smart dude that he is, while other businessmen were complaining and groaning under the iron fists of Buhari and Idiagbon, his Ilorin-born no-nonsense deputy, Dangote veered and formed Dangote General Textiles Products Enterprises and focused on what the government of the day wanted: exportation of local products such as gum arabic, cotton, millet, cocoa, leather products, cotton and cashew nuts.
Some years later, Dangote paid a visit to Brazil where he saw the wonders of manufacturing. He was inspired and motivated at the same time. He thought that even though Brazil was hugely indebted as a nation, their manufacturing sector was vibrant enough to support the economy. He made up his mind to go into manufacturing, continued exportation and reaped huge profits until IBB came unto the scene.
He said of his trip to the Latin American nation: ‘The first company I visited was called Arisco, and the company produced 503 different items. I was impressed when I went to one of their factories. They had over 4,000 workers. Even though in Nigeria at that time, we were not in manufacturing, the only manufacturing company we had at that time was textiles. Going to Brazil I thought that we were at the same level with Brazil because I used to hear of Brazil as a debtor nation owing so much money. But when I went there, I saw massive industrialization, it was unbelievable. I started thinking that how come they have these things in Brazil and we don’t have it in Nigeria. So with that now, when I came back, I said okay, fine, I want to venture into industry.’
NARROW ESCAPE:
Dangote has had very close shaves with death. In 1983, while he was cruising in his first aircraft, the plane crash landed in London and went up in flames. He narrowly escaped death but his pilot was not so lucky as his nervous system was crushed, leaving him paralyzed. The second one was in his home state of Kano and he also escaped death by the whiskers. That would not be the last.
Not long after Forbes announced him as Africa’s richest man in 2008, his private jet almost crashed when he left South Africa after an executive meeting. The jet was about to enter Angola when the pilot’s voice boomed throughout the aircraft: one of the engines had started misbehaving.
Strings of sweat formed on Dangote’s face even in the cool interior of the luxury jet but he was calm. Others in the jet too were visibly apprehensive. At thousands of feet above sea level, the last thing anyone will wish for is engine trouble. Dangote talked of that terror-filled moment: We were returning from South Africa. The engine problem developed about 138 miles from Luanda (capital of Angola) as we were crossing over the Angolan airspace to Nigeria. The plane was vibrating. It was terrible. It was a very bad experience. The pilot was calm. We were all calm.
But fortunately for the business magnate, the pilot was able to make an emergency landing at the Antonio Agostinho Neto International Airport, Pointe Noire (PNR/FCPP), Republic of the Congo. Just two minutes after the plane landed, the second engine stopped functioning. Yes, Dangote was that close to death. But he took the whole thing with a calm philosophical mien saying death does not make him apprehensive that when the appointed time comes, that’s it. He stated that instead of getting jittery in these scary circumstances, all he did was to pray to his Creator.
Not a few people are intrigued with the stupendous success of Dangote and are understandably curious to know how he did it and learn one or two things from his methods. Dangote has hinged his secrets on these main cardinal points:
FAITH & BELIEF IN GOD:
Although this writer emphatically believes that whatever you believe in is your private issue and your personal business , the deep-rooted importance of faith (or hope) cannot be underestimated. Born into a devout Muslim family and raised along Islamic tenets, Aliko Dangote never fails to ascribe much of his success to his Creator.
FORESIGHT:
One of the very best decisions Dangote ever made was leaving Kano for Lagos. Although at that time, Kano was still a bubbling commercial center and many members of the family felt comfortable doing business there, Dangote knew that the future of business was in Lagos, where he operates today and owns one of the most palatial residences in Africa. In 1977, he followed his late uncle, Usman Amaka Sanusi Dangote to Lagos when he was just 20. He thought the patriarch would oppose the move at first, feeling they might think Lagos life would corrupt him but he had to risk it any way. He said family business was good but you have no independence and one cannot make it much there so he had to map out his own path to greatness, all by himself. Dangote states:
‘Having come from a rich family does not give you an automatic license to riches. You just have to create your own idea and work hard. I have never seen any Nigerian that has really made money from inheritance. It is very, very difficult. And that is why I always encourage my own children to work very hard especially when it comes to making their own money. I am not saying they shouldn't rely on the fact that yes, they come from a rich home. But sometimes, it can be a great disadvantage. Because there are some certain businesses that you wouldn't like to do because your name is so and so.‘
He also said: ”I did not really inherit anything from my father, apart from maybe two buildings. I had three Benz 911 (10-tonner trucks) which my grandfather bought for me and they were working and he was keeping the money for me at that time. So by the time I came out, I had about N127,000 or so. And then my grandfather also gave me a letter to collect N500,000 as loan to be paid back in two years but there was no interest.’
In an interview with Forbes in September 2012, he stated: …although I came from a rich home, I did not use my family’s money to reach where I am today.
Dangote also said of family business: ‘Working with the family, you hardly ever succeed because you have other children. You know it is difficult when you come from a large family.’
PASSION FOR SERVICE:
The very interesting with the Dangote story is that, like many other billionaires across the globe, they actually did not set out to be billionaires in the first place. However, they had a burning passion and desire for a dream, service or product. For Bill Gates, it was to place a computer in every house on earth, for M Zuck, it was to ensure more connection for all of humanity, for Adenuga, it was to revolutionize the telecommunication sector and link more people seamlessly while for Dangote it was to do something spectacularly great for his nation by identifying the needs, creating useful products and placing it at the doorsteps of his people. Making money was not initially his principal goal but a deep desire to have a positive and tangible impact on his immediate society.
PRUDENCE:
Let me quote Dangote here in his own words: ”I do not spend my money any how.” It was a few years ago while reading The Millionaire Next Door that I really understood the difference between being ‘rich’ and ‘wealthy’. Footballers like Didier Drogba, Lionel Messi are rich while people like Warren Buffett, Carlos Slim, Aliko Dangote, Amancio Ortega and Prince Abdulwaleed al-Talal are obscenely wealthy.
CHOOSING THE RIGHT NICHE:
Today you hear of Dangote noodles, Dangote spaghetti, Dangote salt, Dangote sugar, Dangote flour, Dangote cement, Dangote juice and all those brands which all relate to the basic needs of mankind. Dangote said he will never dabble into a business he knows nothing or little about.
TAKING CALCULATED RISKS:
Most people are comfortable in their present states and would rather die like that than take any form of risk. But the truth be told, the greater the achievements, the greater the risks. Dangote, is a consummate risk taker. He knows that life is full of many battles, some you win, and some you lose, but the most important thing is not to drop the sword. Fortune favors the bold and courageous. When he came down to Lagos, his biggest fear was failure but he still took the plunge. He said of those early beginnings: ‘I had that fear of being totally on my own because if there is a failure, it will show immediately but if you are with somebody and there’s a little failure, you’d still have a cover up because they’ll be looking at that bigger signboards.’
DANGOTE TODAY:
Like a raging bull in a china shop, Dangote seems unstoppable and it is a matter of time before he dominates the global scene. Right now, he is setting his eyes on one of his most ambitious goals ever: building a refinery and entering the very lucrative oil and gas sector of Africa’s most populous market. This is not the first he would make his foray into the sector. Towards the end of Obasanjo’s second tenure in 2007, Dangote bought the moribund petroleum refineries in Kaduna and Port Harcourt with plans to construct another one with a 300,000 bpd (barrels per day) capacity in Lagos. However, In May 2008. President Yar’adua gave an executive directive clamping down on the sale stating that vital national assets should not be sold off to a few individuals who could hold the entire nation to ransom . However, Dangote was not deterred by and is already making plans to build his own private refinery at a cost of $8 billion.
RELIGIOUS ORIENTATION:
Dangote is a Sunni Muslim and takes his religious beliefs with all seriousness praying five times a day despite his maddening schedule, fasts regularly and has gone for the Holy Pilgrimages repeatedly. Also, because of the fact that Islam prohibits interest-based banking, he is not into the conventional interest-based banking system. He actually opened a bank, named Liberty Bank, but he later closed it down and never re-opened it. He is a solid backer of Islamic banking and personally gives out loans without collecting interest, again, according to the dictates of his faith. He gives hefty financial support to various religious-based institutions (both Islamic and Christian, I don’t know who the traditional worshippers have offended…lol!) and sponsors many on Hajj and Umrah (the Holy Pilgrimages) on a regular basis. During Sallah, he tops it up at his various residences where hundreds of cows are killed for people to consume and merry freely in addition to the foods his company supplies to those fasting throughout the month of Ramadan.
Worth an estimated $20.8 billion USD, Dangote is the 43rd richest man on earth and that puts him far ahead of many popular billionaires, some of which are listed as follows:
-RINAT AKHMETOV, Ukraine’s richest man, $15.4 billion. (I sha admire Akhmetov too sha).
-MICHAEL DELL, USA, Chairman/CEO, Dell Computers, $15.3 billion.
-STEVE BALLMER, USA, CEO, Microsoft, $15.2 billion.
-PAUL ALLEN, USA, Microsoft Co-Founder, $15 billion.
-DHANIN CHEARAVANONT and family, richest in Thailand, $14.3 billion.
-SUSANNE KLATTEN, Germany’s richest woman, $14.3 billion.
-LUIS CARLOS SARMIENTO, Colombia’s richest man, $13.9 billion.
-MOHAMMED AL-AMOUDI, Saudi Arabia’s 2nd richest man, $13.5 billion.
-TADASHI YANAI and family, richest in Japan, $15.5 billion.
-MARK ZUCKERBERG, USA, Facebook founder, $13.3 billion.
-HENRY SY and family, richest in the Philippines, $13.2 billion.
-ROBERT KUOK, richest in Malaysia, $12.5 billion.
-MIUCCIA PRADA, Italy’s third richest and owner of Prada fashion label, $12.4 billion.
-RUPERT MURDOCH, USA, Chairman/CEO, News Corp (Fox News, Twentieth Century Fox and The Wall Street Journal, The Sun (United Kingdom), The Times (United Kingdom) and the Sunday Times (UK)), $11.2 billion.
-ERNESTO BERTARELLI, richest person in Switzerland, $11 billion.
-CHARLENE DE-CARVALHO HEINEKEN, richest person in Switzerland, $11 billion.
-ROMAN ABRAMOVICH, Russia, $10.2 billion (Baba Olowo Chelsea force).
-GIORGIO ARMANI, Italy’s fourth richest and fashion designer, $8.5 billion.
-RALPH LAUREN, American fashion designer, $7billion.
-SILVIO BERLUSCONI, Italian media magnate and former prime minister, $6.2 billion.
-RICHARD BRANSON, United Kingdom, Virgin Group, $4.6 billion.
-MALCOLM GLAZER and family, USA, Manchester United FC owner, $4.4 billion.
-STEVEN SPIELBERG, American moviemaker, $3.2 billion.
-DONALD TRUMP, USA, $3.2 billion.(He even trumped Trump upon all the ariwo).
-PATRICE MOTSEPE, South Africa’s only black billionaire and 4th richest, $2.9 billion.
-OPRAH WINFREY, USA, media entrepreneur, $2.8 billion.
-DAVID ROCKEFELLER, SR., USA, oil merchant, $2.7 billion.
-MARK CUBAN, USA, online media tycoon, $2.4 billion.
-PETER THIEL, USA, PayPal co-founder, $1.6 billion. (with all of PayPal’s shakara for Nigerians, shhhooo!)
-MOHAMMED IBRAHIM, United Kingdom (of Mo Ibrahim Foundation), $1.1 billion.
HIS MOST HEART-TOUCHING STORY?
When asked of what touched his heart the most, he talked of a time he was called upon to donate for some needy communities who had no water and other basic provisions of life. He gave them a sum of ‘just’ $500,000 and out of that amount, around $200 was taken and given to a woman. Unknown to him, this lady had five children whom she could not afford to send to school and feeding was hell for her family. She took the money (that’s a little over N30,000) and started a small business selling some food on the street. After two years, the woman reported back to them, and Dangote was so thrilled to know that from that little $200, she was able to feed her kids, send all of them school, take care of herself and her husband. This is one story that Dangote said really touched his heart and encouraged him to do even more. You can feel the emotions in his voice as he narrated this particular story.
DANGOTE FOR PRESIDENT?
Well, he has made it known and in very clear terms that he has no business being a politician and has absolutely no intention of joining politics . He stresses this point: ‘We cannot all be the same thing. It is much better for me as a person to run my business because everybody cannot be in business.’
WHEN ASKED HOW HE FELT BEING THE RICHEST AFRICAN:
I've never even really thought of making it even to the Forbes List. That is to start with, but I am really grateful to God that I am there. You know it is also tough to be there and when you are there, you really really have to make sure you don’t get thrown out of the list (general laughter).
THE KEY TO HIS SECRETS?
-Hard work and hard work. We are a very focused company. Any business I do not understand very well, I don’t go into it at all. And that is really why we are successful.
What Dangote Has To Tell You:
‘The problem with our youths today is that they just want to jump and see themselves up there overnight. It doesn’t really happen that way. What you need to do is to be very focused as a person, and be dedicated to whatever it is that you are doing. It is not really good for you to now go and try something and after a month, you just say no, it doesn't work. You jump into something else. I think you need to be very focused. You do not need to take your job or your profession as a work but as a part of your hobbies. That is when you do it better'.
ABOUT NIGERIAN GRADUATES COMING INTO THE LABOR MARKET WITHOUT JOBS
It is true there are very few people that are offering jobs but I know that Nigeria too is a place where people also want to be their own bosses. And that is what I keep saying: if there is enough power, today you will see about 60% of young graduates, they are very creative, they can start their own businesses and can even succeed better than working for others. Mr. Dangote believes the government should create an enabling environment and he places a lot of emphasis on steady production and supply of electricity.
'Always know that once there is life there is hope. And you can also make it to the top. In fact, you guys even have a better future than us because you are well-educated and not only that, I mean today, talking of IT, which makes things a lot easier. When we were growing up, there was even no mobile phone at all but right now, you have Facebook, you have Twitter. Everything is there are your fingertips. What you need (for those studying abroad) is to also come back home and contribute your own quota. If you do not come back and contribute, Africa will never grow'.
If you want to be the next Dangote, you need to have a large heart, be honest, have a very good name and make sure that you tell yourself and believe that nothing is impossible. You need a bit of luck too and hard work is very important.
At this point, the words of a former US President, Woodrow Wilson comes to mind, piercing it like an arrow flying through the chilly wind: ‘All big men are dreamers; they see things in a soft haze of spring day or in the red fire of a long winter’s evening. Some of us let our dreams die, but others nourish and protect them through bad days till they bring them to sunshine and light, which always come to those who sincerely believe their dreams will come true.‘
'Money is something that is really funny. You can have it today and it might not be there tomorrow. You really need to respect it. You just don’t spend it anyhow, and I do not really spend my money anyhow. However, the most expensive ‘toy’ that I have ever bought is my aircraft which cost me about $50 million'. -ALIKO DANGOTE
One thing that sets Dangote aside from many other tycoons is that he ploughs back his profits into the local economy for expansion and to create more employment opportunities in the process. Like or hate this titan of African economic history, there are three features that have endeared millions of Nigerians to his products: high-quality, affordability and an unbridled sense of patriotism. About 25,000 Nigerians are employed in his Group and many more are indirectly employed. There is virtually no aspect of a Nigerian’s life that Dangote is not involved. You drink Coke? He supplied the sugar. You did wedding? The jollof rice was cooked with his salt. You are launching a new house in Magodo Estate? Dangote cement produces it.
CRITICISM:
Like every other capitalist, Dangote is the subject of vociferous criticism from many quarters. From competitors who lost out in the hard tussles of the business world , Dangote has learnt to cope with the endless barrage of criticism with a philosophical calm, and he also defends himself whenever the opportunity for such arises.
AFRICAN NATIONS:
Aliko Dangote is not limiting his influence to Nigeria but all over Africa and the following nations are where he has successfully made solid in-roads. He is in the following countries:
1-Algeria
2-Ghana
3-Senegal (In 2011, he bought 100,000 acres of land for his sugar ambitions. Isn’t that sweet?!)
4-Sierra Leone
5-Cameroon
6-Tanzania
7-Gabon
8-Sao Tome and Principe
9-Congo Republic
10-South Africa
11-Uganda
12-Democratic Republic of Congo
13-Ivory Coast
14- Zambia
15-Togo
16-Benin
17-Liberia
18-Ethiopia
19-Guinea
20-Mali
21-The Gambia
22-Equatorial Guinea
All this in addition to the fact that he has plans of expanding into and taking over the Asian (his subsidiaries, Dangote Industries Senegal and Dangote Industries Zambia have already entered into a $228 million contract with Sinoma International Engineering of China) and European markets. The world may be looking at the very first trillionaire, right from Africa. That’s not too tall a dream. After all, the richest man of all time, Mansa Kankan Musa (1280-1331), King of the ancient Mali Empire, came from the same continent. The 14th-century king amassed a fortune of $400 billion.
A prodigiously wealthy and luxuriantly blessed human, Aliko Dangote said that it took him 30 tortuous years to become a billionaire!
I leave you with the immutable words of JK Rowling, writer of the Harry Potter series: “There is an expiry date on blaming your parents for steering you in the wrong direction; the moment you are old enough to take the wheel, responsibility lies with you.” That is not all. The legendary French writer and philosopher who rejected the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1964, Jean-Paul Sartre also said: “Man is condemned to be free; because once thrown into the world, he is responsible for everything he does. It is up to you to give life a meaning!!
Acknowledgement: Naijaarchives.com, Abiyamo
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