Dangote: Garlands to a trail blazer @ 65

 

Dangote: Garlands to a trail blazer @ 65

 

THOMAS IMONIKHE

 

Nigeria’s current pitiable state of affairs may have been averted if there were a few patriots and visionaries like the president of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, GCON, who clocked 65 years on April 10.

 

Though not a businessman, who flaunts his wealth and throwing lavish parties during birthdays, the Africa richest man with an estimated net worth of $20billion has every cause to celebrate given his towering accomplishments through mega investments across many sectors of the economy.

 

He should be in joyful  mood  considering the coming into fruition recently of one of his several tall ambitions – making his father land self sufficient in fertilizer production. The $2.5bn Dangote Fertilizer plant located in Lagos state was the cynosure of all eyes  when President Muhammadu Buhari formally inaugurated the gigantic project.

 

The urea and ammonia fertilizer plant is the biggest of its kind in the world and, combined with a 650,000 barrels per day Dangote refinery standing within its vicinity in the Ibeju Lekki, Lagos Free Trade Zone, will cost Africa’s richest man over $17.5bn. The oil refinery is expected to also come on stream later this year.

 

Top benefits of the plant  include, creating tremendous opportunities in such areas as job creation, trade, warehousing, transport, and logistics, which would, in turn, create significant wealth, reduce poverty, and help in securing the future of Nigeria as well as exports to other countries including the United States, India, and Brazil, thereby earning foreign exchange.

 

Described as a man of many firsts, trail blazer, and second largest employer of labour after the federal government, the top industrialist with footprints across the continent in cement production, will certainly change the country’s scandalous narrative in the oil and gas sector when the gigantic Dangote Refinery commences production.

 

Currently, Nigeria depends solely on imported petroleum products with all her refineries shut down even after crude oil was struck in commercial quantity in Oloibiri, Bayelsa state more than 60 years ago.

 

But for his foresight and determination to break the jinx in the nation’s corrupt and inefficient oil and gas sector, the citizens would have been hooked permanently to fellow producers of the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries, OPEC for much of their energy needs considering that past and present governments have failed woefully in making the refineries functional and make the country self- sufficient.

 

So, with the anticipated completion of the Dangote Refinery reputed to be the world’s largest single train petroleum refinery in the next few months, Nigerians will heave a sigh of relief from their nightmares sourcing the products as the company is expected to meet the nation’s 100 percent supply requirement of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) fuel, Diesel (AGO), Kerosene (DPK) and Aviation Jet Fuel (Jet A-1) and enough surplus for export.

 

In other words after pioneering self sufficiency in cement and fertilizer production, the business guru has moved ahead to make Nigeria completely break away from the quagmire of imported petroleum products which has cost the country so much fortune and sorrow.

 

These attainments have certainly stand Aliko out among his peers as he continues to demonstrate exceptional acumen and patriotism thus bringing smiles on the faces of teeming employees of the Dangote Group, their dependent and consumers of products.

 

Truly, many Nigerians at this point in time are craving that the billionaire should jettison his proposed bid for Arsenal Football Club in the United Kingdom and channel the funds into power generation and distribution to end their decades- long suffering of epileptic electricity supply, rescue the real sector of the economy from imminent collapse and save thousands of jobs.

 

Such agitators maintained that a massive investment in the power sector by the billionaire would be a game changer and address once and for all the current challenges confronting the country as steady supply of electricity is at the heart of social, economic and technological development of any nation.

 

And from his strategic mega investments across many sectors, it is crystal clear to all that the prominent industrialist believes in  the adage: “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime” regarded as a general principle of alleviating poverty by facilitating self- sufficiency.

 

Apparently, Dangote numerous laudable achievements have caught the attention of the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who, while felicitating  with the businessman described him not only as a titan of African industry, but also as a philanthropist.

 

According to him, “I offer, by this letter, hearty congratulations to you on the occasion of your 65th birthday, today. I thank Almighty Allah for His abundant blessings in your life and in the lives of all those you have touched over the years.

“I pray that Allah continues to extend His hand of mercy over your life and the lives of your family members and loved ones.

I pray the events of this day, the celebration of your life brings you lasting memories that you will treasure for the rest of your days.

 

“I must also take this opportunity to commend you for your many laudable achievements, not only as a titan of African industry, but also as a philanthropist. As you gather with your family, friends and associates to give thanks to Almighty Allah during this Holy month of Ramadan, may He hear the supplications of your heart and fill you with His peace

“May Allah bless you with many more years of good health and happiness and may He send his angels to guide, guard and strengthen you in the years to come ”, Tinubu added in a statement from his media office.

 

A man of many parts, Dangote holds Nigeria’s second highest honour, the Grand Commander of the Niger, GCON conferred on him in recognition of his transformational strides. Born on 10 April 1957 in Kano to Muslim family of Mohammed Dangote and Mariya Sanusi Dantata, the daughter of Sanusi Dantata, he is the great-grandson of Alhaji Alhassan Dantata, reputed as the richest West African at the time of his death in 1955.

 

He was educated at the Sheikh Ali Kumasi Madrasa, Capital High School, Kano, Government College, Birnin Kudu while his quest for higher education took him to Al-Azhar University Cairo in Egypt.

 

Though born with a silver spoon, Aliko after his tertiary education,  began his business career with the establishment of Dangote Group as a small trading firm in 1977, the same year he relocated to Lagos to expand the company which has transformed into a multi billion dollars conglomerate today spread across Africa and providing employment to thousands of people.

 

His unassailable exploits in food processing, cement manufacturing, freight and sugar as well as fertilizer market lately are visible while the products are readily available in nooks and crannies of Nigeria and some other countries in the continent.

 

Emerging first among Africa’s billionaire club for many years running and currently the 83rd richest person globally, Dangote’s net worth has risen to  $20 billion on Bloomberg’s latest billionaires list.

 

As a leading philanthropist and humanist with heart of gold and concern for the less privileged members of society, he founded a charitable organization, The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) solely dedicated to adding value to people’s lives throughout Africa by supporting health, education, and economic empowerment initiatives with hundreds of beneficiaries so far.

 

Similarly, his milk of human kindness was also felt profoundly when Dangote Group led  the Coalition Against COVID-19, CACOVID in mobilizing funds and equipment to containing the pandemic, save hundreds of lives and  mitigating the devastating effects of the pandemic that ravaged the world from December 2019.

 

Aliko Dangote through his successful trajectory in businesses has not only proven that Nigeria is well endowed in natural resources but blessed with the human capital that can turn around her fortune for the benefit of the entire citizenry with emergence of right leadership. This is food for thought for all eligible voters as the nation prepares for general elections in 2023.

Happy birthday.