By Sonny Atumah

It was Josh Billings that said that “occasions are rare; and those who know how to seize upon them are rarer”. Josh Billings is the pseudonym of the 19th century America humourist (comedian), Henry Wheeler Shaw whose philosophical comments in plain language became popular after the American Civil war. That quote introduces my “guest” who is a rare gem that sees rare opportunity and at the opportune time seizes it. This time he has ventured into the downstream sector of the petroleum industry. Should one resist such a man as Africa’s richest man? Aliko Mohammed Dangote, who I will prefer to address as Mr. Africa makes this edition of the Oil and Gas Summiteer.

Alhaji Aliko

Aliko Dangote is indeed an inspiration to many; young and old in our today’s business world. Stories abound that a chance meeting with Dangote for 10 minutes only could offer an exponentiation of business opportunities that could translate into an individual’s fortunes. He exudes a business aura that conjures optimism. The 59-year old Aliko, born into the Dantata business family in Kano had a privileged background that assisted him in cutting his business teeth in commodity trade that blossomed into the Dangote conglomerate.

He cherished the humble beginnings from his maternal business empire where he got his seed money in 1977 and believes that the harvest you reap is determined by the seeds you sow. This enigma of a man sees business opportunities virtually from everything and in anything as long as it is legal and utilitarian in outlook. Way back in the early 1990s he saw vehicle leasing to an apex bank as lucrative and offered that service. Any doubt why he is into water, juice, cement, telecommunication, sugar, salt, flour, rice, spaghetti, textiles, fishing, cash crops export, vegetable oil and real estate etc ?

Born to win, he acquired a university degree in business from Al Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt. Even if he never had an academic degree which he has, his practical approach to entrepreneurship deserves a study by economists and indeed the academia on how best monopoly could he practised. Having acquired state owned decayed and idle infrastructure his approach is without monopoly profits; spiced with a medley of patriotism in investments across Nigeria and Africa in a net worth of over $18.3 billion in the Forbe’s 2015 ranking.

Dangote whose business foray started at age 21, believes that our economic challenges should be a wake-up call for Nigerians. He has become an alternating current that whenever Nigeria is floundering, it is a wake-up call for him to fill in. Nigeria may not be faltering but as it seems, everybody’s property is nobody’s property, so our refining infrastructure has suffered hardship and so dying.

Nigeria in dire straits needed a flag waver in perennial products scarcity in this land of plenty crude. Dangote again has ventured into the downstream petroleum business. Is the business czar the petroleum messiah we might have been waiting for? His 650,000 barrel per day Oil Refinery Complex in Lagos is expected to come on stream in 2017/2018.

The all in one facility would have a refinery, petrochemical and fertilizer plants. It is the longest single train refinery in the world and would serve Nigeria’s need and for export of gasoline, diesel, DPK, carbon black, polypropylene, urea and ammonia fertilisers among others. The complex was for the Olokola Free Trade Zone in Ondo State but moved to the Lekki Free Zone, Lagos

Dangote fits into the quote of the twentieth century American thinker George Santayana’s philosophy that “A man’s feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.” Santayana was a poet and author of The Last Puritan. Aliko has indeed planted in Nigeria and gradually ascending the ladder of becoming the world’s richest man.

Having transformed into a producer of products he was importing from his Group of 13 companies, Dangote revealed that changing from an importer to a manufacturer was his best move. Critics are quick to point to the fact that he has enjoyed tremendous goodwill from various political leaderships in the country that assisted his conglomerate grow. But many might have received such favours in the past with nothing to show. Also many more with such favours would have stashed their proceeds abroad as sterile money in western countries vaults.

Has he shown considerable social responsibility in Nigeria? Observers believe that to whom much is given, much is equally expected from him. It is worth mentioning that his philanthropic gestures know no bounds. Dangote says he is not resting on his oars in the areas of philanthropy because he owes his wealth to the society that has been kind to him

He expressed disgust that 60 percent of the population in the North West and North East of Nigeria are in severe poverty lamenting that Nigeria has recorded economic growth without reduction in poverty. Dangote conglomerate is the largest indigenous private employer of labour in Nigeria. He has established a 430,000 tonne tomato plant in his native Kano State that would keep about 50,000 farmers in employment.

It is heartwarming that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Aliko Dangote as a member of the North East reconstruction and rehabilitation committee where General Theophilus Danjuma is the chairman. It is believed that this is another opportunity to demonstrate benevolence in the country. The Secretary General of the United Nations, Ban Ki Moon in August 2016 thanked Dangote for hosting and giving strong support to his team in the Global Education First Initiative, and paying glowing tribute to the Dangote Foundation’s dedication to humanity.

Aliko Dangote was awarded the second highest national honour in Nigeria, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) in 2011. He is an award recipient of the Grand Commander of the National Order of the Republic of Benin, the highest national honour in 2013.