*Pix above: Aliko Dangote
Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has made a shocking revelation, saying he lives in a rented apartment in Abuja and has no house outside Nigeria.
The chairman of the Dangote Group revealed this in a media parley at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, on Sunday,
According to him, his passion for an industrialised Nigeria is the sole reason he doesn’t have houses outside Nigeria.
He revealed that he once had a house in London, disclosing that he sold it in 1996.
“The reason I don’t have a London or America is solely because I wanted to focus on industrialization in Nigeria.
“I figured that if I had those houses, there will be one reason or the other for me to visit those places thereby causing distraction for me.
“I am very passionate about the Nigeria dream and apart from my Lagos house, I have another one in my home state Kano and a rented one in Abuja,” he revealed.
In her closing remarks, the Group Executive Director, Commercial Operations, Fatima Dangote, commended Mr Dangote for never giving up on the Nigerian dream.
She added; “I have not seen anyone as hardworking as my father, sometimes I wonder how he never gives up.
“I wish we have a few more men like my father in Nigeria, the country will be a better place,” she said.
Dangote is currently Africa’s richest person and 144th richest in the world with a worth of ₦17.43 trillion ($12.5bn).
He is an industrialist who founded and chairs Dangote Cement, the continent’s largest cement producer. He owns 85% of publicly traded Dangote Cement through a holding company.
Dangote Cement can produce 48.6 million metric tons annually and has operations in 10 countries across Africa.
After many years in development, Dangote’s fertilizer plant in Nigeria began operations in March 2022. Dangote Refinery began construction in 2016 and is expected to begin full refining operations in 2024./###
