Chairman of Dangote Group Aliko Dangote has said that he does not have houses abroad because of his passion for industrialisation in Nigeria.
“The reason I don’t have a London or American house is solely because I wanted to focus on industrialisation in Nigeria,” he told journalists at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, Ibeju-Lekki area of Lagos State.
“I figured that if I had those houses, there would be one reason or the other for me to visit those places, thereby causing distraction for me.
“I am very passionate about the Nigerian dream, and apart from my Lagos house, I have another one in my home state, Kano, and a rented one in Abuja.”
Dangote’s daughter Fatima, the group executive director of commercial operations, praised him for being diligent.
She said, “I have not seen anyone as hardworking as my father. Sometimes I wonder how he never gives up.
“I wish we had a few more men like my father in Nigeria. The country will be a better place.”
Earlier, the group CEO disclosed that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation now owns only a 7.2 per cent stake in the refinery.
He said the figure reduced from the initial 20 per cent, saying, “NNPC no longer owns a 20% stake in the Dangote refinery. They were met to pay their balance in June but have yet to fulfil the obligations. Now, they only own a 7.2% stake in the refinery.”
