Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has issued a sharp challenge to Nigeria\u2019s elite, urging them to divert funds currently spent on luxury items like Rolls-Royce cars and private jets into establishing industries that stimulate economic growth and create job opportunities.\n<\/p>\n
Speaking to correspondents after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Villa on Friday, Dangote lamented the culture of extravagant consumption, stating that the nation\u2019s development hinges on the responsibility of local investors.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at the Nigerian policy before, during the military, everybody from the president downwards, everybody, they were all using Peugeot 504. That was the highest. So when a president is using 504, you cannot come as a commoner, as a businessman or whoever you are, to be using Rolls-Royce,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
He condemned the ease with which private jets fill Nigerian airports, arguing that such wealth should be channelled into production, saying, \u201cYou know, if you have money for Rolls-Royce, you should go and put up an industry in your locality or anywhere, part of Nigeria, wherever you feel there is a need. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that\u2019s why, really, sometimes it pains me when I go to the local airport, whether it\u2019s here or Lagos, you see that even finding a parking space for your plane is impossible. Everybody has a private jet. Those private jets will be in industries so that we can create jobs.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
The businessman emphasised that national development requires focus on manufacturing and agriculture, supported by strong bankers.\n<\/p>\n
He highlighted the massive task of job creation, noting that Nigeria\u2019s population grows by 8.7 million babies every year, necessitating huge infrastructure and power delivery efforts. <\/p>\n
\u201cSome people, maybe they don\u2019t know the position of the country as we speak, because population growth is 8.7 million babies every year. So 8.7 million babies every year will have to be in a lot of things. We have to deliver power. We have to deliver infrastructure.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Dangote also framed tax compliance not just as a legal requirement, but as a civic duty and a partnership with the government.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you have a company, the number one shareholder is the government, so what we are looking for is that the government should facilitate, they should give us an enabling environment to do this.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe too, as corporate citizens, must make sure that we pay our taxes. We must behave. It\u2019s a partnership. I cannot be cheating my partner. So when the government now give us the environment of making money, we should also be conscious about doing our own civic duties. That is to pay tax.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI pay tax, your children will be able to go to school. Your children will be able to go to the hospital. We don\u2019t need to go to Cairo, London, or the U.S. for medicals. We do it here, but, you know, the demands of government is huge. So if the demand of the government is huge, we must do our own bit.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
Dangote also dismissed the over-reliance on foreign investors, stressing that no external investor would commit to Nigeria without strong local participation. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe should stop calling for foreign investors. There\u2019s no foreign investor who will come here.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe invitation of a foreign investor is for a domestic investor. What attracts a domestic investor is good policies, good governance, and the rule of law. Once you have this, domestic investors will also be encouraged by the government to come and invest,\u201d he said.\n<\/p>\n
He maintained that once Nigerians invest, foreigners will follow, either to partner or to set up their own operations.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must industrialise our country. Nobody will do it but us. So when we industrialise, a foreigner will now come either to partner with us or partner with any Nigerian.\n<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we want to remove this perceived risk, the real risk, and also the perceived one. You know, because when you see somebody invest in them, fine. I mean, it\u2019s like what I said to a lot of people. Have you ever seen somebody advertising for a restaurant? Nobody advertises a restaurant at all. Okay, but you go and eat. The food is good. You tell somebody. That person, too, will go and try. So that\u2019s how we want to make our country.\u201d\n<\/p>\n
PUNCH reports<\/a> that Dangote also stated that the Dangote refinery will soon produce surplus volumes, adding that by February, it will supply 15\u201320 million litres more than Nigeria needs, which allows exports to neighbouring countries, reducing the incidence of fuel scarcity across West Africa.\n<\/p>\n He maintained that the industry will thrive, saying, \u201cWhat we are trying to do is to make Nigeria the refining hub of Africa because African countries, all of them, are importing products and we want to make sure that whatever we consume is produced in our own land.\u201d\n<\/p>\n Earlier in October, Dangote had also urged Nigerians to embrace homegrown products<\/a> as a way of strengthening the nation\u2019s economy and creating jobs.<\/p>\n Watch video below:\n<\/p>\n \ud835\udc15\ud835\udc08\ud835\udc03\ud835\udc04\ud835\udc0e: \ud835\udc12\ud835\udc21\ud835\udc2e\ud835\udc27 \ud835\udc11\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc25\ud835\udc2c-\ud835\udc11\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc32\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc1e, \ud835\udc0f\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc2f\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc09\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc2c, \ud835\udc04\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1b\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc1c\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc08\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc2f\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2c\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc26\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc2d, \ud835\udc03\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc20\ud835\udc28\ud835\udc2d\ud835\udc1e \ud835\udc14\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc20\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2c \ud835\udc0d\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc20\ud835\udc1e\ud835\udc2b\ud835\udc22\ud835\udc1a\ud835\udc27\ud835\udc2c\n<\/p>\n Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has issued a sharp challenge to Nigeria\u2019s elite, urging them to divert funds currently\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/VGjCrDTn1c<\/a>\n<\/p>\n \u2014 Punch Newspapers (@MobilePunch) December 6, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n