BY PAUL OKADE Jr
Alhaji Aliko Dangote epitomizes that “go-getter” unstoppable Nigerian spirit which is domiciled in every Nigerian. That “can do” attitude that continues to set Nigerians apart from the rest of the African continent. Who would have thought that a man who began his business life as a relatively small commodities trader in Kano, Northern Nigeria 30+ years ago, would now been ranked amongst the most influential business leaders of modern times? It’s a shame that the Nigerian media do not report positive fetes such as this, instead of the scandalous news they fill our airwaves with.
As Nigerians we should be proud to have one of our own listed on Forbes and ranked as the 43rd richest man in the world. This is one of the main reasons why I decided to become a player in the fourth estate (that’s the industry name for the “media” by the way), because I wanted Nigerians to have access to some positive news other than the usual negativity such as Boko Haram and election rigging that they’re bombarded with. Do bad things happen in Nigeria? Sure they do but so do good things, the only difference is that only the “bad news” gets reported.
On the 10th of April 1957 a baby was born to the families of Dangote and Dantata in Kano state Nigeria who would one day dominate the African business landscape and make a mark in industry and entrepreneurship that would cause global business giants to sit up and take notice. His name is Aliko. At the tender age of 21 he returned to Nigeria after completing a business degree at the prestigious Al Azhar University in Cairo Egypt and started a small commodities trading company with the N500,000 loan he received from his grandfather the late business mogul Alhaji Dantata.
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