Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote is worth $21.6billion according to Forbes. His business interests span almost every sector of the Nigerian economy.
He dropped a bomb shell, recently, at a meeting with media executives in Lagos state recently, when asked how many properties he had abroad.
To the surprise of those in attendance, he said “well, to tell you the good news, I don’t even have a nine-inch block outside Nigeria, and that is the truth; I don’t have a house anywhere abroad.”
When asked if he would invest in media and publishing, he referred to his encounter with the Late Chief M.K.O Abiola.
He said 'I went to see Abiola and I said to him, you look a bit worried. And he said he could not sleep because of a publication…How many times will I be chasing reporters and running my business. Let me advise you, don’t go and do this newspaper business.'
He also added that 'When people realise that the paper is not balanced – you are always pro-government, it is a challenge. The worst tag a paper can have is to be marked a government paper. The general feeling is that they are eating from the government. So that is why I run away from the media. I am not saying I won’t do it.'
Listen to Aliko Dangote share his vision.