Dangote: Paying the Price of Patriotism By Kabiru Mohammed
Let me at the on-set make it abundantly clear that, I do not have any relationship with Mr. Aliko Dangote.Let me also clarify that, I’m not a paid public commentator out to defend the man currently at the center of the storm; for I believed strongly that, he has the ware-withal to defend himself effectively any-where, any-time.
By this write-up, I only want to exercise my fundamental right of freedom of expression as enshrined in the constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria which guaranteed every Nigerian the liberty to say out his mind on any issue one feel strongly about freely without lets or hindrance, according to the law and in consonance with ethical conduct and practice.
As a strong admirer of Dangote, a heir to a vast and extremely rich mercantilist tradition of the famous Al-Hassan Dantata Family, I took exception at the way some of our respected columnist took it upon themselves the responsibility to castigates and condemn an enterprising business mogul; simply because he used the opportunity of being closer to the power that be to his greatest advantage, in an era of intense business competition, globalization, free market economy and monopoly etc. This open criticism in my own view, smacks of jealosy, pull-him-down syndrome and a very bad statement of our retrogressive tendencies and inertia, for the well known traducers have not tell us about a single person who get closer to the power that be and refused to used the very rare opportunity maximally to his advantage. They have also failed so far, to inform us whether it is a crime to be privilege enough to be found closer to the seat of government of the day in any society.
In a recent highly publicized interview, dangote granted to the Sun News paper, I read with admiration how he painstakingly took time to explain to all that care to listing that, it will be fool-hardy for any businessman or Company for that matter, to be antagonistic to government. He further explained how he all along, worked hard and benefited under previous administrations from Shehu Shagari to Obasanjo.He went on to expatiated clearly to all and sundry that his vast business empire has been his brained child without any partner or mentor until recently, out of compassion for the ordinary Nigerians when he started going public.
In my candid opinion, dangote is simply a victim of circumstances, because as a business man with great vision, quite contrary to the characteristic docility, well known retrogressive tendencies and laziness of the other Nigerians who like to get easy lucre without sweat and by virtue of which others even considered him an aberration, he fore-saw an advantage early enough through the policy of the federal government privatization process to capitalized on and make great fortunes out of it. I believed that, in a normal society, the originators of a supposedly bad-policy or idea, are the one to be accused of, not an ordinary beneficiary who only used his exceptional business acumen to be where he is today! This is akin to what the Hausa referred to as: “an bar Jaki, ana dukan taiki” that is leaving the true substance of the matter and chasing mirage! Contrary to the general perception, dangote’s concept of business involved a lot of risk which involved loans from local and international financial organizations etc, that windows of opportunities was exploited to the maximum because of his reputation of paying back at a record time. The problem with Dangote therefore, is his characteristic penchant for daring to be different from the majority of Nigerian elites, who have more confidence with foreign investors and products to the extent that nothing good, in their own view, can come out from Nigerians.
It is therefore an irony of life, that those who looted our country mercilessly and stashed their loots in foreign lands without a single investment in the country, where ordinary Nigerians can work in order to eke a decent living are left to enjoy their loots peacefully and in brazen dis-regard for the sorry state of other hapless Nigerians, while a patriotic, resourceful and enterprising business man who choose to invest heavily in the country out of patriotic fer-vour,regardless of the consequences, natural or artificial is today a subject of relentless attack through a barrage of criticism by a section of the Nigerian commentators. It is also an irony that, while northerners formed the bulk of his traducers, our southern friends turned out to be his greatest defenders!
Dangote indisputably, is today the greatest direct employer of labor after the federal government. This is in addition to millions that are indirectly employed through formal and informal businesses in one or more of his quality range of products. The employment pattern cut across the length and breadth of Nigeria from the north to the south irrespective of Ethnicity or Religious consideration. This pattern is not restricted to employment alone as the location of his companies are to be found in all the six geo-political zones of the Nation.Un-like other so-called latter-day billionaires who restricted their employments pattern to their region of origin, Religion and Tribes alone.
With out Dangote in our midst, in the last privatization excersice, nobody knows what will have happened to the “industrial desert” by now, because the privatization exercise will not be halted howsoever by the Obasanjo administration since it was ordained and mandated by the neo-colonial western powers. The process will go ahead irrespective of our non-participation, and I wonder whom we will be accusing by now, had this happened as a result of our docility, naivity, inertia and lack of focus.
Our region was short-changed in the last banking recapitalization; our heritage bequeathed to us by our revered father the late Sardauna of Sakkwato of blessed memory, was lost. We do not have a single Bank to call our own absolutely like our southern counter-part! And so-far I have not heard anybody calling for policy reversal in this regards, since the banks were not privatized to Dangote! Now through sheer determination of Aliko, we proudly have Flower mills, Benue cement, Obajana cement at North-central Region, and Savanna Sugar at North-Eastern Region, while we have Flower mills, Dangote textiles and Cotton Ginnery at North-Western Region of Nigeria, what more do we need from this man of destiny; that ably represented our region economically?
I can not reconcile the fact that, dangote is not a lone-ranger in the last privatization exercise, yet he was singled-out for persistent, relentless and constant rebuke. I can not also understand the grave-yard silence on the part of both Northern and Southern commentators against the rest of the multi-billionaires beneficiaries. Therefore, in the interest of justice and fair play, and for the criticism to hold water, it must be applied evenly to all the other beneficiaries; because what is good for the goose as they used to say, must also be good for the gander and failure to do so will render the whole criticism untenable, null and void and of no substance.
The pertinent question to ask the self appointed commentators are: why did they want to destroy a shinning star from the savanna out to make a difference in the lives of ordinary people? Why did they want to cripple one of their own? Why did they want to constitute a stumbling block and an in-insurmountable huddle to a young man that shows much promise to excel? Several question begging for an answer someone might say, but Dangote should not in any way get discourage in his steady rise to stardom!
The whole issue from the perspective of the ordinary people like me is simply elitist intra-class struggle. It is the struggles between those who want revert to the status quo ante, and those who want a complete departure from the many years of neglect and wastage. It is also a fight of wit by a section that used to milk us dry through corruption, nepotism and favoritism through which they were able to enrich themselves and their cronies stupendously, living in extreme opulence which unfortunately rendered the now contentious properties moribund in the first place. Now having suddenly discovered to their utter chagrin that, it is no longer business as usual and the companies are about to be resuscitated and rehabilitated back to international standard, which may likely exposed their past mediocrity and shoddy deals to the clear views of the ordinary people, they resorted to blackmail. As an ordinary Nigerian honestly, I considered the last privatization exercise simply as a change of ownership from the public to private hand, because I can not see any difference in my life before, when I suppose to have a stake in them when they were public own enterprises!
Instead of inundating the general public with un-substantiated, road-side stories in the open, the commentators can arrange for an interview with the Man to clarify many thorny issues that are agitating their minds. I’m sure by his nature; being very humble, approachable, and easy going can readily make him-self available. This, in my view can help greatly, to bring to the open the many gray areas vividly for every body to see. The critics should also know that, it is quite un-ethical to continue to wash our dirty linen in the open market square, while others did their own shrouded in utmost secrecy. For goodness sake, if I may ask? Of what use, is it crying continuously over spilt milk? And of what use is it also, to agitate for an irreversible issue that was already dispensed with?
Whatever others will say, we ordinary Nigerians are very grateful to Dangote for the limitless opportunities which resulted in many Nigerians gainfully employed, while others became instant millionaires beyond their wildest imagination through the recent Sugar IPO. And while the down-trodden Nigerian, the hewers of fire-woods and gatherers of stones, await the cement, Salt and Flour IPO’s as promised by the man of destiny, I want Dangote not to get discourage by all theses negative publicity. Instead he should thank the almighty Allah (swt) alone, and regard whatever might be said against him as a necessary ingredient to more success in life and to forge ahead aggressively and relentlessly until his cherish desire to be listed among the 500 most capitalized conglomerate in the world is achieved, while others remains in their cocoons lamenting over an issue that has already became history!
Kabir Mohammed Hausawa Quarters, Bawo road Kano. |