President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has revealed that he acquired his first private jet at the age of 22 and a half.
Dangote made the disclosure on Monday while speaking at the Nigerian Exchange in Lagos during the formal launch of the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals.
Reflecting on his journey as a businessman, the billionaire industrialist said he no longer places the same emphasis on luxury and is comfortable travelling on commercial flights when necessary.
“My career as a businessman, I really had a great time. I was telling somebody that right now I don’t mind, I can take commercial, I can take anything. I had my first private jet at 22 and a half years old,” he said.
Dangote also urged wealthy Nigerians who own expensive private aircraft to consider investing more of their resources in productive ventures, particularly factories and industries.
He stressed that Nigeria could not achieve meaningful economic development without increased investment in production.
“I try as much as I can to encourage people who are riding $90 million, $100 million aircraft to please go and put that into production. We are not going to be a great nation without doing something productive,” he said.
The billionaire also recalled spending about 30 minutes looking for a parking space in Abuja, saying the experience made him wish the area had more factories rather than private jets.
His comments came as the Dangote Refinery commenced its public share offering, with 4.1 billion shares offered at ₦525 each.
