Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, says wealth should never be a barrier to humility, insisting he can sleep in even the worst hotel despite his billionaire status.
Dangote made the remarks on Monday at an event tagged Vision 2030, where he spoke about humility, simplicity and the need for older generations to share their experiences with younger Nigerians.
“Today, if you take me to anywhere, if you take me to the worst hotel, I can sleep, I can have my shower, I can live,” the billionaire industrialist said.
He added, “So because life is about simplicity, and make sure that, look, don’t take yourself up there.”
Dangote said he believed people should remain humble regardless of their wealth, achievements or social standing.
“And also to show people that, look, in life, you have to be as simple as you can, because anybody can be anybody,” he said.
The businessman also spoke about the importance of engaging younger Nigerians, following an invitation from content creator Adebayo Ridwan, popularly known as Bae U Barbie, to appear on his YouTube programme, Curiosity Made Me Ask.
Dangote welcomed the invitation, saying young people represented the future and deserved opportunities to learn from the experiences of older generations.
“Honestly, the future that we have is actually you, the youth. We, our own generation really, we have not really done very well for Nigeria and also for Africa. That’s the truth,” he said.
He added, “So we need to sit down with some of you and discuss our own experience with you.”
Dangote also recounted an experience involving the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, whom he said had served for eight years without using a driver.
According to him, he once asked the Ethiopian leader why he did not have a driver during a visit to launch a fertiliser plant. The prime minister reportedly replied that his wife drove him.
The billionaire further explained why he readily takes photographs with members of the public.
He recalled that, as a young man, he and his late grandfather had met prominent personalities in Washington and asked to take photographs with them.
Dangote said the experience influenced his decision to grant similar requests from people who approach him for photographs.
