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 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 business journey, the billionaire industrialist said he had enjoyed his career but now places greater emphasis on investing wealth in productive ventures.
“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 urged wealthy Nigerians who own expensive private aircraft to consider redirecting their resources into productive investments that could contribute to the country’s economic development.
He stressed that Nigeria could not achieve its full potential without increased investment in production and other productive activities.
“I try as much as I can to encourage people who are riding $900 million aircraft to please go and put that into production. We are not going to be a great nation without doing something productive,” Dangote said.
