President of Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote, has disclosed that he acquired his first private jet at the age of 22 and a half.
The billionaire industrialist made the revelation 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 decades-long career as a businessman, Dangote said he had thoroughly enjoyed the journey but now prefers to see wealth channelled into productive ventures rather than luxury assets.
“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.
He urged wealthy Nigerians who own expensive private aircraft to redirect their resources into production, stressing that the country cannot achieve greatness without productive economic 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.
