The Vice President, Kashim Shettima, has said that if business giant Aliko Dangote had invested $10bn in a global business like Microsoft or Amazon, he would have been some $80bn rich now.
He said this as he cautioned the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) against moves that he believes could derail Dangote’s investment in the oil sector.
Speaking on Monday at the opening of the 2025 Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja, Shettima described Dangote as an institution and a pillar of Nigeria’s economic development. He warned that Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN, and no one should hold the country to ransom.
“Aliko Dangote is not an individual; he’s an institution, and he’s a leading light in Nigeria’s economic parliament,” the Vice President said.
“And how we treat this gentleman will determine how outsiders will judge us. If he had invested $10bn in Microsoft, in Amazon, or in Google, he probably might be worth $70 to $80bn by now. But he opted to invest in his country, and we owe it to future generations to jealously protect, promote, preserve, and protect the interests of this great Nigeria.
“I wish to call for caution, retrospection, and a deeper sense of patriotism from both labour and the organised private sector in defining and improving the relationship between labour and industry in the interest of maintaining our steadily improving economic fortunes. It’s not about holding the whole nation to ransom because of a minor labour dispute.
“Nigeria is greater than PENGASSAN. Nigeria is greater than each and every one of us,” Shettima emphasised.
