Billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote has accepted an invitation from Nigerian content creator Adebayo Ridwan, popularly known as Isbae U, to feature on his YouTube programme, Curiosity Made Me Ask.
Dangote agreed to the invitation during the content creator’s visit to the Dangote Refinery in Lagos on Monday, following a conversation about the need for the industrialist to connect with younger Nigerians through platforms they regularly watch.
Isbae U observed that most of Dangote’s previous interviews had appeared on media platforms that did not attract many young people, despite growing interest in his business and plans for investment in his company.
“Most of the interviews we’ve seen you have been on platforms that my generation don’t watch,” the content creator said.
He explained that his programme could provide an opportunity for Dangote to engage a younger audience, particularly those interested in his business ventures and the company’s proposed initial public offering.
Responding, Dangote acknowledged the importance of engaging young Nigerians, describing them as the country’s future and emphasising the need for older generations to share their experiences with them.
“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.
The businessman added that conversations between generations could help younger people understand past experiences and gain insights into the challenges and opportunities involved in building successful businesses.
“So we need to sit down with some of you and discuss our own experience with you,” Dangote said.
He also pointed out that younger Nigerians might not be familiar with some prominent figures and historical events from the country’s past, citing former President Olusegun Obasanjo as an example.
Isbae U then credited himself for providing Obasanjo with a platform to engage younger audiences, prompting a brief exchange between the two.
Dangote subsequently acknowledged that young people constituted an important audience for him to reach in the future.
“So really, you are right. Going forward, this sort of audience is the audience that we, somebody like me, should actually face,” he said.
The industrialist also spoke about his relationship with young Nigerians, noting that members of the public frequently approached him for photographs, including during his trips abroad.
He explained that he usually agreed to such requests despite efforts by people around him to restrict access to him.
Recalling an experience from his youth, Dangote said he once accompanied his grandfather to Washington, where they encountered prominent personalities and requested photographs with them. He said the experience influenced his willingness to accommodate similar requests from members of the public.
The billionaire also clarified the meaning behind a photograph of him that circulated on social media, dismissing suggestions that he was asking God for additional blessings.
“I wasn’t begging for anything. What I was saying, I was just saying that, God, you have overblessed me,” he said.
Dangote indicated that he was open to having an informal conversation with young Nigerians, during which they could ask questions about his entrepreneurial journey, business decisions and the factors behind his success.
Responding to Isbae U’s invitation, the businessman gave an assurance that he would appear on the programme.
“We will come,” he said.
