Stop Casting Aspersion on Dangote, Group Warns Arewa Youths

A group, Joint Northern Youth Forum, yesterday condemned in
strongest terms the disrespectful manner the Coalition of Northern
Youth responded to an unconfirmed remark wrongly attributed to the
billionaire investor Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

Dangote was alleged to have described the ultimatum issued to
Igbo to vacate the North by Arewa youths as reckless and a
manifestation of frustration and joblessness.

In a statement signed by the group’s director of Media and
Publicity, Ashiru Abdullahi, noted with dismay the use of abusive
language against Dangote, by the so-called Coalition of Northern
Youth Groups, as a response to an unconfirmed statement credited to
the respected investor.

The statement expressed disgust that a group that professes to
be promoting Northern interest would insult a prominent son of the
North who provided the highest number of job opportunities in the
history of the region.

According to the statement, it is indeed surprising why anyone
should associate Dangote to anything politics.

“It has never happened and anyone who knows Dangote would
readily admit that he has been a hardworking investor for decades
and not a politician. The Coalition’s bedtime story about Obaanjo
asking Dangote to run for the nation’s presidency is also laughable
indeed.

“The Coalition claimed that Dangote “can never be” among genuine
Northern patriots. This can never be true, given the hundreds of
thousands of Northerners earning a livelihood through his vast
array of investments in the North.

“And for whatever it is worth, Dangote deserves respect for
rebuilding the lives of many young Northerners through his chain of
businesses. If we cannot celebrate his efforts to give meaning to
the lives of many northerners in particular and Nigerians in
general, we should also not cast aspersions on him.

“When the so-called Coalition said its members are not involved
with “drug peddling and currency counterfeiting”, what are they
insinuating? What business has the respected African entrepreneur
got to do with it?

“It is not in the character of northerners to be involved with
insulting elders, especially elders that are enterprising and
economically productive,” the statement read.

The statement described as sad and unfortunate the accusations
made by the coalition that Dangote group is a destination for
corrupt government officials, saying there was no iota of truth in
the allegation.

“The insinuation that Dangote group of companies is a “financial
destination for every corrupt government official” is simply
ridiculous because his chain of investments have never been
associated with the trial of corrupt public officials by agencies
like the EFCC or ICPC for many years. Dangote would not have been
recognised by credible institutions like Forbes as the richest man
in Africa.

“In accusing Dangote and others of bringing economic hardship to
Nigeria “ for the past 25 years” the Coalition has not only
ridiculed itself but insulted all those Nigerians who have escaped
poverty and hardship courtesy of Dangote’s investments and
Corporate Social Responsibility projects. It is also a blatant lie
to say Dangote’s investments in the North are “negligible” or that
the entrepreneur hates the North; it makes no sense at all,”the
statement concluded.

A group, Joint Northern Youth Forum, yesterday condemned in
strongest terms the disrespectful manner the Coalition of Northern
Youth responded to an unconfirmed remark wrongly attributed to the
billionaire investor Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

Dangote was alleged to have described the ultimatum issued to
Igbo to vacate the North by Arewa youths as reckless and a
manifestation of frustration and joblessness.

In a statement signed by the group’s director of Media and
Publicity, Ashiru Abdullahi, noted with dismay the use of abusive
language against Dangote, by the so-called Coalition of Northern
Youth Groups, as a response to an unconfirmed statement credited to
the respected investor.

The statement expressed disgust that a group that professes to
be promoting Northern interest would insult a prominent son of the
North who provided the highest number of job opportunities in the
history of the region.

According to the statement, it is indeed surprising why anyone
should associate Dangote to anything politics.

“It has never happened and anyone who knows Dangote would
readily admit that he has been a hardworking investor for decades
and not a politician. The Coalition’s bedtime story about Obaanjo
asking Dangote to run for the nation’s presidency is also laughable
indeed.

“The Coalition claimed that Dangote “can never be” among genuine
Northern patriots. This can never be true, given the hundreds of
thousands of Northerners earning a livelihood through his vast
array of investments in the North.

“And for whatever it is worth, Dangote deserves respect for
rebuilding the lives of many young Northerners through his chain of
businesses. If we cannot celebrate his efforts to give meaning to
the lives of many northerners in particular and Nigerians in
general, we should also not cast aspersions on him.

“When the so-called Coalition said its members are not involved
with “drug peddling and currency counterfeiting”, what are they
insinuating? What business has the respected African entrepreneur
got to do with it?

“It is not in the character of northerners to be involved with
insulting elders, especially elders that are enterprising and
economically productive,” the statement read.

The statement described as sad and unfortunate the accusations
made by the coalition that Dangote group is a destination for
corrupt government officials, saying there was no iota of truth in
the allegation.

“The insinuation that Dangote group of companies is a “financial
destination for every corrupt government official” is simply
ridiculous because his chain of investments have never been
associated with the trial of corrupt public officials by agencies
like the EFCC or ICPC for many years. Dangote would not have been
recognised by credible institutions like Forbes as the richest man
in Africa.

“In accusing Dangote and others of bringing economic hardship to
Nigeria “ for the past 25 years” the Coalition has not only
ridiculed itself but insulted all those Nigerians who have escaped
poverty and hardship courtesy of Dangote’s investments and
Corporate Social Responsibility projects. It is also a blatant lie
to say Dangote’s investments in the North are “negligible” or that
the entrepreneur hates the North; it makes no sense at all,”the
statement concluded.