The founder of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has acknowledged the viral calls by new Nigerian shareholders for a “board meeting” and confirmed that the group plans to take its fertilizer business public in 2028.
Dangote made the remarks during an interview at the Qatar Economic Forum on Sunday while discussing the ownership structure of his businesses and plans to bring more investors into the group.
Speaking about the prospect of having more shareholders, he said, “No, we have actually everything we do by ourselves. We don’t have partners. But that’s why we are now looking for all these massive number of people to now become our partners.”
He then acknowledged the social media trend among Nigerians who recently bought shares in the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, joking that the new shareholders had been calling for a board meeting.
“You must have seen that they’ve been calling me now for a board meeting,” Dangote said.
The remark comes amid a wave of memes and humorous social media posts following the ongoing initial public offering of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, which has been marketed as a “people’s IPO.”
Retail investors who bought the minimum of 10 shares have taken to social media to portray themselves as co-owners and newly appointed executives of the refinery.
Some Nigerians have shared certificates bearing their photographs and titles such as “chief investment officer” and “co-founder and partner,” while others have posted videos joking about checking the refinery’s performance or holding virtual meetings with Dangote.
The “board meeting” joke has also featured prominently in the online conversations surrounding the refinery’s share offer.
