The President and Chief Executive of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, has said he would not relent in his efforts to impact the lives of Nigerians positively.
Dangote said this while receiving his Letter of Award as Person of the Year 2024 at the Dangote Refinery in Lekki, Lagos. The Senior Vice Chairman/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP Group, Azu Ishiekwene, presented the letter on Wednesday.
Dangote, Africa’s richest man, was nominated for the award last year.
Ishiekwene explained that LEADERSHIP’s main criterion was “the person who has the most consequential impact on the country and citizens in a given year.”
“The nominating panel,” he said, “led by the Chairman, Zainab Nda-Isaiah, and comprising the cream of the company’s staff and members of its advisory board, had no difficulty making this choice, especially given the work you did with the commencement of production at the Dangote Refinery last year.”
Dangote, Africa’s richest man, said it is commendable when people are recognised and rewarded for their hard work.
“Like I often say,” he said, “if I decided to play in stocks, my worth may have been over $100 billion by now. But I’m happy that what we have done is a legacy project. I do not take this Award for granted. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for finding me worthy.”
Ishiekwene said that while the media has a responsibility to hold power accountable, it is also vital for it to reward outstanding performance. “This Award is a token of that expression,” he said.
Dangote, in company of the Dangote Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Mr Anthony Chiejina, said he would personally attend the event wherever it was held.
“I will attend wherever it holds,” he said. “You can take that from me.”
Meanwhile, the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has accepted the invitation to be the special guest of honour and give the keynote address, “Challenges and Opportunities in Nigeria’s Fiscal Federalism,” at the event scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, in Abuja.
