By Baron Ike
President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote has said he is not interested in politics, and has distanced himself from insinuations of nursing political ambition.
It was recently reported by a national newspaper that Dangote was being wooed to run against President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 if the President so desires another term.
But Dangote has taken exception to the report which he sees as mischievous, saying it was the handiwork of those who do not mean well for him, particularly over his rising profile in the field of business.
The richest man in Africa said even if he were to be interested in politics, the last thing he would do is to contest against Buhari, a man he sees as his mentor and father.
Dangote explained: “I am an entrepreneur. My passion is to create jobs for Nigerians and not otherwise.
“I am not interested in politics and this is authoritative. No member of any think tank committee has contacted me. People should stop dropping my name for the 2019 presidency.
“I also seize this opportunity to warn name droppers to desist from their infamous act. They should stop using my name for politics.
“This whole thing is an attempt by people who do not like me. They are doing all these with a view to putting me on a collision course with President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling party. They are people who are jealous of the successes I have so far recorded in business.
“My passion is for business development, provision of jobs and wealth creation, not politics. I have never shown interest in politics. I’m not interested in politics. I am not a politician. My passion has always been business and business.
“Buhari is like a father to me. Nobody should try to set me on a collision course with President Buhari. That will not work. I have high regard and respect for the president.
“For emphasis once again, I am not a politician. I can’t and won’t confront President Buhari. They should leave me out of any high wire politics and horse trading.
“By the time the ongoing Dangote refinery in Lagos and the sugar projects come on stream fully, there will be a great positive development and thousands of jobs created that will change the narrative in the country. That is my passion.”