When I first wrote this headline, I was not comfortable with it. I felt I was blowing this matter out of context and proportion. I also felt the use of the word scammer was harshly inappropriate. But, careful analysis of the present and past circumstances surrounding the emergence of Aliko Dangote as the richest man in Nigeria and Africa, and checking out the real meaning of the word scammer, made me leave the headline as it is. A scammer according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, is a person who commits or participates in a fraudulent scheme or operation. The recent revelation by the respected banker Atedo Peterside, the founder of Stanbic IBTC, about the governmental favoritism that some northern and Islamic businessmen are presently enjoying is not a revelation. For years, many Nigerians have heard about Dangote’s numerous waivers from tax holidays to custom clearances and policies that effectively created an environment where Dangote industries was more or less a monopoly or private extension of the government. There are many instances to mention, but before the recent revelations that opened the closed Nigerians border for Dangote and Bua Industries, when other industrialists or companies were excluded, has been happening for decades. The case of Ibeto Cement versus Dangote Cement is well known and documented. Today, Dangote Cement is a multinational company that grew from these schemes that are in many respects fraudulent.

It has been said that once Dangote Industries shows interest in any commodity, within a short while, the government will ban the importation of that commodity. Or whenever Dangote shows interest in any business, all roadblocks are cleared for him and erected for others. The recent government waiver at the borders that favored Dangote and Bua Industries is another reason the present state of Nigeria is not sustainable. From oil blocks in the Niger Delta to Gold deposits in Nasarawa State, the policies of past and present governments in Nigeria have been fraught with inequalities. Hence, beneficiaries like Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabiu – the chairman of Bua Group, can rightly be called scammers who present and past governments have schemed for. Because again, a scammer is a person who commits or participates in a fraudulent scheme or operation. The opening of the closed Nigerian border for Dangote and the Bua Group and all the other waivers that they have enjoyed and continue to enjoy are fraudulent schemes. In other climes, companies with monopolistic tendencies and strategies are sanctioned by the state through antitrust hearings. But in Nigeria, because of our lopsided polity, the Dangotes and Buas of Nigeria are government-sponsored usurpers.

Before crucifying Dangote, can we also make a case for the fact that he is a businessman and a great bargainer? And businessmen would also do all they can to gain an advantage? Yes, Dangote did not rise to his present position as the richest man in Africa without great business acumen that includes bargaining. Notwithstanding, the unfair edge he has enjoyed and continues to enjoy has destroyed a lot of other businesses and businessmen and women. The success of Dangote industries and the number of Nigerians that he presently employs can also be used to justify the criminality of his government largesse. This will be a travesty. We cannot use illegality to justify something whose legality is entrenched in illegality. Economic powerhouses like the United States, Japan, Germany, and South Korea have flourished because the government is a big brother to all. And not just a few from a particular region or religion as the present case of favoritism to Dangote and Bua industries has shown. The recent progress these two industrialists have made in the oil and gas industry is another pointer to what has been happening behind the scene for decades.

Ata Ukuta, Editor  – www.towncryyers.com