I noticed a consistent behavioural pattern among Nigerian billionaires who run big businesses.
This behaviour is pronounced more among Mike Adenuga of Glo Brand and Aliko Dangote.
The behaviour is this: these business owners hardly hire Nigerians as business executives to run their businesses.
They prefer to travel as far as Pakistan, India, or Lebanon to hire their nationals to come to Nigeria to run their business.
Dangote’s top executives are mainly from India and then Lebanese, while Mike prefers hiring Pakistan nationals to run Glo for him with his daughter Bella.
Dangote started hiring Indians business executives when he was a trader and since he transitioned into an industrialist, he has not looked back as he has doubled down in hiring them.
Hiring these guys comes at a steep price.
Most Dangote Group executives are Lebanese or Indian, and their annual salaries are up to 300 million naira per annum when converted to our local currency.
Aside from the high cost that they charge as salaries, you provide a duplex accommodation in Ikoyi or Banana Island with an SUV for them.
You also provide Hilux vehicle with policemen protecting them against kidnappers since they are endangered specie because of their white complexion.
Edwin G is one of Dangote’s trusted lieutenants, as Aliko does not joke with him.
He has been with him since 1992, when he joined the business as a general manager.
At that time, Dangote was still a mega importer and a trader.
Edwin helped to transition the Dangote group into the industrial behomth that it is today from a trading company.
He is the one supervising the refinary project in Lekki for Dangote as Dangote trusted him so much, having supervised the building of the cement plants for the group all over Africa.
When you convert what Edwin G earns into Naira because he is paid in dollars by the Dangote group, the man earns more than 350 million naira salary per year.
Just like the rest of Dangote’s top executives, he is an Indian national, and it is the same story across the whole gamut of Dangote’s executives. .
The CEO Of Dangote sugar, RAVINDRA SINGH is an Indian national.
The same with the CEO od Dangote Cement.
Now I want to understand:
Why, despite the high cost of hiring them, are these Forbes billionaires more comfortable hiring Pakistanis, Indians, or Lebanese than Nigerians to manage their businesses in Nigeria?
Are they more ruthlessly efficient than their Nigerian business executives?
Is there any reason why this is so?
Written by Chukwudi Iwuchukwu
