Aliko Dangote as an Activist By Idang Alibi
Those who have been following my writing for some time now must have by now become acquainted with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s definition of an activist which I say is my favourite definition of that designation for a group of people concerned with a matter that is of interest to society. The former president once said that activists in the Nigerian context are a group of country men and women who speak rapidly on issues that are of great concern to all well- meaning compatriots.
Obasanjo’s definition puts a deliberate but unstated emphasis on the word ‘rapidly’ because any concerned patriot must of necessity speak on an issue of great concern to him and his fellow countrymen and women. If not, we will not know them as a distinctive set of concerned citizens.
But in the case of activists, they do not speak unemotionally, placidly or gently on such issues; they often elect to speak loudly, rapidly, clearly and insistently on them to show their passion or concern about such issues and that something must be done and done urgently about such issues by people who are charged with the responsibility of addressing them or else the streets will hear that there is something that has gone wrong in the country.
Early last week, a Nigerian, and a very unusual one for that matter, Mr. Aliko Dangote, who can rightly be called a true captain of industry, because he belongs to a class of citizens who are schooled and known to deliberately speak in soft, educated and measured terms, announced himself as the latest entrant into the fold of our national activists. He has apparently entered the open field to vent his grievances on a certain issue that pains him in his belly.
But please note that he is not in any way your normal, everyday activist, the type we have known over the years. No. Dangote is, in reality, only a variant of them. The man does not appear, by nature or acculturation, to speak rapidly on anything, whether domestically, nationally, globally. No. Not even in the province of the billions of monies in Naira, Dollars, Lira and Ruble that he has aplenty.
Dangote’s entrance into the fold of activists is as amazing as former Comrade Solomon Dalung who, in full battle revolutionary dress- a faded Ernesto Che Guevera beret, corduroy trousers over a multi-pocketed, mullti-coloured shirts with admixture of red and yellow, becoming a minister under Muhammadu Buhari. It was akin to Che Guevera himself becoming a minister under Augusto Pinochet himself. No one could have believed it or pledged to wait to see how such a reality will work! But it happened in this country.
A country where an established industry man wears the garb of an activist to speak out not rapidly but gravely about issue of corruption of a senior industry regulator must be feared by all doubters. This country is set to unveil beautifully as it prepares to turn a new leaf.
What has Farouk Ahmed and his high class of public servants regulators or regulateurs done to hurt the class of Aliko Dangote, Femi Otedola and Abdulsamad Rabiu? When captains of industry become activists not by will but by circumstances, we should have something to worry about. From the way Dangote sounded, he is ready to lead a trade war that may lead to something unsavory. What is at the root of this trade war? What is in it that is so painful to Dangote that he is ready to suspend his ordered lifestyle and embrace a life of uncertain activism?
Whatever Farouk has done to trouble Dangote that much the truth is that Dangote’s self-promotional entrance is surprising but not unprecedented. It is a part of Nigerian political culture that very few activists come from the northern part of the country. And when they come they do come from among the upper classes be it in business, politics or the clergy. Dangote himself is a good example. He is the richest man not only in Nigeria, Africa, West Africa or Africa but one of the richest in the whole wild world.
One of the reigning activists from the north Professor Usman Yusuf joined the realm not as a student but as a professor. Before his entrance into the realm of activism, Dangote sat quietly viewing developments in the petroleum industry and he saw something that he was not very happy about. He saw some unseeable things in the petroleum regulatory sector and was compelled to open the lid on his tongue put there by education,
This Dangote is an amazing man. Being a great industrialist and a goal-getting one at that, he did not get to wait for the president of his new fold, Omoyele Sowere, and his fellow travelers, Dele Rotimi, Deji Adeyanju and others to swear him in into the fold of activists yet he scored a major goal at his very first gunshot in his warfare to make Nigeria a better country for himself, for all of us living now and for his children and children’s children . His prey surrendered before he could fire many shots in his direction. I think Sowere, and even the Oga of them all-Soyinka-need to learn some tricks from the new comer to the fold Distinguished Citizen Aliko Dangote. Dangote has re-written the rules of activist engagement. The key part of his own strategy and tactics is that as an activist, you do not need to speak rapidly or spontaneously before you can be effective. All you need do is to learn to be patient. Suffer the misdeeds of your quarry for a fairly reasonable length of time so as to be reasonably sure of your facts. Once you know the major sin your quarry has committed, you act with even only one fact and your victory is assured. Dangote has emerged my activist of the year with only one shot that he did not miss his target.
