Mtu
tajiri barani Afrika anataka kuinunua Arsenal.Aliko Dangote alijipatia
mabilioni ya fedha kupitia biashara ya sukari na mafuta.
Aliko Dangote wants to buy Arsenal. Meet the 'second most powerful black man in the world after Obama', who is twice as rich as Roman Abramovich and loves being dapper
- Nigerian businessman Aliko Dangote has declared his interest in Arsenal
- The billionaire wants to buy club from Stan Kroenke and shareholders
- He made his money in oil, sugar, cement and flour investments
- Dangote is also a man of great political influence in Africa
Africa's richest man Aliko Dangote has caused a stir by announcing he would like to buy Arsenal.
Dangote may not be well known to English fans but he certainly has the
money to achieve his dream should the current majority shareholder, Stan
Kroenke, give him any encouragement. Sportsmail takes a closer look at
the billionaire with ambitions to join the Premier League elite.
JUST WHO IS ALIKO DANGOTE?
He's
a 57-year-old Nigerian who has amassed a fortune by becoming majority
shareholder in giant cement, flour and sugar companies. Dangote Sugar
supplies 90 per cent of Nigeria's 170million population - that is a lot
of sales. He is also building a private oil refinery in one of the
country's jungle swamps which is due for completion in 2018.
Aliko Dangote, a Nigerian billionaire, has made clear his interest in buying Arsenal
The Gunners celebrate their FA Cup triumph at Wembley last month... but could they soon have a new owner?
Dangote was hailed as 'Africa's richest man' on the front cover of Forbes Africa in May 2012
HOW RICH IS HE?
Forbes
have him down as the 67th richest person in the world with a fortune of
more than £12billion. It would make him the wealthiest owner in the
Premier League, almost twice as rich as Roman Abramovich, who is listed
at No 137. He hails from a family of entrepreneurs in Nigeria's second
city Kano, and his uncle gave him a loan at 21 to start his own business
empire.
IS HE AN IMPORTANT PERSON?
A
Forbes survey called him the second most powerful black man in the
world behind US President Barack Obama. He is one of the continent's
prime movers-and-shakers and Obama made sure he met him when giving a
speech in Soweto in 2013. When America comes up with a business and
anti-terrorism strategy for Africa, Dangote is one of the first figures
they would consult with.
WHAT IS THE ARSENAL CONNECTION?
When
he was a mere billionaire rather than multi-billionaire, Dangote tried
to buy a 15 per cent stake in Arsenal from Lady Nina Bracewell-Smith,
who eventually sold to Kroenke. With Boko Haram still a threat in
Nigeria, it makes sense for Dangote to diversify his interests and earn
greater international credibility, as Abramovich has done. And as he
gets richer with Nigeria possessing so many natural resources like oil,
it becomes more feasible. With guaranteed worldwide television incomes
running into billions, A-list businessmen are finding the top Premier
League clubs increasingly attractive.
WHAT IS HIS LIFESTYLE LIKE?
He
lives on Victoria Island, the most exclusive part of Nigeria's most
populous city Lagos, in a mansion which has bulletproof windows as
evidence of his vast wealth and allure for potential kidnappers. A
Muslim, he studied business at Cairo University in Egypt and has three
children. He has a reputation for being dapper right down to a
well-maintained moustache.
Dangote pictured with his daughter, Halima, at the TIME 100 Gala in New York last year
The entrance of the Dangote Industries cement plant in Pout, 50km from Dakar
Dangote has made his money from the cement, sugar, flour and oil industries in Nigeria
WHAT HAS THE REACTION BEEN IN NIGERIA TO HIS INTEREST IN ARSENAL?
Surprisingly
downbeat. Nigeria has a huge population, big resources and most people
think there is enough money in the country to invest internally rather
than join football's money train to Europe. The Nigerian League badly
needs improved infrastructure to keep the most talented players. Former
Nigeria coach Adegboye Onigbinde summed up the mood by saying: 'For him
not to think of our league shows that something is terribly wrong. First
and foremost, he is a businessman and so it is only normal for him to
spread his tentacles wisely. What we need more in this country is
someone to back the overhauling of our grassroots programmes.'
WHAT ARE HIS PROSPECTS?
It
entirely depends on what Kroenke is thinking. As his nickname is
'Silent Stan' and he keeps his thoughts to himself, that is anyone's
guess. Dangote is clearly a serious player but having got to a position
when Arsenal are making money after building their new Emirates Stadium,
Kroenke may want to reap the rewards for a few years. However, at the
age of 67, Dangote may be able to persuade Kroenke to take a whopping
great sum of money and retire his retirement.
Arsenal's majority shareholder Stan Kroenke (centre left) might be in no mood to sell to Dangote
Arsenal spent big to buy Alexis Sanchez last summer, but Dangote's wealth could be used to land more stars
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