Dangote talks Nigeria’s Lack of Visionary Leadership, Plans to buy Arsenal & looking for a Wife in New Interview

Aliko Dangote. (Photo by Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for TIME)

Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote sat for an interview with Financial Times where he discussed everything from building a new refinery to wanting a new bride.

On his 108-foot yacht, Mariya, on the Lagos Lagoon, Dangote discussed building his $12 billion refinery, which, when completed, will process 650,000 barrels of oil a day, “a third of every drop Nigeria produces and approaching 1 per cent of planetary production.”

Dangote, who described the project as “crazy,” said he knows constructing it will make him a lot of enemies.

You can’t just come and remove food from their table and think they’re just going to watch you doing it.

They will try all sorts of tricks. This is a very, very tough society. Only the toughest of the tough survive here.

When he’s done with the project, Dangote wants to allow himself a small indulgence: buying Arsenal Football Club, which he suuports and believes is worth about $2 billion.

I love Arsenal and I will definitely go for it.

When I buy it, I have to bring it up to the expectations of our supporters.

Once I have finished with that headache (building the refinery), I will take on football.

Then there’s also the issue of finding a companion, which he’s on the lookout for. He said:

I’m not getting younger. Sixty years is no joke.

But it doesn’t make sense to go out and get somebody if you don’t have the time. Right now, things are really, really very busy, because we have the refinery, we have the petrochemicals, we have the fertiliser, we have the gas pipeline.

It’s been often rumoured that the businessman intends to go into politics. Although Dangote mentioned nothing of the sort, he did say what he thinks about Nigerian leaders.

Nigeria has always had a lack of visionary leadership.

Read the full interview on Financial Times.

Photo Credit: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for TIME