Africa’s wealthiest man Aliko Dangote has revealed that the voter turnout in Nigeria’s presidential election on Saturday was the highest he has witnessed in over two decades.
Billionaire businessman Dangote, who has voted in every Nigerian election since the country’s return to democracy in 1999, recently commented on the impressive voter turnout in Lagos, the nation’s commercial center.
Dangote described the turnout as “very, very impressive,” stating that he had observed a significant increase compared to previous elections. After casting his own vote, Dangote shared his observations with Channels TV, saying, “I’ve seen much more than the usual times.”
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization, echoed the sentiment of Dangote regarding the impressive turnout in Nigeria’s presidential election.
Okonjo-Iweala took to Twitter after casting her vote to share her observation that the turnout in her village was “unbelievable” and the largest she had ever seen in her years of voting.
It is important to note, however, that the Independent Nigerian Electoral Commission has yet to release official voter turnout figures for the country. While Dangote may have voted in a busy polling unit in Victoria Island, it remains to be seen if this trend held across all voting locations.
It is unsurprising that Dangote, the Nigerian billionaire and industrialist, would be interested in the outcome of the current presidential election. The election results are expected to have a significant impact on the country’s economy, which is a major concern for Dangote.
His construction of the Dangote Petrochemical Complex, a 650,000-barrel-per-day refinery that is set to be commissioned by the end of 2023, could give a boost to his fortune.
The Dangote Petrochemical Complex comprises two main components: the Dangote Oil Refinery and the Dangote Petrochemical Plant. Located in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, to the southeast of the Lekki Free Trade Zone, the complex covers an area of about 2,635 hectares, which is six times the size of Victoria Island.
The state-of-the-art facility is expected to significantly increase Nigeria’s refining capacity and cement the country’s position as a major player in the global oil and petrochemical industries. Although the official commissioning date of the refinery has not been announced, the group has stated that operations are expected to commence in 2023.
