Aliko Dangote, President and CEO of Dangote Industries Limited (DIL), has reiterated his commitment to making the current Dangote Petroleum Refinery Initial Public Offering (IPO) a truly “People’s IPO,” guaranteeing retail and small investors priority allocation in the event that the offer is oversubscribed.
Speaking on the public offer, Aliko Dangote said: “This is more than a capital-raising exercise. It is a historic opportunity to deepen financial inclusion, democratise wealth creation and enable ordinary Nigerians to become co-owners of a world-class industrial enterprise. From the beginning, our vision has been to create a genuine People’s IPO that allows millions of Nigerians to share directly in the success of this refinery.”
He explained that the offer was deliberately structured to broaden ownership of one of Africa’s most strategic industrial assets and give millions of Nigerians an opportunity to participate directly in the refinery’s growth and future value creation. The IPO is designed to deepen financial inclusion and democratise wealth creation by opening ownership to a wider segment of society.
According to him, one of the core objectives of the offer is to build one of the largest shareholder communities in Africa, with a target of attracting not less than 10 million investors from Nigeria and across the continent.
He disclosed that while the Company welcomes participation from all categories of investors, allocation decisions in the event of oversubscription would be guided by the principle of broad-based ownership.
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“If the offer is oversubscribed, retail and small investors will receive priority consideration. We are determined to ensure that ordinary Nigerians are not crowded out by large subscriptions. Our objective is not merely to raise capital, but to create millions of shareholders who can participate in the growth and prosperity of the Dangote Refinery. We want as many people as possible to own a stake in this national asset.”
According to Dangote, prioritising retail investors is consistent with his long-held belief that economic development should go hand in hand with widespread citizen participation and ownership.
“We believe prosperity should be shared by the many, not concentrated in the hands of a few. This refinery was built to transform Nigeria’s energy landscape, and we want millions of Nigerians to be part owners of that transformation,” he said.
Dangote further noted that the IPO represents a significant step towards building an ownership economy in which civil servants, artisans, traders, professionals, cooperative societies, pension contributors, young entrepreneurs and Nigerians in the diaspora can participate directly in one of Africa’s most important industrial enterprises.
He added that the offer has been designed to be simple, transparent and technology-driven, with BVN-enabled subscription channels helping to remove traditional barriers that have historically limited participation in the capital market.
Expressing confidence in the success of the offer, Dangote said the IPO would not only deepen Nigeria’s capital market but also stand as a landmark example of inclusive wealth creation.
“Our ambition is clear. We want to build a shareholder base of at least 10 million investors and create one of the most widely owned companies in Africa. That is the essence of the People’s IPO. It reflects our conviction that every Nigerian should have the opportunity to participate in the value being created by this world-class refinery.”
