By Sabiu Abdullahi
Chairman of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has urged the international community to step into the ongoing Middle East crisis. He warned that the situation could push many countries back to conditions similar to the COVID-19 period.
Dangote made the remarks on Monday after meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at his residence in Lagos.
He raised concerns about the instability in global oil prices and its wider economic impact. He noted that Nigeria and other African nations may have no choice but to adopt remote working arrangements if the situation worsens.
Dangote also appealed for prayers and global intervention to bring the conflict to an end, as it continues to influence fuel prices and other energy costs.
He said, “In some countries today, what they’ve done is ask everybody to work from home because they cannot afford it.
“I think in Indonesia, they only go to work four days a week. And they will look at the situation. If it doesn’t improve, they will ask everybody not to go to work anymore. We will do like that time of COVID, where people will now go and work from home,” Dangote said.
He further explained that the crisis could encourage opportunistic pricing, which would worsen the burden on citizens.
“It’s not only energy. Some people will try to take a chance and say, ‘Ah, this is an opportunity. So, let me make money. So, if this thing doesn’t de-escalate, it is going to keep going up and governments cannot really now go and add salaries also. So, people will really feel the pinch,” he said.
Dangote stressed that small-scale operators would be among the most affected, especially those who depend on fuel-powered equipment.
“People who are barbers, people who are doing bread, people who have industries who have to pay their own generator, I mean, you can see what is happening,” he said.
On a different note, Dangote commended President Tinubu for his recent visit to the United Kingdom. He pointed to the £746 million infrastructure agreement signed during the trip as a major achievement.
“It has not been easy dealing with the British, getting this kind of money out of them. They, too, are struggling on their own. But I think this is to show confidence—it’s not about the money. It’s about the confidence in Nigeria,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the agreement would attract more international partnerships. Dangote added that Nigerian investors can now access funding support from the UK Export Finance agency, which has remained underutilised for years.
