Opportunity sometimes comes like Problem.
Aliko Dangote was born
into a wealthy home in Kano. He got his first degree in Cairo, Egypt. He
had always loved trading , and reports say he hawked sweets even as a
primary school child , even though his family was wealthy. Dangote is
really a very humble person even by the confessions of people who have
interacted with him.
But Dangote is not the only hardworking
Nigerian. He is not the only humble person around . He is probably not
the most business savvy in Africa. But he is certainly the richest
Blackman in the world . His companies employ over 11 , 000 people
directly – not to mention , distributors, contractors and other vendors
who depend on his businesses to thrive . Dangote is a blessing to
humanity.
There is no family in Nigeria today that does not have a
Dangote product in their home. If it is not sugar, then it is salt or
the house you are living in was built with a Dangote Cement . Everyone
has something to do with his business , so like Job he earns a little
off everyone and that is the way to get wealthy.
Dangote is the 23 rd
richest person in the world and is said to be the second most powerful
African alive . The question is how did Dangote attain such a height ?
Yes, you can’ t take away his hard work and business acumen, but that is
only the starting point. The answer will not be found in the Forbes
Magazine or on Wikipedia. The answer is in the verse of scripture quoted
above : If you are willing and obedient you will eat the good of the
land .
Sometime in the early 90 s Dangote had an encounter that
set his foot on the path of destiny. Archbishop Benson Idahosa had some
guests who needed to travel back urgently from Benin to Lagos to catch
up their flight to the US . Unfortunately by the time the Archbishop
took his guests to the airport they were told that the last flight for
the day was overbooked and not a single seat was available. As a matter
of fact , the passengers have boarded and were about to take off.
Idahosa asked for the plane to be delayed a few minutes and walked to
the tarmac where he was allowed to address the passengers. He pleaded
with them about the desperate situation of his guests and asked that two
persons should donate their seats for his guests to get to Lagos.
Everyone
in that plane was a Christian. Not one of them bated an eyelid. Some
pretended to be asleep, some pretended to be praying and the man of God
stood waiting.
From the back of the plane , a young man asked the
person sitting next to him to get up and together they vacated their
seat for the American visitors.
Idahosa stopped him in the aisle of the plane and asked,
“Youngman, what is your name and what do you do ?”
“ My name is Dangote , Aliko Dangote and this is my assistant . I am a trader, a businessman.”
It
was there and then, that Papa Idahosa prophesied to him that “ the
World will get up for you”. He prayed that God should take his business
beyond Africa and bless him beyond measure.
Today God has
answered that prayer. God destined that blessing for someone seated in
that plane that evening. But there was a condition attached to it –
Isa
1 :19 If you will only let me help you, if you will only obey , then I
will make you rich! Dangote’ s wealth today was meant for a Christian
businessman who was too proud, too fixated in his mind to offer the “
flamboyant man of God”, the “prosperity preacher” his seat.
My question is, if you were there on that plane, would you have taken the blessing ?
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