Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, has sparked reactions online after appearing to describe an Al Jazeera journalist, his wife and children as part of the “poor people” his refinery’s Initial Public Offering (IPO) is intended to benefit.

The comment came during an interview with Al Jazeera English when the journalist questioned why Dangote needed to raise money through an IPO when he could use his personal wealth to fund the expansion of his refinery.

“You are the richest Black man in the world, not only on the continent. Why do you need that much money? You can dip into your finances, take some money, fund the project. Why the IPO, and why now?” the journalist asked.

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Dangote responded that the IPO was not primarily intended to raise money for the refinery.

According to him, the bigger goal was to give ordinary people an opportunity to own a stake in the business and benefit from its growth.

“Okay, so let me tell you. The IPO we’re doing is not that we want to raise money. It is purely we want the poor people, people like my driver, my cook, your driver, your cook, yourself, your wife, and your kids, to have a piece of the action,” Dangote said.

The response quickly caught attention online, with social media users focusing on Dangote’s inclusion of the journalist, his wife and children among the “poor people” he was referring to.

Some users joked about the unexpected description, while others interpreted the response as Dangote’s way of illustrating his argument that the IPO is intended to broaden ownership of the refinery.

Dangote, however, used the moment to emphasise that the IPO is aimed at widening ownership of the Dangote Refinery beyond wealthy investors.

The refinery’s IPO opened on the Nigerian Exchange on September 14, with Dangote presenting the offer as an opportunity for Nigerians and other Africans to acquire a direct stake in the multibillion-dollar facility.

The offer comprises 4.1 billion new ordinary shares priced at ₦525 each, with both retail and institutional investors targeted.

Dangote has repeatedly described the share sale as a wealth-sharing initiative, arguing that ordinary people should have the opportunity to benefit from the refinery rather than leaving ownership concentrated among a small group of wealthy investors.

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The Al Jazeera interview has added another viral moment to the refinery’s IPO campaign, with Dangote’s comments about the journalist and his family sparking widespread online discussion.

See the reactions below.

“We want the poor people like my driver, my cook, your driver, your cook, YOUR SELF, YOUR WIFE, YOUR KIDS..” holy fucking shit man😭 pic.twitter.com/gJrtmKOSOE

— bigbird✬ (@terrificprodig1) September 24, 2026