Football enthusiasts have taken to social media to urge the President and Chief Executive Officer of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, to invest in the Nigeria Premier Football League.
This is against the backdrop of the billionaire business mogul regretting not buying the English Premier League giants, Arsenal, when his interest lies in owning a football club.
In an interview with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua in New York, Dangote explained that he missed out on buying Arsenal when the club were valued at around $2bn but instead committed his resources to the refinery project in Nigeria.
The Kano-born had in 2020 made known his intention to buy the North London club after his refinery project but has now shelved his ambition to take over at Emirates Stadium.
When asked if he regretted not buying when Arsenal’s value was lower, he said, “Actually, I regret not buying it before, but you know my money was more needed in completing my project (Dangote Refinery) than buying Arsenal. I would have bought the club for $2bn, but you know I wouldn’t have been able to finish my project. So, it was either I finish my project or go and buy Arsenal.”
The viral video, which has attracted a litany of reactions from Nigerians, has seen football enthusiasts call on Dangote to consider investing his wealth in the development of the NPFL.
Owochejo Francis said, “Why can’t you establish a football club here in Nigeria to help create more job opportunities and further promote the local league? As the richest man in Africa, if you own a club here, other people will follow in your footsteps.”
Arong Usang added, “Buy our Nigerian teams and sponsor them. The salaries of English players are enough to run our league with ease. So act like Ifeanyi Ubah… It’s not only the English Premier League that plays football.”
Adeniyi Adeleke also suggested that Dangote should invest heavily by owning a stadium.
