For a long now, there has been a silent battle of who’s who on the list of nigeria’s richest billionaires. To quench the thirst for knowledge and put an end to this long time exaggeration, i decided to carry out an individual research. The comprehensive result of this research is what i want to share here.
Most people on this list decided to lie low and avoid the lime light of the Forbes ranking but they are billionaires by all standards. These men and women stinkingly rich because they were able to spot best small business ideas that others miss. They are rich because they took advantage of the business opportunities in Nigeria. I also want to let you know that if all these men should declare their assets to Forbes, it will raise some dust for some of them and it will also create a battle for the first position between them. These men and women are testimonies of the daring spirit of Nigerians; if you want to learn how to start a small business and join this list, then read on.
The criteria for coming up with this list is this:
1. By the value of their shares held in quoted companies.
2. The size and market share of their companies
3. The number of companies they own and its assumed value
4. The market value of their company’s brand
5. Their political activities, leverage and shrewdness
My comprehensive list of the Top 50 Richest Nigerians without regards to position and ranking.
1. Aliko Dangote: Owner of Dangote Group and Forbes richest black man.
2. Dr Mike Adenuga: A Silent humble Billionaire, Chairman, Globacom, Equitorial Trust Bank, Conoil and others.
3. Jimoh Ibrahim: Global Fleet and Nicon Group, one of Africa’s largest Insurance company
4. Late Sanusi Dantata: Largest licensed buying agent of groundnut and cement. Grand father of Aliko Dangote. He mentored and gave Aliko Dangote a loan of N500,000, excluding other settlement pay in 1976.
5. Olorogun Michael Ibru: The man behind the wealth of the Ibru Family.
6. Pascal Dozie: Silent Billionaire, founder of Diamond Bank, MTN Nigeria Ltd etc.
7. Late Gen Sani Abacha: Former Head of State
8. Rtd Gen Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida: Former Head of State and frontline politician
9. Umaru Abdul Mutallab: Mutallab Group, former chairman of First Bank Plc. If not for the terrorism act of his son, nobody would have known much about this silent billionaire.
10. Orji Uzor Kalu: Slok Group, former Governor and frontline Politician
11. Alhaji Shehu Dantata: Dantata Group
12. Femi Otedola Chaiman of AP and owner of Zenon Oil and Gas
13. Harry Akande: Frontline politician and Business man.
14. Chris Uba: Business man and no-nonsense political Godfather
15. Oba Otudeka: Honeywell Group and other companies
16. Olusegun Obasanjo: Former president of Nigeria, rumored to be worth about N180bn
17. Late Maryam Babangida: Wife of IBB, Business woman. humble, silent and stinkingly rich.
18. Andy Uba: Business man, frontline politician. Owns lots of properties including two mansions in Maitama Abuja valued at N4bn each. In Maitama, a plot of land goes for nothing less than N800m .
19. Atiku Abubakar: Former vice President of Nigeria and frontline politician.
20. Hajiya Dr Mariya Dantata: Strong business woman. Very quiet about her financial status.
21. Chief Rasaq Okoya: Eleganza Group
22. Cosmos Maduka: Owner of Coscharis Group, sole distrbutor of BMW and Ford vehicles in west Africa
23. Pastor Enoch Adeboye: Overseer, Redeemed Christian Church Of God. Owns two Jets and ships.
24. Alhaji Sayyu Dantata: founder, MRS Group. Recently acquired Chevron Nigeria and Texaco
25. Deinde Fernandez: Nigerian business man in diaspora
26. Late sir Mobolaji Bank Anthony: Rich business man with over ten companies
27. Peter Odili: former Governor of oil rich state, owns a jet.
28. Bayo Ligali: MD/CEO Zain Nigeria, also controls other companies.
29. Bola Ahmed Tinubu: former Governor of Lagos state, frontline politician
30. Raymond Dokpesi: Owner of AIT, Daar communication, Ray power etc
31. James Ibori: former Governor of Delta state
32. Chief Cletus Ibeto: founder and owner of the Ibeto Group
33. Otunba Subomi Balogun: Chaiman, FCMB
33. Fola Adeola: founder GTBank
34. Gabriel Osawuru Igbinedion: Okada Group
35. Jim Ovia: founder of Zenith Bank, Visafone Telecom
36. Dele Fajemirokun: Chaiman, Aiico Insurance, Xerox Nigeria, Chicken Republic, Kings Guards etc.
37. Late Yinka Folawiyo: Folawiyo Group
38. Chief Molade Okoya Thomas: Chairman CFAO Nig and other six french companies
39. Umaru Dikko: frontline politician
40. Buba Marwa: former military Governor of Lagos state
41. Late M.K.O Abiola: Business man and frontline politician
42. Sir Emeka Offor: Chrome Group, ERHC Energy inc
43. Wale Babalakin: Chairman, Bi-Courtney
44. Rochas Okorocha: Business man how to make a million dollars fast
45. Abdulsamad Rabiu: Chairman/CEO BUA Group
46. Late Augustine Llodibe: Transport Magnate, Ekenedili Chukwu
47. Tony Ezenna: Oranges Drugs Group
48. Alhaji Sani Dangote: Shrewd Northern Business man.
49. Chief Ade Ojo: Elizade Nig Ltd, distributor of Toyota cars
50. Prince Samuel Adedoyin: Doyin Group
This is the comprehensive list of the top 50 richest nigerian billionaires. Others who are also rich but did not make the top 50 are:
Tony Elumelu: MD/CEO UBA Group
Arthur Nzeribe frontline Politician
Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu frontline politician and business man
Ifeanyi Ubah Capital Oil and Gas
Cecilia Ibru MD/CEO Oceanic Bank (she did not make the top 50 because much of her wealth is traced to her husband)
Our research also shows that the some of the Richest families in Nigeria are:
The Dantata family
Abacha family
Babangida family
Ibru family
Uba family
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