Dangote's 'poor people' remark on refinery IPO sparks online reactions

Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote has sparked a heated conversation online after explaining why he is taking his multibillion-dollar petroleum refinery to the public market.
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‎During an interview with Al Jazeera journalist Ahmed Idris, Dangote was asked why he needed to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) when he could comfortably use his personal fortune to finance the refinery and its expansion.
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‎The businessman said the share sale was not mainly about raising money. 
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‎Instead, he said it was designed to give ordinary people an opportunity to own part of one of Africa’s biggest industrial businesses.
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‎“Okay, so let me tell you, the IPO we are 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, your kids to have a piece of action. We want to see how do we create wealth", he said.
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‎Dangote’s explanation was linked to his wider plan to make wealth creation more accessible to everyday Africans. 
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‎He said the public should not only watch wealthy individuals build large companies but should also have an opportunity to invest in them and benefit from their growth.
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‎However, his choice of words quickly became the main subject of discussion on social media. 
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‎Many users joked that Dangote had unintentionally included the journalist, his wife and his children among the “poor people” he was referring to.
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‎Others described the response as a clever comeback, saying the billionaire appeared to “cook” the journalist while making his point. 
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‎Memes and humorous comments have since spread widely as people focused on the unexpected way Dangote grouped the interviewer and his family with drivers and cooks.
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‎Despite the online jokes, Dangote’s central message was about ownership and financial inclusion. 
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‎Reports said the refinery’s IPO was being presented as a way for more Nigerians and Africans to become shareholders in a major energy company. 
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‎The offering is also expected to become one of Africa’s biggest public share sales.
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‎Dangote has further indicated that other companies under his business group could eventually be listed, allowing more members of the public to own stakes in important African enterprises.