Aliko Dangote has reacted to the wave of jokes and memes that emerged online after Nigerians bought shares in his refinery and began playfully referring to themselves as his business partners.
The billionaire businessman addressed the trend during the 2026 Qatar Economic Forum while speaking with Bloomberg’s Francine Lacqua.
A video from the conversation circulated on X on September 21, showing Dangote acknowledging the humorous reactions that followed the launch of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals initial public offering (IPO).
Dangote jokes about board meeting
The billionaire appeared amused by the online trend, particularly jokes from new shareholders who have been acting as though their purchase of refinery shares made them partners in his business.
“You must have seen that they’ve been calling me now for a board meeting,” he said, drawing laughter from the audience.
His comment quickly added to the humour surrounding the share offer, with Nigerians continuing to create memes about their newly acquired relationship with the billionaire businessman.
Nigerians embrace Dangote refinery IPO
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals IPO opened on September 14, 2026, giving members of the public an opportunity to purchase shares in the company.
The shares were offered at ₦525 each, while investors could start with a minimum of 10 shares, bringing the entry cost to ₦5,250.
The offering was promoted as a “people’s IPO”, with the structure designed to make participation possible for a broad range of Nigerians, including traders, drivers and young people entering the investment market for the first time.
The company also set an ambitious target of attracting as many as 10 million shareholders across Africa.
The relatively low minimum subscription quickly became a major talking point online.
Following their purchases, some Nigerians began joking that they were now part-owners of the refinery and therefore qualified to call for meetings with Dangote.
Others shared humorous posts portraying themselves as newly appointed business partners, while some joked about stopping Dangote’s trucks whenever they wanted to raise complaints.
Dangote’s reaction to the trend has since added another layer to the online banter surrounding the refinery’s highly publicised share offering.
Watch the video below:
…..you can now see that my new business partners have been calling me for board meetings….”
Dangote reacts to the viral jokes from Nigerians who began calling themselves his
“business partners” after buying shares in the Dangote Refinery IPO😂😂 pic.twitter.com/IAMHaWqnPs— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) September 21, 2026
