'Dangote Trucks' The killing machines of an African richest man (Exclusive)

Dangote trucks are labelled killing machines as fatal accidents mount nationwide, raising questions on safety, accountability and billionaire power

For the 11th time in a roll, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has been named Africa’s richest by Forbes.

For a man who has spent the last 40years turning fortunes into mega fortunes, it is not such a big deal to keep competition at a distant rear. As a matter of fact, Dangote has become a global brand for achievements, with the figurative Midas touch. Nothing Dangote touches remain small. He is a master at scaling, visionary per excellence and tireless success climber, who maximise resources to turn his dreams into reality.

But like Glen Cook puts it “Rich men have dreams. Poor men die to make them come true”, capitalists the kinds of Dangote are dream makers, but their entire empires are built on breaking backs of the have-nots, who are often the expendables in the society’s marriage with the super-rich to drive economic prosperity.

Capitalist Dangote is a critical part of the Nigerian economy; provides jobs for tens of thousands, commands economic activities with multiplier effects in the development of the nation.

Dangote is the grandson of the legendary Kano billionaire, Alh. Alhasaan Dantata, a common Almajiri who built up a billionaire empower from the scratch and passed on the cheat sheet to his generation.

Apparently, he is a first class graduate from that family’s school of resourcefulness. He moved from being an import merchant to a multi-industry manufacturer and took the problem-solving dexterity along.

It wasn’t strange to Freelanews then that to every industry he brought his business hacks to fix its challenges and leverage the opportunities. For instance, one of the biggest problem that limited the capacities of cement manufacturers in Nigeria was the problem of distribution, majorly haulage and logistics.

Dangote, in his grandiose style knocked out that problem by splashing investments in company-owned trucking services. As of today there are over 10,000 Dangote trucks pushing tens of tons of his products through the distribution channel Pan-Nigeria. This singular investment provides jobs for over 25,000 people; a strong validation for his capitalist self.

But with such credible benefit come the cons – the toll and dangers of concurrently running 29,000kg machines across the length and breadth of the nation.

From the costly damages to public infrastructure, which often have adverse effects on the livelihood of people in host communities, to the collateral damages that occurs by way of involuntary manslaughter in the numerous Dangote truck accidents, the question is when will the umpire call a foul on the excesses of the anointed one?

Freelanews may not bother to demand a town cry on the quantum destruction Dangote’s 10,000 machines are causing public infrastructure, at least he has been patting the government’s back by fixing roads along his vital haulage corridors with left-over cement from his factory. But as a matter of urgency we need to pull the Big Man to the village square to compel him to recalibrate his killer machines, or at least apologies for building his dreams on the grave of people one too many.

In the last one year alone, Dangote’s killer machines have taken the innocent lives of 37 people in Kogi, Ogun, Lagos, Enugu, Edo, Kaduna, Ondo etc., across all the geopolitical zones, in similitude of meeting the federal character principle! Freelanews noted that amongst these causalities were high-grade students in Delta and Ondo, parents, children, entire families, bread winners, leaders, professionals, educators and most importantly hopefuls!

Like Capitalist Dangote, these individuals had dreams of their own. Families, friends, their communities, the nation and world looked up to them and what they could have become. They were also potential Alh. Alhassan Dantatas, who had the possibilities of charting a new lineage of wealth, a dynasty of billionaires, which could birth another Dangote. Theirs was aborted to keep the engines of the Capitalist Forbes man’s running.

Of course, the society needs to promote and support the vision of its high performers, yet must ensure it does not, among other things, obfuscate the very essence of humanity, the need to protect the right to life itself!

The popular maxim of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, “my ambition is not worth the bloodshed of any man” comes to mind when evaluating the exasperating silence of the billionaire owner of these killer machines to the escalating recurrence of this sad happenstance.

The gentleman personality of the Alhaji hibernates when it’s time to carry the trash made by his company’s activities, maybe he needs not to even bother since he has paid his way to pedestals above questioning!

The bigger society is only afforded the courtesy of monotonous press releases, with lazy effort at crisis communication, without any concrete plan to address the matter itself and arrest the prospering of this menace.

More despondently, in cases of fatality, the billionaire philanthropy suddenly secures reasons to evade compensating victims, or in some rare occasions, insult families of the bereaved with paltry sums and ridiculous process for collection.

In saner climes, Dangote Cement would have been enmeshed in multiple law suits and compelled to pay huge compensations as deterrent. But the saying goes, “child whose hands have not grabbed the cutlass cannot demand the identity of the killer of his mother!”.

A deeper reflection into the big man’s apathy amplifies the deafening silence of the government.

Sir Dangote has been anointed by the powers that be as the economic champion of Nigeria. Well, a position well earned. And like we tolerate totalitarianism in governance, regulators think he is only deserving of praise singing and no knocks.

In any case, why do we expect anything else, when FG has recently further endorsed Dangote’s premiership with a gift box of $2.9billion to his new baby who hasn’t even taken her first breath? Freelanews wonders who would call Alhaji out when his ‘5000 tankers’ join his killer machines network upon commencement of the refinery?

Is it the referee who is now wearing his team’s jersey or the ‘Poor’ who would get tired of given up their lives to power the Capitalist’s dream to reality?