Trending 
Foundation says ₦40 billion scheme will bring students and vulnerable women into the refinery’s ownership, with Dangote ready to dilute his own stake
The Aliko Dangote Foundation says the refinery IPO will be “for the people,” and it is backing the claim with money.
Speaking on Newscentral’s Breakfast Central on Monday, Programme Director Aisha Halima Ilyasu said ₦25 billion has been earmarked for students and about ₦40 billion for the scheme as a whole.
Read More : Naira Holds Steady With Dollar At ₦1,333
Pressed on whether late subscribers would miss out once the first five million students are reached, she was unequivocal: “no one will be left out” adding that founder Alhaji Aliko Dangote is willing to dilute his own shares so students and vulnerable women can take part.
Ilyasu said beneficiaries are encouraged to hold their shares for a year, but the holding period is not mandatory, describing a share as a “living asset” that earns dividends and profits, and said the aim is for first-time investors to see how the market performs before deciding to sell.
While admitting that many investors have never touched the capital market, and that an optional holding period leaves the door open to quick sales, the Foundation’s answer is education: webinars on its website, sensitisation campaigns across all 36 states and the FCT, and outreach in local languages through community partners.
Ilyasu also revealed that the scheme reserves places for two million vulnerable women, many of them drawn from the Foundation’s micro-grant programme. Ilyasu drew a sharp line between the two: grants were meant to grow small businesses, while this is a stake in the refinery itself. Beneficiaries will be identified through the micro-grant database and through state governors and associations. Her summary: “double blessing.”
