Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has defended the company’s treatment of drivers, insisting they earn far above the Nigerian national minimum wage.
Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, Dangote said drivers at the conglomerate make “three or four times” the minimum wage, often surpassing the salaries of some university graduates. He argued that fears of job losses due to the company’s newly launched fleet of trucks were unfounded.
“The trucks we launched didn’t stop anyone from their work. We hear there will be a loss of jobs. Will our tankers be driven by robots?” he asked.
According to him, each truck involves at least six employees, and the company’s expanded operations are expected to generate around 24,000 new jobs.
Dangote also revealed that drivers who maintain clean safety records over a five-year period are eligible to apply for house loans. “Our drivers earn more than graduates. If you look at what they earn in a month, it’s almost four times the national minimum wage,” he stated.
The billionaire industrialist further stressed that joining the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) should remain voluntary, amid tensions between the company and the union.
