Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, has revealed that drivers in his company earn four times the Nigerian national minimum wage, a salary he says is even higher than that of some graduates.
In an interview on Arise Television on Tuesday, Dangote defended the company’s recent launch of new trucks, stating they would create jobs rather than lead to job losses. “Will our tankers be driven by robots?” he asked, noting that each truck creates about six jobs, which would amount to 24,000 new jobs from the trucks being introduced.
He also highlighted the benefits for the company’s drivers, which include a house loan after five years of accident-free driving. “What we are saying is that our salary is almost three or four times their own,” Dangote said. “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.”
Dangote also stressed that joining the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) should be a voluntary decision for employees.