Dangote to FG: Sell NLNG, beef up reserves, and see if we won’t be out of recession by Dec

Aliko Dangote has prescribed ways through which Nigeria can get out of recession before the end of 2016.

In an interview with CNBC Africa, the billionaire said: “The only way for us to get out of this recession is to make sure we move into action quickly; action by diversifying the economy quickly.

Here are the details of Dangote’s prescription:

SELL STAKE IN NLNG AND AFRICAN FINANCE COOPERATION

“If I had challenges in my company, I would not hesitate to sell assets, to remain afloat, to get to the better times, because it doesn’t make any sense for me to keep any assets and then suffocate the whole organisation.

“What we need to do now in my own thinking… we have a lot of assets to sell. We can sell part of the joint venture; part of the shares. You know government normally owns 60 percent.

“We can sell in an open tender be it Chinese. We can change the term and make it an operating one, just like what we have in NLNG. We also have another asset I think we don’t really need.

“The African finance corporation; it can fetch them $800million easily. My own suggestion before was that they should even sell 100 percent of NLNG. I don’t think government should be in any business of investing in sectors of LNG.

“A company like that, with earnings of $1.5 billion on the average, they should get anywhere between $12 billion and $15 billion.”

SHORE UP RESERVES WITH NLNG SALE PROCEEDS

“You will not believe that the crisis that we have today, if we have $15 billion, adding it to our $25 billion, that is $40 billion reserves. That will give confidence, confidence will come back, then government will back it up with proper economic policy, where people can see the roadmap.

“Latest by fourth quarter we will be out of recession. It should be a partnership between government and private sector. We have all the answers, Nigeria falling into recession does not really scare me, if we take action.”

NAIRA AT 250 TO THE DOLLAR

The businessman said if the government boosts reserves as suggested, the naira may fall to 250 to the dollar and help the economy.

“Once we can sell assets, and put $15 billion together, you’d be very shocked at how much the dollar will actually drop, you can easily see 250. What is happening today is mere speculation.

“To currency, everybody will speculate, banks will speculate, companies will speculate, individuals will speculate, because if you have money you want to send in from abroad you will keep sending in trickles.

“If you know that CBN has $40 billion in reserves today, if you have $100,000, you might even sell it forward because you know that this rate is going to crash and you must quickly sell it.”

OTHER THINGS WE LEARNT FROM DANGOTE’S INTERVIEW

India has no oil, yet has over 2 billion tonnes in refining capacity
Nigeria imports poverty and export jobs
We do not produce up to five percent of the clothes we wear
Government should not be in the business of building factories, but just collecting taxes
China has more than 500 billionaires on the Forbes list and over three million millionaires
If I have to build a road of 1,000 kilometres in Nigeria, I don’t have to waste years talking about it. I raise money and build it, and hand over to government after 20 to 25 years.
If not for Dangote Cement, government will have to put down $2.5 billion dollars in 2016 to import cement.
We need 65 million cubic metres of sand for Dangote refinery.
Dangote Refinery mechanical completion will finish by 2018, but oil will flow into the refinery by first quarter of 2019.