I noticed a consistent behavioural pattern among Nigerian billionaires who run big businesses.

This behaviour is pronounced more among Mike Adenuga of Glo Brand and Aliko Dangote.

The behaviour is this: these business owners hardly hire Nigerians as business executives to run their businesses.

They prefer to travel as far as Pakistan, India, or Lebanon to hire their nationals to come to Nigeria to run their business.

Dangote's top executives are mainly from India and then Lebanese, while Mike prefers hiring Pakistan nationals to run Glo for him with his daughter Bella.

Dangote started hiring Indians business executives when he was a trader and since he transitioned into an industrialist, he has not looked back as he has doubled down in hiring them.

Hiring these guys comes at a steep price.

Most Dangote Group executives are Lebanese or Indian, and their annual salaries are up to 300 million naira per annum when converted to our local currency.

Aside from the high cost that they charge as salaries, you provide a duplex accommodation in Ikoyi or Banana Island with an SUV for them.

You also provide Hilux vehicle with policemen protecting them against kidnappers since they are endangered specie because of their white complexion.

Devakumar V. G. Edwin is one of Dangote's trusted lieutenants, as Aliko does not joke with him.

He has been with him since 1992, when he joined the business as a general manager.

At that time, Dangote was still a mega importer and a trader.

Edwin helped to transition the Dangote group into the industrial behomth that it is today from a trading company.

He is the one supervising the refinary project in Lekki for Dangote as Dangote trusted him so much, having supervised the building of the cement plants for the group all over Africa.

When you convert what Devakumar V. G. Edwin earns into Naira because he is paid in dollars by the Dangote group, the man earns more than 350 million naira salary per year.

Just like the rest of Dangote's top executives, he is an Indian national, and it is the same story across the whole gamut of Dangote's executives. .

The CEO Of Dangote sugar, RAVINDRA SINGH is an Indian national.

The same with the CEO of Dangote Cement.

Now I want to understand:

Why, despite the high cost of hiring them, are these Forbes billionaires more comfortable hiring Pakistanis, Indians, or Lebanese than Nigerians to manage their businesses in Nigeria?

Are they more ruthlessly efficient than their Nigerian business executives?

Is there any reason why this is so?

ultron12345:
I run a manufacturing business and a trading business.

The biggest challenge in my manufacturing business is not power, or infrastructure, the biggest challenge is getting honest staff.
Everyone we hire is appears to be on a mission to steal as much as possible. Inflated invoices, recording less than the actual number of units produced. The worst part of it all is that all the fraud we've uncovered is not done by a single person, it's usually many staff who collude with each other, from production, to sales, to finance, even top management.

There was a year I overhauled management 3 times in a year. But I've found a solution sha, I now use Indian management. So competent, so honest and so straightforward. I thought they were expensive at first with all the visa fees, accommodation, house staff, but now that losses due to staff theft have been reduced to a minimum, and efficiency increased, the Indian management has turned out to be cheaper than the previous Nigerian management. Now, all sensitive positions involving money go to Indians. Nigerians are only allowed in non-sensitive positions. I used to criticize companies like Dangote Group that hire so many Indians when there are many unemployed Nigerians, but now, I understand their decision.

My biggest challenge in the trading business is the same, getting honest staff. The form of trading occurs in the open market, and involves staff having access to huge sums of money running into a few millions. I know how much I pay to security companies to provide escorts for the staff, not to prevent robbery, but to ensure that the staff go straight to the bank to deposit the money after the day's sales and not disappear with my money. This money spent on security companies is even enough to be declared as profit. We have to spend on CCTV, biometric scanners and other things that wouldn't not be needed if staff weren't looking for the slightest opportunity to steal.

It got so bad at a point that my main criteria for employing staff was no longer competency but honesty. At least, competency and skills can be learnt, but once you're dishonest, you're dishonest.

We always complain of the economy and how they are no jobs. I know people abroad who would have loved to set up job creating businesses in Nigeria but they can't because they can't get any trustworthy person to run it.

I know people in Nigeria with so much money, they want to start factories and other job-creating businesses but they can't because they are occupied elsewhere and can't get any trustworthy person to run the business. So instead of investing in the real sector and creating jobs, they'll just buy treasury bills, while the thieves are shouting no jobs.

Many big businesses would have been born in Nigeria if we could engage in partnerships, but we can't because you can't trust anyone. This is one advantage the Indians and Lebanese have over us in Nigeria. They can pull resources together and do mega-business, unlike Nigerians that because only one person must do everything since we can't partner, end up with small, tiny businesses.

Start a poultry and they will be stealing your eggs. Some will even go ahead to be killing the chickens so that they'll be allowed to take them home.

Start an entertainment/viewing/game center and they'll be pocketing your money. On the days you're around at the business, the money
realized will be x10 of the money realized when you're not around, because they're eating your money.

Lease out a vehicle to a driver to use and watch as he'll finish you.

Start a restaurant, the same thing will happen. More than half of the total food ingredients will end up in their personal kitchens.

Even ordinary provisions shop, they will find a way to steal.

And you'll see these people point their crooked fingers at politicians when they're not any different. I usually say the reason most Nigerians haven't stolen billions of government money, is simply lack of opportunity.

Nigerians are the problem of Nigeria.

Pojomojo:
Tony Blair former PM of UK said, "Nigerians are fantastically CORRUPT"

Elsueno:
Unfortunately it's because most Nigerian workers are thieves, Only a few are honest & they are very hard to find.

I have seen a company that was working very well & taking care of thier dealers when the managers where of foreign origin..Immediately the owners started allowing Nigerians to take those positions, everything went downhill. They corner d benefits meant for d dealers & even illegal go towards cutting off the dealers with thier customers by posing as 'dealers' themselves.

If u can find a trustworthy Nigerian worker, u go enjoy well but once that's not available, bros stick to d foreigners, at least them fear what ever it is they worship

Elsueno:
Unfortunately it's because most Nigerian workers are thieves, Only a few are honest & they are very hard to find.

I have seen a company that was working very well & taking care of thier dealers when the managers where of foreign origin..Immediately the owners started allowing Nigerians to take those positions, everything went downhill. They corner d benefits meant for d dealers & even illegal go towards cutting off the dealers with thier customers by posing as 'dealers' themselves.

If u can find a trustworthy Nigerian worker, u go enjoy well but once that's not available, bros stick to d foreigners, at least them fear what ever it is they worship

Meerahbel:
hmmmmmmm

Pojomojo:
Yes, Google it

Meerahbel:
hmmmmmmm

Hamachi:
it's was actually captured ona live interaction with some dignitaries.

Meerahbel:

Gbengageorge:
The worst part of being a Nigerian is that they even instill in babies to be dishonest. Go to the senate houses, even the president can not be trusted with the country's treasuries. May God help Nigeria.

Gbengageorge:
The worst part of being a Nigerian is that they even instill in babies to be dishonest. Go to the senate houses, even the president can not be trusted with the country's treasuries. May God help Nigeria.

Gbengageorge:
The worst part of being a Nigerian is that they even instill in babies to be dishonest. Go to the senate houses, even the president can not be trusted with the country's treasuries. May God help Nigeria.

Oyindamolah:
This is the true reelection of the leadership in Nigeria.

Elsueno:
Unfortunately it's because most Nigerian workers are thieves, Only a few are honest & they are very hard to find.

I have seen a company that was working very well & taking care of thier dealers when the managers where of foreign origin..Immediately the owners started allowing Nigerians to take those positions, everything went downhill. They corner d benefits meant for d dealers & even illegal go towards cutting off the dealers with thier customers by posing as 'dealers' themselves.

If u can find a trustworthy Nigerian worker, u go enjoy well but once that's not available, bros stick to d foreigners, at least them fear what ever it is they worship