FEUDING BILLIONAIRES,AND THEIR AFFECT ON YOU
Nigerians love a good fight. Even better if it's the variety that pits one moneybag against the other. It is said money-making skills usually come with a personality that exudes discipline and calm; but we are often happy to see the richest among us occasionally let down their guards and reveal they are just as passionate and temperamental as the rest of us. Yes, ready to mix it up.
Such public scrapes let us know those in the monied class also have their moments of anger, that certain things make them mad and which they just won't take anymore. At those moments, the feuding rich among us are more like the touts and "agberos" of the numerous motorparks and less than the high-flying Croesus whose unfathomable wealth hold the rest of us in thrall.
But big money men (and women) do not quite fight like motor park touts and "agberos". No, it is much more serious. Others will even say "deadly". One can often hang around to see how a shouting match or brawl between two or more touts in a motor park will end. If you're unfortunate, you might probably get cut by a shard of broken glass or other objects inadvertently thrown your way by one of the urchin-like gladiators.
What happens when two billionaires fight? For one, you might not even know there is a major altercation underway. That is, until your life savings---and even your life---start melting away before your very eyes. This is the spectacle being inflicted on ordinary Nigerians caught in the middle of the on-going battle of wits---and wills---between billionaires Aliko Dangote and Femi Otedola.
Both men are the only two Nigerians among a handful of others from the African continent who have managed to make it to the authoritative Forbes magazine's list of dollar-denominated billionaires in the world. While Dangote's rating improved from 334 in 2008 to 261 this year, Otedola is a new entrant to the list. Dangote, 51, is now reportedly worth $2.5 billion, while Otedola, 42, is worth $1.2 billion.
Aside from the Forbes connection, Otedola and Dangote have, until recently, enjoyed a close personal bond, which makes their present feud all the more unfathomable. Only a few years ago, it is said, the two men operated like inseparable twins. They also suckled and were extensively nurtured under the generous governmental and financial patronage of erstwhile president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
Even before Obasanjo's second coming, Dangote was widely known as the scion of a rich trading family from Kano who had for decades maintained a near-monopoly on the supply of rice, sugar and cement into the vast, domestic Nigerian market. The Obasanjo Presidency and its privatization exercise brought even more opportunities for the Dangote brand. The man is now believed to have a stranglehold on the supply of these and other commodities in the Nigerian market. Those vast, new opportunities garnered during the Obasanjo dispensation surely helped a great deal to earn Dangote the honour of being named to Forbes' magazine's list of the world's richest men.
But did that particular distinction also lay the groundwork for Dangote's feud with his former "BFF", Otedola?
Not too long after Dangote's first Forbes appearance, a cryptic announcement came from his bosom friend, Femi Otedola, to the effect that his holding company planned to start making massive investments in companies engaged in sugar and cement production, starting with the Dangote Group. But one would have expected that Otedola, a diesel magnate, would direct his investment efforts to the Nigerian oil and gas sector, especially the profitable but capital-intensive upstream sector monopolized by multinational corporations.
It has been said that Otedola started buying shares in Dangote's publicly-traded sugar company in revenge for the latter's action in preventing Otedola-owned Zenon Oil's bid to buy Chevron's local Nigerian subsidiary. However, one fears this is simply a fight ignited by a much-hyped billionaires list; a fight spurred by over-sized egos pandering to entrance and retention in the big-bucks cult of Forbes.
When the announcement of Dangote's first appearance on the billionaires list was made, many must have thought the immediate danger was the opportunity created for influence-peddling by potential "Forbes brokers", both foreign and domestic, who would promise lobbying on behalf of Nigeria's tribe of billionaires to make their name appear on the list, in exchange for hefty "consultation fees".
Among the billionaires themselves, the infamous Nigerian factor now appears to have crept in. Thus, an appearance on the Forbes list has now become a title to be chased and celebrated by the billionaires and their supporters alike, much like the chieftaincy and honourary doctorate titles that have become a staple of Nigeria's monied ranks in the recent past. Even the brief description of Otedola in the current Forbes list mentioned his feud with Dangote, a distinction reserved for only the two Nigerian entrants on the list!
It is within this context that one locates the controversy regarding the alleged manipulation of Otedola-owned African Petroleum shares on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange by Nova Securities and Finance Limited, stockbrokers to the Dangote Group.
AP had alleged that NOVA, acting on Dangote's instructions, manipulated its share's value through incessant buy and sell transactions, a situation that caused its (AP) share price to fall steeply from around N293 per share to just N50 per share within the space of eight weeks, an 82% drop and with losses to AP and its investors in the tens of billions of naira. It was further learnt during the investigation that Chairman of Nova, one Eugene Anenih, was said to have confessed his company carried out the alleged manipulation of AP shares on instructions from certain principals within the Dangote Group.
Upon subsequent investigations, officials of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) suspended Nova Finance and Securities Limited from all capital market activities for breaching the rules of the Exchange in relation to the shares of AP. The Nigerian Stock Exchange further said Nova had failed to act with utmost regard to market integrity and the ethics of the stockbroking profession. It said its investigations and findings revealed Nova's dealings in that regard breached Articles 103 and 107 of the SEC's rules and regulations. These preclude the Exchange's Dealing Members from creating a false market on a specific security in order to effect a change in its price.
But, should we really believe Dangote or those acting on his behalf allegedly spent so much money to manipulate shares in Otedola's flagship company and dilute its value as a payback for Otedola's bid to become a sugar and cement baron overnight? One doesn't think so. The answer, to put it simply, lies in an expensive---and extensive--- bout of ego-tripping engendered by access to the giddy world of Forbes.
Think about it: if stock valuations of public companies figure so much in estimating an individual's net worth for the purpose of appearing on the Forbes' List, what better way to adversely affect that person's continued presence on the list than to manipulate the stock prices of the companies in which the (upstart) billionaire has an interest? This is probably the first time that stock manipulation and other forms of malfeances on a stock exchange will be driven not by greed and an insatiable quest for material wealth but by ego and self-aggrandizement, coupled with the need to clip someone else's "wings".
Another Nigerian first!
But this bout in ego-tripping comes at a very steep price. For Dangote, it is those shareholders of his publicly-held companies who will see the values of their shares plummet if the NSE and other authorities come up with further sanctions in response to the misguided onslaught allegedly launched against AP on the floor of the stock exchange. In more well-ordered climes, even the mere exposure of the manipulation allegedly orchestrated by Dangote would cause the shares of companies in the group to plummet, since sanctions against such acts usually run in the millions (or billions).
Even more, this strange fight between two rather mis-matched billionaires throw up certain issues regarding shareholders' rights. One is specifically referring to the ability of shareholders in publicly-quoted companies to file shareholder derivative lawsuits under the relevant securities laws, to target mismanagement by those in control of their company.
An obvious target in that regard will be owner-billionaires inclined to sacrifice the value of their companies' publicly-quoted shares in a fight over another person's net worth or appearance on the Forbes' billionaires list. When such a misguided fight ultimately and surely proves costly, either through litigation brought against the initiator-company by its adversary or sanctions imposed by authorities, then the shareholders should be empowered to recover against the "gladiator-owner or director" on behalf of the company, by pleading a breach of the duty of care.
Such a duty would also run to the owner/director of the company which stock was so allegedly targeted, in this case, Otedola's AP. That is, it is not just enough for him to enter into a truce with Dangote; he must also ensure, if he has not already initiated moves to do so, that whatever settlement is arrived at between him and his erstwhile friend leads to the recovery of the value in shares lost to the alleged manipulation, and restitution for his shareholders. Failure to do this justifiably leaves Otedola open to charges of breaching the duty of care owed his shareholders, who can then seek redress by filing a derivative lawsuit on behalf of the publicly-held company.
Beyond the potential reliefs to be obtained from courts, however, one feels strongly inclined to caution Nigerians who are on the Forbes list or eyeing same (or scheming to keep others off it) to check their egos when such come in conflict with the interests of shareholders in their publicly-quoted companies. Afterall, shareholders essentially "loaned" them the money raised from the capital market.
Granted that these massive capital market funds have swelled some of our billionaires' coffers well enough for them to be considered worthy of mention in the prestigious Forbes List. But didn't one of these home-grown billionaires say sometime ago that you're not really a billionaire if you owe equally massive amounts of money to someone else?
Like shareholders…
ok conclusion if Otedola lost half a billion how do you think he would get it back,1.Increase the price of Diesel etc and other products he controls.2.The NSE if and when they pay him will have to get that money from somewhere .3.If you bought shares in AP lets just also assume you have lost big time .4.If you own any Dangote Stock Please shine your eyes . The grass effect is the worst thing that can happen in this period of economic uncertaintys.Culled and Recut from nigeria World .comments are required . Thanks
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