‘I Am Not A Failure,” Controversial Nigerian Billionaire Furiously Fights Back On Live TV

Senator Jimoh Ibrahim, once famed as one of Nigeria’s leading business turnaround experts has debunked insinuations depicting him as a failure and killer of businesses.

Speaking in an interview the former owner of Nigeria Air who bought over some of Nigeria’s most profitable businesses including NICON Insurance, Nigeria Re, and Sofitel Hotel, Abuja said that it was a mark of his success that two different administrations conferred national honours on him.

He spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Monday night.

GWG.ng reports that the matter of Jimoh Ibrahim’s as a failure in the businesses became an issue during the interview after he made provocative claims including justifying the Nigerian government jaunt to the Dubai Climate conference. He also justified more government borrowings which critics say will be used for such jaunts as the Dubai Climate summit and the purchase of exotic vehicles for lawmakers.

Challenged on the rationality of his suggestions against the background of claims that his businesses had turned to failures, Senator Jimoh Ibrahim said:

“I am not here to talk about how successful Jimoh Ibrahim is. A 57-year-old with nine university degrees of Cambridge, Oxford, LSE and Havard. Degrees, not certificates. First in history to back PhD in business from University of Cambridge since 2009.

“Jimoh Ibrahim set up a bank in Ghana, another country gave him license to operate bank in that country. Jimoh Ibrahim set up a commercial bank in Dubai. Another country from Central Africa gave him the licence to operate it.

“Jimoh Ibrahim set up Air Nigeria, sold it and bought NICON Insurance, Nigeria Re, what are you talking about? At 57 I have done all of these and he is not successful? Thank you very much.”

Challenged on the successes of the businesses he is managing, he said:

“What is not successful? NICON Luxury, there are more than 150 guests there this night (Monday Night).

“NICON Insurance is insuring military, MDA (assets)…because we don’t come to the television to be making noise and running adverts then you think we are not successful.

“I am not successful but twice, this country under two governments that I don’t know about offered me national honours, OFR from late President Yar`Adua and then (President) Jonathan, CFR at the age of 40 is not successful?”

Reminded that he may have made some failures in his businesses, Jimoh Ibrahim retorted:

“That is normal. Even the Lord Jesus Christ will not claim that he saw it all without some challenges, after all his minister of finance, Judas Iscariot sold Him.

“A distinguished senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, chairman of the Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs is not successful?”

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