₦airaland Forum

Aliko Dangote Tops Forbes List of Top 10 Black Billionaires in 2025.

How does Forbes determine these things? I am 100% certain that these people didn't disclose their earnings to anyone because rich people, probably because of safety concerns, don't like discussing their wealth.

Given what the media has made us believe, there are people who are by far richer than these folks who made the list but they are silent kingmakers who don't want the world to know them. We have been told they are the biggest problems in our world

My name will be there one day by God's grace.
Even if the character is not yet complete

[quote author=SmartPolician post=136539881]How does Forbes determine these things? I am 100% certain that these people didn't disclose their earnings to anyone because rich people, probably because of safety concerns, don't like discussing their wealth.

Forbes’ billionaire lists are not as transparent as they look, but they do have a formula. The key is verifiable wealth.
1. Source of Wealth Must Be Traceable
• To make the list, a person’s wealth has to be linked to something measurable: stock holdings, real estate, dividends, company valuations. Rumors, whispers, or “we all know he’s rich” don’t count.
2. Public Listings Help
• Most Africans who appear on Forbes have publicly listed businesses (e.g., Dangote Cement). This makes their stakes and market value easy to calculate. If your empire is hidden in shell companies, private oil wells, or unlisted mines, it won’t show up.
3. Americans Are Easier to Track
• In the U.S., people file taxes, disclose assets, and many companies are public. Even private billionaires often have some paper trail — real estate, investment funds, or company valuations that leak into the open.
4. The Invisible Billionaires
• Yes, there are African power brokers, ex-military rulers, politicians, and private resource owners with fortunes bigger than Forbes’ poster boys. But they stay off the radar. Why? Their wealth often comes from embezzlement, looting, state capture, and opaque deals. That kind of money isn’t counted because it’s deliberately hidden — sometimes offshore, sometimes in proxies’ names.
5. The Dangote Illusion
• To assume Dangote is the richest black man alive is naïve. He is simply the most visible, measurable, and “presentable” for global media. Nigeria alone has shadow figures with deeper vaults, but because their cash pipelines are rooted in corruption and secrecy, they will never be Forbes-approved.

How Mike Adenuga dey always dey list I never still understand....


Bkuz I believe he no fit be only this Glo network wey dey torment people life they give am the money

Lol that is what they call God grace when God do am for you people go they ask how... Lol life drama...

inoki247:
How Mike Adenuga dey always dey list I never still understand....


Bkuz I believe he no fit be only this Gko network wey dey torment people life they give am the money

This must be fake list without minimum of 10 business men from South East Nigeria

SmartPolician:
How does Forbes determine these things? I am 100% certain that these people didn't disclose their earnings to anyone because rich people, probably because of safety concerns, don't like discussing their wealth.

Given what the media has made us believe, there are people who are by far richer than these folks who made the list but they are silent kingmakers who don't want the world to know them. We have been told they are the biggest problems in our world

I know why you are questioning how Forbes came up with these list

I know why you claimed there are far richer black men who don't declare their wealth because of security concerns lol.

Babangida, Obasanjo, Abdulsalami and Tilimgbu all looking at the list while smiling at peoples "foolishness"..

Incredible to see Aliko Dangote topping Forbes' 2025 List of Top 10 Black Billionaires! His relentless drive, from cement to refining, showcases the power of vision and resilience in building a global business empire. Kudos to all the trailblazers on this list for breaking barriers and inspiring the next generation of wealth creators!

It would be really hard to displace Dangote from the top spot.

owobokiri:
Babangida, Obasanjo, Abdulsalami and Tilimgbu all looking at the list while smiling at peoples "foolishness"..

And you think you are wise
Go understand what Forbes is about illiterate

SmartPolician:
How does Forbes determine these things? I am 100% certain that these people didn't disclose their earnings to anyone because rich people, probably because of safety concerns, don't like discussing their wealth.

Given what the media has made us believe, there are people who are by far richer than these folks who made the list but they are silent kingmakers who don't want the world to know them. We have been told they are the biggest problems in our world

It is been determined through their stock and assets

SmartPolician:
How does Forbes determine these things? I am 100% certain that these people didn't disclose their earnings to anyone because rich people, probably because of safety concerns, don't like discussing their wealth.

Given what the media has made us believe, there are people who are by far richer than these folks who made the list but they are silent kingmakers who don't want the world to know them. We have been told they are the biggest problems in our world

Reasons for Exclusion from Forbes' List
---------------------------------------------------------------
Difficulty in Verifying Wealth:
Some individuals have their wealth held in ways that make it difficult for Forbes to estimate or verify, such as private companies, complex trust structures, or undisclosed assets.
Criminal or Unethical Activity:
Criminals, drug dealers, and arms dealers are excluded because their wealth is derived from illicit activities.
Control of State Resources:
Dictators, monarchs, and some royal family members are often excluded because their wealth is tied to their political or state position, making it difficult to separate personal wealth from the wealth of the state or government.
Temporary Political Instability:
Forbes may temporarily remove billionaires from a country if there is widespread political instability or uncertainty that hinders the assessment of their wealth, as seen with Saudi billionaires in 2018 due to a government crackdown on prominent businessmen.
Failure to Meet Net Worth Requirements:
Many individuals are excluded each year because their net worth falls below the minimum threshold required for the list, due to market fluctuations, business downturns, or other factors that reduce their fortunes.
Privacy and Family Protection:
Some individuals choose to remain off the list to protect their families from potential dangers or scrutiny.


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SmartPolician:
How does Forbes determine these things? I am 100% certain that these people didn't disclose their earnings to anyone because rich people, probably because of safety concerns, don't like discussing their wealth.

Given what the media has made us believe, there are people who are by far richer than these folks who made the list but they are silent kingmakers who don't want the world to know them. We have been told they are the biggest problems in our world

🤣🤣🤣

In Aba right?

It doesn’t work that way.

Most companies get truly big when they go public. And when a company goes public, all the owners “shares” are laid bare.

This can be clearly tracked. Down to the last cent.

So it is very correct.

At that level, you stop explaining. Your income speaks for itself. It woos the “public investors” by its on growth.

Forget those Obi Cubanna, E-money, Cubanna Chief Priest thrash. Those ones na local “Nigerian-scammer” money. That is why they make too much noise. And that is why their fans struggle to point out sources of the wealth from which they derive their lavish lifestyle from 😌😌😊 even thought they have a lot of mugu business outlet to wash their illicit money with.

Money wey no dey make noise, money wey dey move lowkey.

yarimo:
This must be fake list without minimum of 10 business men from South East Nigeria

Lol... U think na by big belly or by ranting money na water up and down

As he should
As a man, work diligently, work smart. Make a lot of money 💰

owobokiri:
Babangida, Obasanjo, Abdulsalami and Tilimgbu all looking at the list while smiling at peoples "foolishness"..

There is a truism here. The Forbes list only accounts for those whose money can be openly and legitimately accounted for, and if they so wish.
In truth, everywhere in the world, political leaders alone often stash away FAR FAR FAR FAR greater amounts than one can find on any Forbes List.

I will never forget what was found in accounts related to Hosni Mubarak of Egypt. That alone put a lie to any "richest man" list you can find published anywhere.

And he was nothing compared to a Putin for instance - who is probably the richest man in the world.

inoki247:
How Mike Adenuga dey always dey list I never still understand....


Bkuz I believe he no fit be only this Glo network wey dey torment people life they give am the money

Glo is just one of his investments! And he makes more profit from glo poor services

Aboki no get joy. Still setting the pace for other to follow

He tops the list by a long stretch
It’s going take the closest person quite an age to catch up

[quote author=malali post=136544210][/quote]E dey hungry me to kiss you (if female) or hug you (if male)

This is not news worthy anymore, he has been there for ages. Let us know if someone overtakes him.

The real billionaires are not featured on this list, something isn’t right

He's money is political money. So he being on that list is somehow

PDPdestroyer:
The real billionaires are not featured on this list, something isn’t right

Please leave story sir. Those are real billionaires but not all the billionaires are on the list because billionaires have grades. Femi Otedola and Gen. TY Danjuma should be on this list too.

Chief Mike Adenuga is worth far more and probably No. 1 on this list. His Glo is not publicly listed. Another cash cow of Chief Mike Adenuga, Conoil oil Upstream is not listed too, only conoil downstream with fuel stations is publicly listed on Nigeria Stock Exchange.

Oil has been high since the Ukraine-Russia War started and recently FG approved Telcom tarrif hike. Chief Mike Adenuga is having a massive windfall year to year with less hassles and liability compared to Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

Chief Mike Adenuga is currently worth far more than Alhaji Aliko Dangote but I see Alhaji Dangote overtaking him in few years time especially as soon as Dangote Refinery and Petrochemicals become profitable.

NOETHNICITY:
He tops the list by a long stretch
It’s going take the closest person quite an age to catch up

When his refinery goes public, it is going to be quite an age for anyone to catch up with him!

SmartPolician:
How does Forbes determine these things? I am 100% certain that these people didn't disclose their earnings to anyone because rich people, probably because of safety concerns, don't like discussing their wealth.

Given what the media has made us believe, there are people who are by far richer than these folks who made the list but they are silent kingmakers who don't want the world to know them. We have been told they are the biggest problems in our world

The use asset worth estimates. They can't be absolutely accurate though because most African billionaires don't declare their assets.

Somehow, I think President Tinubu should be among the top 10 too, but you will never see Forbes listing him among the top 100.

SmartPolician:
How does Forbes determine these things? I am 100% certain that these people didn't disclose their earnings to anyone because rich people, probably because of safety concerns, don't like discussing their wealth.

Given what the media has made us believe, there are people who are by far richer than these folks who made the list but they are silent kingmakers who don't want the world to know them. We have been told they are the biggest problems in our world

You can not be a billionaire in dollars in silence, except you are a fraud. The money is not cash, you can't even have it in cash but in companies, which are generally listed and can be accessed by everyone. You can be rich in silence but not a dollar billionaire.

owobokiri:
Babangida, Obasanjo, Abdulsalami and Tilimgbu all looking at the list while smiling at peoples "foolishness"..

With all the money they retrieved from Abacha, he's still richer than all the top 10 combined.

Congratulations to him and his family..

As a Nigerian, the only thing I can benefit is to claim we have the richest person in Africa from my country

Other than that, zero help to me, zero impact to an average Nigerian. Or wait, negative impact to nigerians, he remains killer dangote. Richest man in Africa that cannot hire competent divers and compensate them well.
Richest man that working in his company is equivalent to slave labor.
People working in his companies cannot boast of having a good life

There are 3 Ps of a good company. Profit, People (employees and consumers) and the last P which is Planet

This means, as much as a company should stay Profitable, they should have positive impact in the lives of the People-- Compensate employees well and let the wealth distribute... Working in Mobil/Total/NLNG for example, the staff are well compensated and the wealth distributes to their families making the world a better place. Lastly, the Planet...Meaning you dont destroy the enviroment while runnning your company.


Unfortunately, dangote is only successful in one P out of the 3Ps. which is the Profit.

The People: Dangote is a disaster and a failure in this aspect.....His staff are not well paid, overworked and worst of all he has a terrible control process to ensure safety of lives and properties...Dangote alone has crippled and killed thousands of innocent nigerians over the years. His consumers have been heavily punished through monoply and high prices of cement and petrol. The price of petrol doubled the moment he dipped his hands into it, a coincidence?

The Planet: a total disaster in this...He exploit the planet, invest heavily in digging and breaking up the planets yet he is not giving back...


So Dangote, congratulations! enjoy your title as the African Richest Man, you are great in that aspect but you have failed in the other aspects that matter too...You will leave this planet in few decades and you will never be able to take the title with you not even a pin...

And to me and many others who don't worship money, YOU ARE NOT GREAT!