Former Kogi State senator, Dino Melaye, has said proceeds from a goat-rearing business he started as a 12-year-old helped finance his secondary school education and the early years of his university studies.
Melaye, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), disclosed this while speaking on the KaaTruths podcast on Saturday.
He also addressed questions surrounding the source of his wealth and his investment history.
According to the former lawmaker, he bought his first goat and expanded the venture by selling its offspring to meet his educational expenses.
“At the age of 12, I bought a goat. This goat would give birth. And I would sell the goat’s offspring to pay my secondary school fees. From the offspring of that goat,” he said.
Melaye said the proceeds from the livestock business also enabled him to pay for his West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) examinations, as well as his first and second years at Ahmadu Bello University (ABU).
He said his entrepreneurial interest developed early, adding that he had begun making international investments by the age of 18, although on a small scale.
“By age 18, I was already investing internationally, not on a large scale. You do not need to have all the money on earth to start investing,” Melaye said.
The former senator said his initial livestock business eventually grew into broader commercial and investment activities, including investments in the money market and international companies.
He said he began investing in the money market about three decades ago and purchased Eurobonds at a time when the euro traded at about N60.
Melaye also listed shares in companies including Apple, Microsoft, Uber and Zoom among his investments, recalling that some friends initially mocked his decision to invest in the companies.
“I bought my Apple shares. I bought Microsoft shares. When I bought my shares in Uber, friends were laughing at me. When I also bought some Zoom shares, people laughed at me. COVID came, and Zoom went up 400 times,” he said.
He said he had not occupied a public office since 2019, yet his financial status had not declined.
“For people to not know what you do, they can call you names. And say your money is from politics. But I have been out of public office since 2019; my status has not dropped,” he said.
He attributed his investment decisions to what he described as divine guidance and a willingness to start small and expand gradually.
“Just ask God for direction. When I started investing in franchise business in America, we started with one; one gave birth to two; two gave birth to three,” he said.
Melaye also rejected claims that his wealth came primarily from his political career, arguing that his financial standing had remained intact since he left public office.
News Credit to our media partner Daily Trust .
