How goat investment helped fund my education — Dino Melaye

n n

Former Kogi State Senator, Dino Melaye, has recounted how an investment in a goat he bought at the age of 12 helped him pay his school fees through secondary school and his first two years at Ahmadu Bello University.

n

Melaye disclosed this in an interview with KAA Truths published on Thursday, where he spoke about his journey from a humble background to his investments in businesses and properties across several countries.

n

According to him, the experience taught him the importance of starting small and investing consistently.

n

He said, “At the age of 12, I bought a goat, and that goat gave birth, and I sold the offspring to pay my school fees in secondary school.”

n

Melaye added that proceeds from the goat’s offspring also funded his university education.

n

“From the offspring of that goat, I paid for my first and second year at Ahmadu Bello University, my school fees came through that investment,” he said.

n

The former lawmaker said he began investing internationally at the age of 18, stressing that people did not need huge amounts of money before venturing into investments.

n

“At age 18, I was already investing internationally, not on a large scale. You don’t need to have all the money on earth to start investing,” he said.

n

Melaye recalled investing in a Eurobond about 27 years ago when the euro was worth N60, saying he continued to reinvest the dividends instead of withdrawing the proceeds.

n

“I did a Eurobond 27 years ago, when the euro was 60 naira to one. You can calculate what that investment would be worth today, because I didn’t touch it, even with all the dividends, I rolled it over year after year, and it’s still there,” he said.

n

He also disclosed that he invested in technology companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Uber and Zoom, saying some of his friends initially mocked his decision to invest in Uber and Zoom.

n

“When I bought my Apple shares, I bought Microsoft too. When I bought shares in Uber, my friends were laughing at me: ‘Uber, what’s wrong with you?’ Today, I know what it is.

n

“When I also bought some shares in Zoom, people were laughing at me, then COVID came, and Zoom went up 400 per cent. So just ask God for direction,” Melaye said.

n

Speaking about his property investments, the former senator said he started his franchise business investments in the United States with one outlet, which he gradually expanded.

n

“When I started investing in franchise businesses in America over 20 years ago, I started with one, one gave birth to two, two gave birth to three, three to four,” he said.

n

Melaye said his investment portfolio currently spans Qatar, Oman, Dubai, the United States and Sweden.

n

He explained that his property investment in Dubai also began modestly, starting with studio apartments that he rented out through Airbnb.

n

“When I started in Dubai, I began by buying studios and giving them out for Airbnb. From studios I bought a one-bedroom, from one bedroom I bought two bedrooms, from two bedrooms I bought my own house, in Downtown Dubai, on the most expensive street of Dubai, the first duplex in a tower,” he said.

n

According to him, he has since moved beyond owning apartments to property development.

n

“From there I started buying properties. Today I don’t just have a portfolio of apartments in Dubai, I’m a developer. I’m building,” he said.

n

Melaye, who served in the Senate between 2015 and 2019, urged Nigerians to develop the habit of investing regardless of how little they had.

n

He said wealth creation required discipline, hard work, tenacity and making the right decisions.

n

“Just be sincere with yourself. Believe in the supremacy of God over the universe. Be hardworking, be tenacious, make the right decisions, and have a second address,” he said.

n

He also distinguished between being rich and being wealthy, saying the latter involved having money generating income without the individual having to work for it directly.

n

“The difference between richness and wealth is that when you’re rich, you’re working for money, you go to work from 9 to 5, you have to attend meetings, you’re rich, but you’re working for money. But when you’re wealthy, money works for you,” Melaye said.

n

He encouraged young Nigerians to begin investing with whatever amount they could afford.

n

“You don’t need trillions, millions, or hundreds of thousands to start investing — however small, start it,” he said.

n

Melaye said his own financial journey was driven by a desire to have a vision for the future and to remain committed to achieving it.

n

The former senator also said his background had shaped his appreciation of his current circumstances, adding that he regarded his achievements as a result of divine favour.

n

“I came from a very lowly background, but God, in his infinite mercy, out of his grace, out of divine favour, I am where I am today. And I should not be ashamed of it,” he said.

n n