How I Built My Wealth Through Goat Breeding – Melaye

Dino Melaye, a former Kogi senator, has addressed debates over the source of his wealth, saying his fortune originated from a goat-rearing business he started as a child.

In an interview on the KaaTruths podcast, Melaye detailed his financial journey, explaining that he bought his first goat at age 12.

He said he funded his secondary school education by selling the animal’s offspring and later used the proceeds to pay for his WAEC, JAMB, and his first two years at Ahmadu Bello University.

“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.

“From the offspring of that goat, I paid for my WAEC and JAMB. I paid for my first year and second year at Ahmadu Bello University. My school fees were through that goat.

“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, a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), noted that his subsistence livestock business eventually evolved into an international enterprise.

He said he began investing in the money market approximately 30 years ago, citing early purchases of Eurobonds when the euro was valued at N60, as well as shares in Apple, Microsoft, Uber, and Zoom, the latter of which he said surged 400-fold during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When I did my Eurobond, I did it 27 years ago. At that time, the euro was N60 to one. I did not touch it, even with all the dividends. I rolled it over year after year,” he added.

“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.

“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.”

Melaye also dismissed suggestions that his wealth is politically derived, pointing out that he has not held public office since 2019 yet has maintained his financial status.

“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 added.

Source: The Cable

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