Like a bolt from the blue, billionaire businessman Alhaji Auwalu Abdullahi Rano, is gradually exalting his place in the Nigerian economy. As Chairman/CEO, A.A Rano Group, the Kano-born business mogul is well known for his business acumen and philanthropist gestures. He has nurtured his conglomerate into one of the fastest growing companies in Nigeria and its unprecedented growth cannot be undermined. From being born to an average humble family in Lausu, Rano LGA of Kano State from where he started with ice block and groundnut oil business including other local items, Rano has gone into building a multi-billion naira business empire that cuts across various sectors of the Nigeria economy.
Indeed, Rano is in the forefront of Nigeria’s downstream industry as one of its powerhouses and gives hope that the sector will be taken over by the country’s indigenous oil companies. Evidently, the tycoon vertically integrated and operated in all areas of the oil and gas industry, including exploration and production, refining, distribution, marketing and trading of petroleum products, provision of cargo and haulage logistic services. At present, the downstream giant is one of the few operators in the industry that has survived despite challenges that confront the regulated sector. This is understandable, considering the fact that aside from his well-functioning tank farm, haulage strength with over 600 trucks and network of distribution, Rano’s petrol retailing Company has over 120 active filling stations across the country with scores of functional pumps in those filling stations.
In good times and not too pleasant times, Rano has proven to be an honest capitalist. During the recent energy crisis across the country with some marketers allegedly hoarding or exploiting the masses by selling above the approved price, it is on record that Rano is one of the few major marketers that opened all its outlets and sold cheapest in the country. Occasionally, this billionaire is said to open some of his filling stations to give out free petrol to motorists and some of its committed customers. This queer gesture keeps many people wondering what his reasons for his action are. While they await the response, another set of observers believe these patriotic and philanthropic endeavours cum his capacity must have counted positively for his company’s selection as one of the indigenous oil firms awarded the marginal oil field licence by the Department of Petroleum Resources last year.