The graphic designer responsible for Nigerian billionaire businessman Aliko Dangote‘s 68th birthday banner is facing ridicule due to an obituary-like design that left many confused.
Dangote, who marked his 68th birthday on Thursday, was met with an overwhelming flood of birthday wishes from fans and well-wishers around the world. What was meant to be a joyful occasion took an unexpected twist when his official X account shared the birthday banner that quickly caused bewilderment and mixed reactions online.
The banner, featuring a solemn portrait of the business mogul with a minimalist design, was intended to celebrate the milestone but instead sparked widespread confusion. Many on social media mistook it for an obituary, leading to a mixture of concern, disbelief, and eventually laughter as people realized it was, in fact, a birthday poster.
Social media users were quick to express their discontent, with many openly criticizing the designer for what they deemed a poor effort. One social media user @Mayordavid_9 commented, “I thought it was an obituary poster. This your designer no sabi work oooo.”
Another user, @TFKhaleed, remarked, “2025 and y’all can’t pay a good graphic designer to run this. Still stuck in 1998.”
@ambalium, added: “Pay your graphics team to unlearn and relearn design concepts. Or just sack them all and employ confam professional graphics designers. I can recommend 3 right now sharp sharp. This should not even scale approval in a big company like Dangote. Happy birthday Alhaji Dangote.”
Despite the backlash and the ridicule of the banner’s design, Dangote’s milestone birthday was still widely celebrated across various platforms, with tributes and well-wishes coming from business leaders, political figures, and admirers from around the world.