Following rumours that
Alhaji Aliko Dangote has jettisoned his planned multi-million dollars
investment in cement plants at Okpella in Edo State, youths in the community at
the weekend staged a protest to the palace of the paramount ruler of Okpella
Kingdom, Alhaji Yesufu Dirisu urging him to ensure Dangote Cement commences
construction without delay.
Hundreds of placard
carrying youths on motorbikes and bicycles stormed the palace insiting that the
monarch should clarify the situation as it has taken too long for Dangote
Cement to register its presence in Okpella.
Some of the placard read
“All we are saying, let Dangote Cement come to Okpella”, “Okpella youths
earnestly ask for Dangote Cement’’ and “Okpella Chief and Elders, Please beg
Dangote come here. We are waiting for Him”
Dangote Cement had
recently announced plans to commence a three million tonnes per annum
production capacity cement plant in Okpella along with another six million
metric tons capacity plant in Itori, Ogun state.
Speaking at the Palace,
the President of the Okpella Youths Forum, Mr. Christopher Kadiri said the
protest was informed by information reaching the youths that Alhaji Dangote has
changed his mind to start cement operations at Okpella at a time the youths
were already expecting that more jobs are coming to them.
He said they decided to
come to the palace to hear from the Chiefs and elders why Dangote should not be
allowed into Okpella when his coming was supposed to be a blessing to members
of the community who are yearning for development of the area.
The youths leaders said
“we are not a cursed people, why should we say an inmvestor like Dangote should
not come to Okpella. This is an international investor that even nations and
heads of states are begging to come and invest in their countries. Now the same
man says he wanted to come and build his cement plant here and we are hearing
that some people are blocking him.
“We want to put it on
record that we the youths are ready and are in support of Dangote to come and
invest here. It is for our own good, we want employment, we want
infrastructural development. Let Okpella enter into the world map as other
cities in Nigeria. No investment is ever too much and many as con come and set
up businesses here, we welcome them.
“Your royal majesty and
elders of our community, please help us tell Dangote that he has our 100 per
cent support, we will maintain peace and tranquility, the atmosphere is
conducive to his business. This is a golden opportunity, we can’t allow it to
slip out of our hands. Posterity will not forgive us all if Dangote should take
this plant to another place, Please, tell him, the youths, the elders, the
women, children and unborn ones in Okpella are calling on him to come quickly.
It is long overdue even”
Responding, the
Secretary of Okpella Traditional Council, Chief Richard David dismissed the
insinuations that the Traditional council does not want Dangote. He said the
Council has been in the forefront of agitation for Alhaji Dangote to come and
make use of the abundant limestone in Okpella to start Cement production/
According to him,
Dangote coming to Okpella is a blessing to all, you can see the expression of
joy, enthusiasm and excitement in the faces of the Chiefs when Dangote
announced that he was coming to set up cement plant here. He is welcome and we
promised him he woould not be disappointed. We pledged our solidarity and
cooperation to him and his business. Thre is peace here and no threat at all to
him. He should come quickly.”
Chief David explained
that when Dangote Cement begins operations, Okpella people will also occupy
managerial positions, “banks will come, other businesses will open. We are for
Dangote Cement, none of us is against him”
Speaking in the same
vein, the Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, Alhaji Dirisu said his palace has said it
times without number that nobody in Okpella can stop Dangote from coming to set
up a cement plant here. In fact the day he announced he was ready to start
construction, we were happy. It is the good of all and the community.
“I don’t want to be a
ruler over undeveloped Community, I want a good life for my people. I want the
youths to be employed, I want our women to have something doing, you cant
imagine the ripple effect of Dangote Cement here in Okpella.”
Alhaji Dirisu assured
the youths to maintain peace and that his palace will do everything possible to
make Alhaji Dangote start works on his plant in Okpella, “we need him now more
than ever before. Let it be on record that there is no bad blood between
Okpella and Dangote.
He is a friend of our people, he is my friend, he is our
governor’s friend. We love him, he has nothing to fear. We want him to hasten
things. Anything that can bring development is what we stand for. And Dangote
cement is one of the things that can bring development and economic prosperity
to our people and community”, Okuokpellagbe declared.”
It would be recalled
that Dangote Cement Plc, Group Executive Director, Devakumar Edwin had
announced some production capacity expansion drives with the commencement of
construction of new cement plants in two communities in the country.
The new plants are
expected to add 9million metric tonnes per annum to the company’s current local
cement output of 29.25 million metric tonnes, bringing it to a total of 38.25
million metric tonnes per annum.
The company had listed
the communities in which it is setting up the new plants as Okpella in the
northern part of Edo State, South-South of Nigeria with a three million per
annum plant and another six million per annum capacity plants in Itori in Ogun
State, South-west of the country.
Edwin, who made the
announcement in Lagos, explained that the Okpella plant will be made up of one
line and will produce a total of 3 million metric tonnes per annum, and the
Itori plant which will deliver approximately 6 million tonnes per annum from
two procution lines. Both plants are expected to come on stream within the next
three years.
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