Kogi Assembly convenes Dangote over alleged acquisition of state cement plant
The Kogi State House of Assembly again summoned Dangote Cement Limited to appear before it on Thursday to shed light on how Obajana Cement was acquired by the company.
This is because the management of Dangote Cement Limited did not appear before the Chamber on Saturday in Lokoja.
This was revealed on Saturday by the Speaker of the Kogi State Assembly, Rt. Hon. Matthew Kolawole in the Sacred Chamber of the Chamber during the botched public hearing with the management of Dangote Cement Limited.
The President noted that the invitation to Dangote Cement Company and other companies operating in the state had become necessary to demand the fair share of the state from the companies.
He added that despite the huge amount of resources taken from state soil, what was pouring into the government coffer as revenue was nothing out of the ordinary.
According to him, "the invitation is simply a claim for the rights of the state to a fair share of the resources extracted from its soil."
He emphasized that the summons should not be construed as a witch hunt.
He denounced the manner in which Obajana Cement, which was 100% state-owned, was acquired by Dangote Cement Limited, adding that the public hearing was aimed at uncovering the secret of the acquisition.
Kolawole explained that the Chamber was aware of what happened in the past, saying it was referring to it to avoid a repeat in the future.
According to him, "we are currently investigating the sources of our internally generated revenue, IGR, and believe it is appropriate for the Chamber to interface with certain businesses operating in the state.
"For example, Dangote Cement Limited started as Obajana Cement Company. Kogi State House of Assembly is interested and curious to know what happened when the company transformed into Dangote Cement Limited.< /p>
“We want to know what are the benefits of the state in business. What is the share of state capital in the company.
"We shine our spotlight on all the companies in the state, because we don't care about Dangote.
"We have Mangal Limited, we have some that mine coal, limestone, gold, although different types of solid minerals are mined daily from Kogi.
"We want to know under whose instruction are they paying their dues. We are interested in doing business with companies that will give us our fair share of the amount of resources extracted from our soil.
"We are not against any organization, but that the right things are done at the right time. We urge them to give us what is ours and that is why we are here.
“We are confident that when the report is written, many discoveries will be made. We have invited Dangote and they are not here. I have asked the committee to invite Dangote for Thursday and ensure that they acknowledge receipt of the correspondence,” he revealed.
The Kogi State House of Assembly again summoned Dangote Cement Limited to appear before it on Thursday to shed light on how Obajana Cement was acquired by the company.
This is because the management of Dangote Cement Limited did not appear before the Chamber on Saturday in Lokoja.
This was revealed on Saturday by the Speaker of the Kogi State Assembly, Rt. Hon. Matthew Kolawole in the Sacred Chamber of the Chamber during the botched public hearing with the management of Dangote Cement Limited.
The President noted that the invitation to Dangote Cement Company and other companies operating in the state had become necessary to demand the fair share of the state from the companies.
He added that despite the huge amount of resources taken from state soil, what was pouring into the government coffer as revenue was nothing out of the ordinary.
According to him, "the invitation is simply a claim for the rights of the state to a fair share of the resources extracted from its soil."
He emphasized that the summons should not be construed as a witch hunt.
He denounced the manner in which Obajana Cement, which was 100% state-owned, was acquired by Dangote Cement Limited, adding that the public hearing was aimed at uncovering the secret of the acquisition.
Kolawole explained that the Chamber was aware of what happened in the past, saying it was referring to it to avoid a repeat in the future.
According to him, "we are currently investigating the sources of our internally generated revenue, IGR, and believe it is appropriate for the Chamber to interface with certain businesses operating in the state.
"For example, Dangote Cement Limited started as Obajana Cement Company. Kogi State House of Assembly is interested and curious to know what happened when the company transformed into Dangote Cement Limited.< /p>
“We want to know what are the benefits of the state in business. What is the share of state capital in the company.
"We shine our spotlight on all the companies in the state, because we don't care about Dangote.
"We have Mangal Limited, we have some that mine coal, limestone, gold, although different types of solid minerals are mined daily from Kogi.
"We want to know under whose instruction are they paying their dues. We are interested in doing business with companies that will give us our fair share of the amount of resources extracted from our soil.
"We are not against any organization, but that the right things are done at the right time. We urge them to give us what is ours and that is why we are here.
“We are confident that when the report is written, many discoveries will be made. We have invited Dangote and they are not here. I have asked the committee to invite Dangote for Thursday and ensure that they acknowledge receipt of the correspondence,” he revealed.
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