Obajana: Presidency wades in Kogi govt, Dangote standoff

The Presidency on Monday intervened in the struggle for ownership of the Dangote cement factory in Obajana, Kogi State.

Daily Trust reports that the meeting at the Office of Chief of Staff to the President in the Presidential Villa in Abuja was attended by the President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, Governors Yahaya Bello (Kogi) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa).

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A reliable source in the Presidency confirmed the meeting.

 Our reporter also saw the governor of Kogi State heading towards the chief of staff office shortly after attending the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Women Presidential Campaign Committee at the Banquet Hall of the State House.

This intervention followed the shutting down of the Dangote Cement Factory in Obajana by the Kogi State government last week over allegations of tax evasion and unresolved ownership.

 Already, the management of Dangote Group is said to have concluded plans to approach the court this week over the legality of the Kogi State’s vigilante members who reportedly stormed the Obajana cement factory, where many of the company’s staff were allegedly wounded and the facility shut.

The state government, last Thursday, presented to the public, the report of the Specialised Technical Committee on the Evaluation of the Legality of the Alleged Acquisition of Obajana Cement Company Plc by Dangote Cement Company Limited. 

The detailed report submitted to the governor was presented to the public by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Folashade Ayoade.

Citing documents, she revealed that the purported transfer of Obajana to Dangote Industries Limited was “invalid, null and void”. 

But the management of Dangote Cement in a swift reaction debunked the claims. 

The Group Managing Director, Michel Puchercos, said the cement plant “is 100% owned by Dangote Cement PLC.” 

He accused the vigilante members brought by the state government to enforce the shutdown of shooting some workers and destroying property at the plant.