The President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has accused former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, of demolishing his cement plant twice during his tenure.
Dangote made the claim on Monday during a meeting with Governor Dapo Abiodun.
But in a swift reaction, Amosun, in a statement by his media office, described Dangote’s allegation, challenging him to “avail the public of the requisite approvals for the construction of the structures he alleged were demolished.
“While we will not give vent to this obvious mischief as it is deliberate, we will advise Alhaji Dangote to furnish the public with details of the land acquisition with relevant planning approvals, and let us engage in a constructive conversation therefrom,” Amosun’s media office said.
Dangote, in a video from the meeting with Abiodun, alleged that the Amosun administration twice pulled down his cement factory while it was under construction.
He said, “I deem it fit to have it on record that the factory we are visiting now in Itori, it’s because of His Excellency that we came back. That factory was demolished twice.
“We started building, then Amosun demolished it. The second time, we started again, he demolished not only the factory but also the fence; so we left.
“But right now, we’re coming back because of His Excellency, my brother, Prince Dapo Abiodun, we’re now back. When we go there, you’ll be very surprised.”
But responding to the allegation, in a statement signed by Lanre Akinwale, Amosun described Dangote’s allegation as deliberate mischief.
The statement read, “We have just seen footage in which the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, alleged that his cement factory in Itori, Ogun State, was demolished twice while Senator Ibikunle Amosun served as governor.
“We assume that an average person understands how government functions through ministries, departments, and agencies, with each exercising mandates on specific responsibilities, including approvals for physical development.
“It is on this basis that we want to appeal to Alhaji Dangote to avail the public of the requisite approvals for the construction of the structures he alleged were demolished.
“This will, at least, help the public to put the issue in proper context and for us to know what exactly his grouse is.”
While hinting at alleged legal breaches, Amosun’s media office said, “For us, as a government, we believed that there could not be two governments in a state, and Dangote, therefore, could not operate above the law or under a different set of laws.”
The statement said it was ironical that during the commissioning of his Ibese Cement factory, “Dangote praised the Amosun administration to high heavens for its promotion of investments in Ogun State and for facilitating the commencement of the cement factory after eight years of frustration as he then alleged by other administrations.”
Refuting the allegation of frustrating businesses, the media team boasted that Amosun’s administration “attracted over 500 companies to the state and was acknowledged by the World Bank as one of the top three states ensuring Ease-of-Doing-Business in Nigeria.”
“It is also on record that during Senator Amosun’s administration, Ogun State became the ‘Industrial Capital’ of Nigeria. Our state at the time accounted for about 75 per cent of the Foreign Direct Investments, in relation to industry in the country. This is a fact subject to verification.
“This recognition was further given a fillip to by former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan when he visited Ogun State to inaugurate multinational projects on five different occasions.
“Thus, while we will not give vent to this obvious mischief as it is deliberate, we will advise Alhaji Dangote to furnish the public with details of the land acquisition with relevant planning approvals, and let us engage in a constructive conversation therefrom.
“However, while we will wait to hear from him, we would like to state that not all Nigerians can be compromised, bullied or blackmailed. The notion that everyone has a price is an expression applicable only to people with weak foundations and questionable upbringing. This is why some of us will continue to uphold high standards in all our undertakings, irrespective of whose ox is gored.”
Madukwe B. Nwabuisi is an accomplished journalist renown for his fearless reporting style and extensive expertise in the field. He is an investigative journalist, who has established himself as a kamikaze reporter.