••• Dangote Not Involved In Assembly Fire Outbreak - Management
Dangote Group would never stoop so low as to sponsor thugs to destroy any property, belonging to either government or any individual
The Daily Crucible | Monday, October 10, 2022
The controvery over the ownership of the Obajana Cement Company took a sad twist in the early hours of Monday, as arsonists believed to be agents of the Dangote Group stormed the State House of Assembly Complex and set it on fire.
The arsonists were suspected to have been sent to burn the Complex in an attempt to possibly destroy evidence relating to the ownership tussle between the Kogi State Government and the Dangote Group over the Obajana Cement Company.
The Speaker of the State House of Assembly, who had released a statement on Sunday, asking Dangote to come clean on the issue, expressed sadness over the recent turn of event, wondering how a business concern would go this low in an effort to twist history.
He called on security agencies to investigate the matter, pointing out that there was enough credible intelligence to show that the target of the arsonists was to destroy evidence relating to ongoing investigations on the Kogi-Dangote face-off over the ownership of Obajana Cement Company.
In a related development, security agents attached to the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, foiled an attempt to attack his home, an incident that had never happened before, according to him.
The hoodlums, however, escaped with gunshot wounds.
When contacted, Fanwo accused Alhaji Aliko Dangote of "playing dirty and dangerous" over the Obajana saga, saying, "The resolve of the State Government to defend the people's rights cannot be broken."
He said, "The State House of Assembly was set on fire this morning. Remember we exposed plans to attack the Speaker of the Kogi State House of Assembly with fake soldiers yesterday.
"Having discovered that we exposed their satanic plans against the Speaker, they changed tactics to go and burn down the Kogi State House of Assembly. This is an attack on our institution and our people.
"Burning down our Assembly Complex will only further fuel our resolve to right the wrongs of the past. We will take back what legally belongs to us."
Recall that the State House of Assembly has been at the forefront of efforts at reclaiming the state's share of the company, which Dangote Group is claiming to own 100 per cent.
The disagreement reached a crescendo when the State House of Assembly ordered the sealing of the company, pending the presentation of the requested documents by the Dangote Group, with youths in the community trooping out to celebrate what they termed "the end of oppression".
On Saturday, the Kogi State Government exposed certain fight back plans by the Dangote Group, including distabilizing the state and going after key Government offices and officials.
The statement was signed by the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo.
But reacting, the Dangote Industries Ltd denied any involvement in the Kogi Assembly fire incident.
Speaking through Anthony Chiejina,
Group Chief Branding & Communications Officer for the Dangote Industries, he said Dangote Group would never stoop so low as to sponsor thugs to destroy any property, belonging to either government or any individual.
Chiejina's statement read, "Our attention has been drawn to a circulating Press Statement issued by the Kogi State Government, wherein the Dangote Group was accused of allegedly sponsoring arsonists to set the Kogi State House of Assembly on fire in the early hours of Monday, October 10, 2022.
$The statement titled, ‘Obajana: Desperation sets in as imported hoodlums burn down Kogi Assembly’, which was signed by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo pointedly accused our company of burning the Complex “in an attempt to possibly destroy evidence relating to the ownership tussle between the Kogi State Government and the Dangote Group over the Obajana Cement Company.”
"As a socially responsible corporate entity, we totally refute this allegation and condemn this unprofessional and irresponsible attempt to smear our image before local and international investors and thus erode our brand value.
"Dangote Group would never stoop so low as to sponsor thugs to destroy any property, belonging to either government or any individual. This runs contrary to our business ethos and everything we stand for as a leading manufacturer with teeming customers and consumers across Nigeria and Africa.
"Our lawyers have been mandated to react appropriately to the damaging allegation from the Kogi State Government within the full extent of the law.
"We urge our stakeholders and the public to disregard such irresponsible and insane statements as we ask all our stakeholders, namely shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees, and the entire community of Obajana and Kogi State at large to remain calm while we follow the legitimate and lawful process to resolve this matter with the State Government."
No comments:
Post a Comment