We know nothing about Assembly fire – Dangote Group
BY MOYINOLUWA BAMIDELE-LUCAS
THE Dangote Group, on Monday, denied involvement in the fire incident at the Kogi State House of Assembly, condemning insinuations that it masterminded the attack as unprofessional and irresponsible.
In a statement signed by its Group Chief Branding and Corporate Communications Officer, Anthony Chiejina, the company urged stakeholders to remain calm and ignore such statements.
However, the official statement, duly signed by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, said that investigations were ongoing to unravel the cause of the fire.
The fire incident occurred a day after the Speaker of the House of Assembly said he had uncovered plans to attack key officials of the Assembly.
Chiejina said, “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.”
However, the Kogi State Government has warned the Dangote Group against venting its frustration on the State Government in the ongoing Obajana Cement ownership tussle, especially as regards the fire incident that occurred in the early hours of Monday.
In a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Hon. Kingsley Fanwo, the State Government advised the Dangote Group and its image makers to focus on “proving its ‘total ownership’ of Obajana Cement Company rather than chasing shadows”.
He said the Group’s latest attempt to malign the state government in its statement titled, “Dangote not involved in Kogi Assembly Outbreak”, was a desperate one, insisting that the State Government had a “well defined channel of communication that is known to the public”.
Fanwo said the current struggle over the ownership of Obajana Cement Company was not that of an individual but a collective agitation by indigenes of the state who had felt short changed for too long as regards the subject matter.
He stated, “We remain resolute on our position on the Obajana Cement Company and that remains the matter to be determined rather than any attempt to drag the state government into any mud fight.
“A few days ago, we released credible intelligence to the public, of plans by Dangote Group to attack the state and officials of Government, among many other measures at stifling the voice of the Kogi State Government in the ongoing battle for the ownership of the Obajana Cement Company.
“A few days later, our Legislative Complex was razed down by fire. In the official statement of the Government of Kogi State, we called on security agencies to thoroughly investigate the matter and make their findings public. We reiterate that anyone found to be involved in burning down the Kogi State Assembly Complex will be prosecuted and made to face the test of justice.”
Fanwo noted that only the truth could resolve the ongoing ownership tussle, maintaining that the State would “not succumb to any psychological warfare”.
“We are aware of emails and deliberate harassment of the media to concoct unfounded stories around Kogi State and Governor Yahaya Bello. But this would do nothing to change the facts around the ownership of Obajana Cement Company, which the Kogi people, and indeed, Nigerians, are interested in,” the Commissioner declared.
He pointed out that the struggle was about the good people of Kogi State and also the integrity of the nation.
“It is a battle we need to fight for the generation-next Kogi people, while also setting a standard of transparent corporate governance.
“The present administration has created a conducive environment for investment and business growth. Many business entities have come into the state to benefit from our economy and the people and they have very good stories to tell. What we demand here is what belongs to the state,” Fanwo declared.
