ollowing rumours that Alhaji Aliko Dangote has jettisoned his planned
\nmulti-million dollars investment in cement plants at Okpella in Edo State,
\nyouths in the community at the weekend staged a protest to the palace of
\nthe paramount ruler of Okpella Kingdom, Alhaji Yesufu Dirisu urging him to
\nensure Dangote Cement commences construction without delay.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of placard carrying youths on motorbikes and bicycles stormed the
\npalace insiting that the monarch should clarify the situation as it has
\ntaken too long for Dangote Cement to register its presence in Okpella.<\/p>\n
Some of the placard read \u201cAll we are saying, let Dangote Cement come to
\nOkpella\u201d, \u201cOkpella youths earnestly ask for Dangote Cement\u2019\u2019 and \u201cOkpella
\nChief and Elders, Please beg Dangote come here. We are waiting for Him\u201d<\/p>\n
Dangote Cement had recently announced plans to commence a three million
\ntonnes per annum production capacity cement plant in Okpella along with
\nanother six million metric tons capacity plant in Itori, Ogun state.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the Palace, the President of the Okpella Youths Forum, Mr.
\nChristopher Kadiri said the protest was informed by information reaching
\nthe youths that Alhaji Dangote has changed his mind to start cement
\noperations at Okpella at a time the youths were already expecting that
\nmore jobs are coming to them.<\/p>\n
He said they decided to come to the palace to hear from the Chiefs and
\nelders why Dangote should not be allowed into Okpella when his coming was
\nsupposed to be a blessing to members of the community who are yearning for
\ndevelopment of the area.<\/p>\n
The youths leaders said \u201cwe are not a cursed people, why should we say an
\ninmvestor like Dangote should not come to Okpella. This is an
\ninternational investor that even nations and heads of states are begging
\nto come and invest in their countries. Now the same man says he wanted to
\ncome and build his cement plant here and we are hearing that some people
\nare blocking him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want to put it on record that we the youths are ready and are in
\nsupport of Dangote to come and invest here. It is for our own good, we
\nwant employment, we want infrastructural development. Let Okpella enter
\ninto the world map as other cities in Nigeria. No investment is ever too
\nmuch and many as con come and set up businesses here, we welcome them.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour royal majesty and elders of our community, please help us tell
\nDangote that he has our 100 per cent support, we will maintain peace and
\ntranquility, the atmosphere is conducive to his business. This is a golden
\nopportunity, we can\u2019t allow it to slip out of our hands. Posterity will
\nnot forgive us all if Dangote should take this plant to another place,
\nPlease, tell him, the youths, the elders, the women, children and unborn
\nones in Okpella are calling on him to come quickly. It is long overdue
\neven\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding, the Secretary of Okpella Traditional Council, Chief Richard
\nDavid dismissed the insinuations that the Traditional council does not
\nwant Dangote. He said the Council has been in the forefront of agitation
\nfor Alhaji Dangote to come and make use of the abundant limestone in
\nOkpella to start Cement production\/<\/p>\n
According to him, Dangote coming to Okpella is a blessing to all, you can
\nsee the expression of joy, enthusiasm and excitement in the faces of the
\nChiefs when Dangote announced that he was coming to set up cement plant
\nhere. He is welcome and we promised him he woould not be disappointed. We
\npledged our solidarity and cooperation to him and his business. Thre is
\npeace here and no threat at all to him. He should come quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Chief David explained that when Dangote Cement begins operations, Okpella
\npeople will also occupy managerial positions, \u201cbanks will come, other
\nbusinesses will open. We are for Dangote Cement, none of us is against
\nhim\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking in the same vein, the Okuokpellagbe of Okpella, Alhaji Dirisu
\nsaid his palace has said it times without number that nobody in Okpella
\ncan stop Dangote from coming to set up a cement plant here. In fact the
\nday he announced he was ready to start construction, we were happy. It is
\nthe good of all and the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to be a ruler over undeveloped Community, I want a good life
\nfor my people. I want the youths to be employed, I want our women to have
\nsomething doing, you cant imagine the ripple effect of Dangote Cement here
\nin Okpella.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alhaji Dirisu assured the youths to maintain peace and that his palace
\nwill do everything possible to make Alhaji Dangote start works on his
\nplant in Okpella, \u201cwe need him now more than ever before. Let it be on
\nrecord that there is no bad blood between Okpella and Dangote. He is a
\nfriend of our people, he is my friend, he is our governor\u2019s friend. We
\nlove him, he has nothing to fear. We want him to hasten things. Anything
\nthat can bring development is what we stand for. And Dangote cement is one
\nof the things that can bring development and economic prosperity to our
\npeople and community\u201d, Okuokpellagbe declared.\u201d<\/p>\n
It would be recalled that Dangote Cement Plc, Group Executive Director,
\nDevakumar Edwin had announced some production capacity expansion drives
\nwith the commencement of construction of new cement plants in two
\ncommunities in the country.<\/p>\n
The new plants are expected to add 9million metric tonnes per annum to the
\ncompany\u2019s current local cement output of 29.25 million metric tonnes,
\nbringing it to a total of 38.25 million metric tonnes per annum.<\/p>\n
The company had listed the communities in which it is setting up the new
\nplants as Okpella in the northern part of Edo State, South-South of
\nNigeria with a three million per annum plant and another six million per
\nannum capacity plants in Itori in Ogun State, South-west of the country.<\/p>\n
Edwin, who made the announcement in Lagos, explained that the Okpella
\nplant will be made up of one line and will produce a total of 3 million
\nmetric tonnes per annum, and the Itori plant which will deliver
\napproximately 6 million tonnes per annum from two procution lines. Both
\nplants are expected to come on stream within the next three years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ollowing rumours that Alhaji Aliko Dangote has jettisoned his planned multi-million dollars investment in cement plants at Okpella in Edo State, youths in the community at the weekend staged a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n