TheNewsGuru

Tag: Dangote

  • Just in: Ondo varsity shuts down indefinitely over students’ death

    Just in: Ondo varsity shuts down indefinitely over students’ death

    Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, AAUA, has been shut down indefinitely.

    The indefinite closure of the school was coming about 24 hours after an accident caused by a truck.

    Recall TheNewsGuru had earlier reported the deaths of some of the students in the aforesaid varsity after a truck loaded with bags of cement crushed passersby, students and traders before ramming into shops opposite the university after it suffered break failure in Akungba-Akoko, Akoko South West Local Government area of Ondo State.

    It was gathered that the move by the institution to shut down the school was due to the rising tension among students as well as indigenes of the community over the allegation that the government has failed to find lasting solutions to the incessant road crashes which had claimed lots of lives in the community.

    In a circular signed by the Acting Registrar of the institution, Opeoluwa Akinfemiwa, students of the institutions were directed to leave the school premises by 6:00 pm on Sunday.

    The circular read “Further to our circular of Saturday 23rd January, 2021 and the attendant protest by students on Sunday, 24th January, 2021, the Acting Vice Chancellor, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Prof Olugbenga Ige, on behalf of Senate, has directed that the University be closed with immediate effect until further notice.

    “All students are therefore advised to vacate the campus latest by 6pm today, Sunday 24th January, 2021.”

    Meanwhile some irate youths in the community had on Sunday prevented a government delegation from entering the community.

    Among those in the delegation who were said to have been sent by Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to assess the situation were the Chief of Staff, Olugbenga Ale and the Pro-Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Dr. Tunji Abayomi.

  • Trending: Another lady shares near-nude video of moment with Dangote

    Trending: Another lady shares near-nude video of moment with Dangote

    Another alleged side chick of billionaire, Aliko Dangote has shared fresh details of their secret relationship.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) had earlier reported how one Bea Lewis, a side chic who was recently dumped by the African richest man, Aliko Dangote had cried out on social media.

    The new lady identified as Allarounda1 on Instagram shared a video of herself and Mr Dangote on a couch draped in an orange blanket fiddling with his mobile phone amidst clearly exposed buttocks.

    The lady tagged @Iambealewis, who had earlier cried out about her relationship with Mr Dangote.

    She wrote; “@iambealewis Sis come to Miami let’s have fun.”

    She also shared photos of Mr. Dangote alighting from a luxury plane in a private hanger, (now deleted) calling herself repeatedly as a ‘ForbesListSugarBabe’ in an apparent reference to her lover’s status amongst an elite list of world’s billionaires

    Recall that American restauranteur identified as Bea Lewis, had on her Instagram page @Iambealewis on Thursday, recounted how the billionaire “broke my heart in 1000 pieces” long after their romantic escapade.

    Lewis also shared pictures of herself, which included a photo that showed her caressing Dangote on his left chin. She also went ahead to share what appeared to be a stock certificate alongside videos of herself in the gym.

    According to Lewis, dating the CEO Of Dangote Group earned her a consistent fitness regime and had her become vegan.

    Lewis added that being with Dangote also got her a profitable stock portfolio, changed her perspective on work ethics, and upped her overall financial portfolio.

  • Photos: Days after TNGCIJ Investigative report, Dangote, First Patriot Honour CDA; Resume Projects in Kogi, Ebonyi

    Photos: Days after TNGCIJ Investigative report, Dangote, First Patriot Honour CDA; Resume Projects in Kogi, Ebonyi

    By Emmanuel Bagudu

    Dangote Industries Limited mining Coal in Awo-Akpali, Ankpa Local goverment area of Kogi State and First Patriot Limited, a Salt mining company in Agalegu, Ikwo Local Goverment Area of Ebonyi State have resumed developmental projects in the various Communities where they exploit minerals.

    TheNewsGuru.com Centre for Investigative Journalism (TNGCIJ) during an investigation under the Natural Resources and Extractive Resources Project (NAREP), funded by ford foundation and supported by the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, gathered that the two companies dishonoured the community development agreements they entered into with their Communities by abandoning and deliberately refusing to carry out projects in their host Communities.

    In Kogi, Awo-Akpali village where Dangote Industries Limited mines coal, residents reported that work has resumed in the health care centre and schools under construction which was early abandoned. TNGCIJ gathered that plans are also underway to complete abandoned bridge and unfinished graded roads.

    Honourable Markus Okigbo who is the chairman of the Awo-Akpali village, Ankpa LGA disclosed this to TNGCIJ in a Telephone call. “….. Work has resumed in the health care centre and the school which was earlier abandoned…. They plan to see us after the holidays to finalise how to complete other aspects of the CDA, thanks to your Investigations Sir……” Okigbo said.

    Tony Chiejina, spokesman of Dangote Industries Limited confirmed the development where he said “…. all differences with the host Community have been resolved….”

    In Agalegu, Ikwo LGA of Ebonyi State on the other hand, Ms Princes Emmanuel, a youth leader in the community told TNGCIJ that First Patriot LTD have started grading roads. According to her they are forced to do that due to the questions TNGCIJ keep asking them during the NAREP Investigations.

    Executive Director of First Patriot LTD who spoke to TNGCIJ via WhatsApp confirmed he has resumed grading of roads and promised to share pictures of the finished work soon.

  • Dangote refinery will sell petrol at international price – FG

    Dangote refinery will sell petrol at international price – FG

    The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, has said when Dangote Refinery kicks off next year, it may not significantly reduce the price of petrol because the refinery will be selling at the international price.

    Ahmed said this is because the refinery is located at the Export Processing Zone in Lagos State.

    The minister said this on NTA’s ‘Good Morning Nigeria’ programme on Monday, which was monitored by our correspondent.

    She said the only thing Nigeria would not need to pay is shipping cost.

    Zainab said, “What we are doing is enabling the petroleum sector to actually grow. There have been a number of refineries that have been licensed for several years. None of them was willing to start refining under the regime that we had were fuel was controlled.

    “The Dangote refinery is sitting within an Export Processing Zone so they are insulated from that. When we buy fuel from Dangote, we will be buying fuel at the international market price. The only savings that we will be making is the savings of freight which is shipping.

    “But we will still have landing cost; labour cost and the marketers will still have to put a margin. These refineries being those that are supposed to have come to operate can now come in because they are assured that when they produce, they can sell at market rate and recover their investments and make some reasonable profits.”

    She said the deregulation of the sector which led to the increase in petrol price was good for the economy as it would encourage investments in refineries.

    Ahmed added, “It will mean more refineries will open, they will employ people and fuel will be available in different parts of the country and not just relying on the government refineries.

    “Those refineries are old and even if we turn them around, we will not be able to operate them at optimal capacity, so while the NNPC is trying to rehabilitate them, we also need to encourage the private sector refineries to come on stream and even state governments that have the capacity.”

    Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the pump price of petrol would not drop significantly even if Nigeria is refining crude oil locally.

    He said the major determinant of the cost of petrol was crude oil and as long as it remains high, the cost of petrol will not drop.

    Sylva said the only thing that could make local production cheaper is that there would not be a need to pay for shipping cost.

    He said the cost of labour would not be too different from the international price because local refineries would be paying expatriates.

    The minister added, “For now, our supply is coming mostly from imports as we all know. And that doesn’t really have an impact on the price as people would think. The only difference that will happen if our supply was coming from in-country would have been the freight price. But whether it is coming from outside or coming from within, it will be about the same cost because when you import, the only difference is that you will have to pay the freight. But it is the same cost of crude and whether you are refining or not, you will have to pay the market price for the crude.”

    The Dangote refinery is expected to commence operations next year with a capacity of refining 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

  • Dangote endorses Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for WTO job

    Dangote endorses Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala for WTO job

    Nigerian billionaire and business mogul, Mr Aliko Dangote, has backed former Finance Minister, Mrs Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to become the next Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

    Mr Dangote in a series of tweet showed his support for Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, 66, who is one of the eight candidates vying for the position which has just been vacated by Mr Roberto Azevedo of Brazil.

    He wrote, “In these challenging times, the World Trade Organisation needs the renowned skills and tested experience of Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to lead the organisation through identified obstacles and strengthen its position as the prime facilitator of international trade.

    “A vote for her by all is a step in the right direction. I fully endorse the candidature of Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala to lead WTO.”

    The new WTO chief will be tasked with managing the trade war between China and the United States, initiate reforms in the face of rising protectionism and steer the world to new trade pastures in the face of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

    The organisation, this month will begin three rounds of consultations – dubbed “confessionals” — in which all member states confidentially voice their preferences, gradually whittling down the list.

    The process, based on consensus, is expected to last until November 3 but soaring international tensions and growing politicisation of picks to head UN agencies and other international organisations could see them speed up the process.

    Members failed last month to pick an acting chief from among four deputy directors, something that is normally a straightforward process. This spelt urgency and a huge task for whoever will lead the organisation.

    Mrs Okonjo-Iweala will battle against Mrs Amina Mohamed from Kenya, Mr Liam Fox the United Kingdom, Mr Jesús Seade from Mexico, Mr Hamid Mahmoud from Egypt, Ms Yoo Myung-hee from South Korea, Mr Mohammed al-Tuwaijri from Saudi Arabia, and Mr Tudor Ulianovschi from Moldova.

  • Dangote, MTN emerge most admired African brands

    For the third time in a row, Dangote Group has emerged as the most admired African brand, of African continent origin, by consumers, paired with t he telecommunication giant, MTN in a survey of 100 Africa best brands announced in a novel global virtual event that incorporated the market openings of Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria.
    GT Bank returns to the top spot in financial services and the United Kingdom’s BBC retains its media category ranking as the most admired media brand in separate category sub-surveys of the most admired financial services and media brands in Africa. African brands only occupy 13 of the 100 entries, seven less from last year.
    Established 10 years ago, to coincide with the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest single sporting event, the Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands survey and rankings have established themselves as the most authoritative survey, analysis, and metric of brands in Africa.
    African brands only occupied 13 of the 100 entries, 7 less from last year’s. Founder and Chairman of Brand Africa and Brand Leadership, Thebe Ikalafeng during an online interactive session via Zoom said: “African brands have an important role in helping to build the image, competitiveness and transforming the continent’s promise into a real change. It’s concerning that in the 10 years since the triumphant FIFA World Cup in South Africa which globally highlighted the promise and capability of Africa, and despite the vibrant entrepreneurial environment, Africa is not creating more competitive brands to meet the needs of its growing consumer market.” Global Client Development Manager, GeoPoll, Caitlin van Niekerk said: “The reach and accessibility of mobile across the continent enabled us to survey respondents across a representative sample of countries quickly and effectively, giving us vital and timely results at a critical time. Kantar has been the insight lead for Brand Africa since inception in 2010.”
    It is a consumer-led survey which seeks to establish brand preferences across Africa. The survey is conducted among a representative sample of respondents 18 years and older, in 27 countries which collectively represent 50 per cent of the continent, covering all economic regions and accounting for an estimated 80 per cent of the population and the GDP of Africa. The 2020 survey was conducted between February and April 2020 and yielded over 15,000 brand mentions and over 2,000 unique brands
    Out of the top 100 brands in 2010/11, only half still appear in this year’s list due to mergers, acquisitions and the obsolescence of many brands. The most prominent changes are in the technology category with the demise Blackberry (#32 in 2010/11), the consolidation of Vodafone (#54 in 2010/11 and now #13 in 2020) which acquired Vodacom in 2008 and re-branded in 2011, Etisalat (#40 in 2010/11) re-branding to 9 Mobile in 2017 and Motorola (#39) being acquired by Lenovo in 2014. A Chinese brand, Tecno, has raced up the ranking from #33 to #5 in the rankings – a dominant performance for one of China’s premier global brands that are not even sold in China
    In his reaction, Group Chief Corporate Communication Officer of the Dangote Group, Anthony Chiejina said the management was not unexpected of the ranking because the company has a long standing reputation for quality, relevance compliance and social stewardship. “Our mission and vision engage and inspire us to by extension connects us to with both our internal and external stakeholders.
    “We fervently believe that only Africans can develop Africa, and this gives us stronger sense of relevance in all the countries where we have our operations. we are touching lives by providing their basic needs and empowering Africans more than ever before creating jobs reducing capital flight, helping government conserve foreign exchange drain by supporting different industrial infrastructural projects of African government.”
    Mr. Chiejina stated further that Dangote Cement has been producing high quality and affordable cement, reducing poverty, engaging in unprecedented philanthropy and above all respecting the laws of the land where we operate. “All these are our credo and we do not compromise it, it is our way. And the ranking is just an acknowledgement of all these by our stakeholders, We keep our brand promise and stay authentic.” he concluded

  • Edo govt reacts to video-claim of drugs, arms laden Dangote truck intercepted by NDLEA

    Edo State government has described as unfounded the claim of large supplies of arms, ammunition, and cannabis seized by Edo youths in a video trending all over social media.

    In a statement released by Special Adviser, Crusoe Osagie to hid There has been a video circulating on social media with a footnote that a Dangote Truck was impounded in Benin City recently by the Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), for allegedly conveying arms and ammunition and other contraband materials.

    Edo State Government has since reached out to the NDLEA and can confirm that the video is completely misleading and that no Dangote Truck was at anytime impounded for carrying ammunition in Edo State.

    The Commander of NDLEA, Edo State, Peter Bisong, stated that the truck in the said video was one impounded by his men in 2016, where the driver was found to have connived with some persons to transport cannabis. No arm or ammunition was impounded in that exercise in 2016.

    The driver involved in that incident has since been tried in the High Court in Benin and jailed. The company, Dangote Industries Limited, was found not to have played any role in the crime and the truck has since been returned to the company. The company has also been consistent in issuing warnings that prohibit truck drivers from carrying any product other than Dangote products. Members of the public have also been urged to report erring drivers.

    The general public is hereby advised to disregard the misleading video, even as those behind the promotion of the fake news and misleading message are urged to desist from such mischievous acts.

  • Dangote Foundation, 54Gene to conduct 1,000 COVID-19 test per day in Kano

    54Gene is accredited by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and has already set up labs in Lagos and in Ogun State.

    The Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) a philanthropic endeavor of Aliko Dangote, has contracted 54Gene, a molecular diagnostics company specialized in research, and diagnostics, to immediately set up a 400 test/day capacity laboratory in Kano State.

    54Gene is accredited by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), and has already set up labs in Lagos and in Ogun States.

    The lab, which was inaugurated yesterday – May 3rd in Kano, will start with a testing capacity of 400 tests a day, increasing to 1,000 tests a day by May 10th.

    The lab will be set up at Muhammadu Buhari Hospital in Kano, where an isolation center is currently operational.

    The President/Chief Executive of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote said the foundation is directly supporting the Nigerian government’s COVID-19 containment efforts in Kano State.

    According to Dangote, this new investment in support of increasing nation-wide testing, comes in addition to ADF’s support through the Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID).

    He explained: “CACOVID is already setting up a 310 bed isolation center at Sani Abacha stadium in Kano. We are extending that capacity by another 150 beds at the Abubakar Imam Urology Centre in Kano, which is being converted into an isolation center now. These two centers will be operational pending the final validation by the Infection Prevention and Control team, which we expect will be completed in the coming days.”

    Dangote pledged the Foundation’s commitment to reduce the number of lives lost to diseases, such as COVID-19, Ebola and other deadly viruses in the State.

    He said the foundation would not relent in using its investments in health, education, and economic empowerment to help lift people out of sickness and poverty.

    Speaking on the efforts of the Foundation to assist the Federal Government in curtailing the spread of COVID-19, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of ADF, Zouera Youssoufou, added that ADF is also supporting the Rapid Response Teams in their work to identify suspected covid-19 cases across the healthcare centers in Kano. “ADF will immediately handover to the Kano RRT, 10 new ambulances (4 that are immediately available and 6 over the next week), two vehicles and PPEs to support the transportation of patients from different parts of the state”, she said.

    She said that the Foundation is also supporting the Kano State Covid-19 contact call center that responds to citizen queries and concerns around Covid-19 and refers people to the proper place for follow up, by providing extra phone lines and ICT infrastructure as well as training for the call center staff.

     

  • Covid-19: Dangote, Adenuga, Otedola other corporate donations hit N21bn

    Covid-19: Dangote, Adenuga, Otedola other corporate donations hit N21bn

    The Nigeria Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID) has raised N21.588 billion to help fight COVID-19 pandemic.

    The update of the contributions was given on Monday in a document released by Mr Isaac Okorafor, Director Communications of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    The document showed that Modupe and Folorunsho Alakija, Mike Adenuga and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) donated N1billion each

    The CBN and Aliko Dangote were the highest contributors.

    They donated N2 billion each.

    Among the N1billion donors were Abdul Samad Rabiu (BUA Sugar Refinery), Segun Agbaje (GTB), Tony Elumelu (UBA), Oba Otudeko (First Bank), Jim Ovia (Zenith Bank).

    Others were Herbert Wigwe (Access Bank) and Femi Otedola of Amperion Power Distribution.

    Dr. Deji Adeleke of Pacific Holding Ltd contributed N500 million.

    Union Bank Plc, Sterling Bank Plc, Standard Chartered Bank, Stanbic IBTC, Citi Bank Nigeria Ltd, FCMB, Fidelity Bank, ECOBank, African Steel Mills donated N250 million.

    Multichoice Nigeria Limited contributed N200 million.

  • I tested negative for coronavirus – Dangote

    Billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote, has said that he tested negative for coronavirus.

    He said this via his verified Twitter handle on Sunday.

    Dangote’s status had come under public scrutiny after reports that he may have had contact with some governors and the Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, who tested positive.

    He tweeted, “The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted modern society, affecting our collective health and well-being.


    “As a global citizen and business leader, I took the COVID-19 test and the result came back NEGATIVE.

    “Coalition Against COVID-19 is an initiative that I am leading with other private sector leaders&our common goal is to support ongoing Government initiatives with our resources in the fight against COVID-19.

    “We are in this together and I am optimistic we will overcome.”