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Tag: Obajana

  • Court stops Kogi Govt from shutting down Dangote Cement

    Court stops Kogi Govt from shutting down Dangote Cement

    A Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday, restrained the Kogi government from shutting down Dangote Cement PLC in Obajana area of the state.

    The court also stopped the state government from disrupting or suspending the activities of Dangote Coal Mines Ltd and Dangote Industries Ltd in Okaba, Ankpa Local Government Area, and in Olamaboro Local Government Area respectively.

    Justice Binta Nyako gave the interim order following two separate ex-parte motions moved by counsel for the companies, Regina Okotie-Eboh.

    The Kogi government and Dangote group had recently locked horns over the ownership of Obajana cement factory.

    The state government had, on Oct. 13, gave the cement factory at Obajana i48 hours to shut down in honour of the Kogi House of Assembly which ordered the company to sealed until the conglomerate furnishes it with the requisite documents demanded by the legislature.

    But the companies, in a motion ex-parte with suit number: FHC/ABJ/CS/1876/22, had sued the Kogi House of Assembly, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development and Mining Cadastre Office as 1st to 4th defendants respectively.

    The applicants in this suit include Dangote Coal Mines Ltd and Dangote Industries Ltd.

    Also in the second motion marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/1877/22, all the defendants in the first application, except Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), were listed as defendants.

    The applicants, in this case, are Dangote Cement PLC and Dangote Industries Ltd.

    The two applications, dated Oct. 13 and filed Oct. 14, were filed by Rickey Tarfa, SAN.

    Dangote group prayed for “an order of interim injunction restraining the defendants/respondents or any person purporting to act on their behalf from extending the exercise of the defendants’ oversight functions outside the concurrent and residual legislative list and unto the executive legislative list of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.”

    It also prayed for an order of interim injunction restraining them or any person purporting to act on their behalf from making any resolution or order, disrupting, suspending or shutting down the facilities or activities of the applicants anywhere in the state in contravention of the provisions of Section 4(2) and item 32 of part 1 second Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    Besides, it sought an order of interim injunction restraining them from further giving effect to any resolution, declaration or decision purporting to suspend the activities of the applicants in the state in contravention of the 1999 Constitution.

    When the matter was called, Okotie-Eboh, who appeared for the companies, informed the court of the motions.

    The lawyer said the crux of the matter was the restriction of the operations of the applicants, the invasion and disruption of the business by the defendants.

    She argued that the closure of the cement factory by the defendants would affect the production of cements in Nigeria and put thousands of jobs at risk.

    Okotie-Eboh alleged that the state’s house of assembly and the its commissioner for justice disrupted cement production despite the fact that they did not have the power to do so, adding that the commissioner also threatened to invade the company again.

    She, therefore, sought an order of the court preserving the res (subject matter) pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.

    Justice Nyako, who granted the reliefs sought, ordered the applicants to serve the defendants with the motions on notice within 14 days and adjourned the matter until Nov  21 for hearing.

  • OBAJANA: Dangote Cement Plant reopens after 10-day rift with Kogi State Government

    OBAJANA: Dangote Cement Plant reopens after 10-day rift with Kogi State Government

    After a 10-day disagreement between the Dangote Group and the Kogi State Government, the Dangote Cement Plant located in Obajana, Kogi State, has been reopened.

    Recall that the cement plant was closed by the Kogi State Government over issues bordering on the legality of the company’s acquisition of the defunct Obajana Cement Company.

    TheNewsGuru.com gathered that the development followed an order by the National Security Council on Friday directing the reopening of the cement plant.

    The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, told journalists that an agreement had been reached between the Dangote Group and the Kogi State Government on the need to reopen the factory while urging both parties to respect the agreement.

    In a series of statements by its Commissioner of Information, Kingsley Fanwo, the Kogi State Government had maintained that the acquisition of the cement plant by Africa’s richest man did not follow due process.

    The state government, backed by its House of Assembly, maintained that process involving the acquisition of the plant translated to asset-grabbing.

    On its part, Dangote Industries Limited, DIL, the parent company of Dangote Cement Plc had maintained that its acquisition of Obajana Cement Company followed due process.

    A statement by DIL insisted that Kogi State had no equity interest in Obajana Cement Plc.

    The statement noted that the plant and machinery were conceived, designed, procured, built, and paid for solely by DIL, well after it acquired the shares in Obajana Cement Company.

    The company further said that the land on which the Obajana Cement Plant is built was acquired solely by Dangote Industries Limited in 2003, and that taxes paid to Kogi Govt yearly since production commenced in 2007.

    The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, the Nigeria Labour Congress, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, the Trade Union Congress, and the Shareholders Associations in Nigeria, had also waded into the conflict.

  • Dangote, Kogi Govt continue war of words over ownership of Obajana Cement Plant

    Dangote, Kogi Govt continue war of words over ownership of Obajana Cement Plant

    The Kogi State Government and management of Dangote Cement Plc. are at loggerheads over the ownership of Obajana Cement Plant.

    The previous temporary closure of the company by some youths recently has caused a stand-off between the state government and the company, located in Obajana, near Lokoja.

    On Saturday, the state government alleged that the management of the company was plotting to disrupt public peace in the state.

    The state government in a statement issued by the state Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo in Lokoja, said that the government was in possession of evidence to prove its allegations.

    “We have uncovered certain plans by the company at a meeting held last night to cause chaos across the state as a fight back strategy against the state government’s decision to get its own legally supported equity from the cement company” the commissioner said.

    The commissioner further alleged that the management of the company intended to engage other security means to harrass some government officials.

    “They resolved to block all the major highways across the state with their trucks to make traffic unfriendly in the state.

    “If the company attempts to carry out any of his threats or deny our claims which are supported by facts, we will release visuals and audio of their meeting on this,” Fanwo said.

    One of the company’s public relations officials, Mr Abubakar Jibrin would not comment on any issue related to the matter.

    But the management of Dangote Cement Plc. said that the state government allegedly used some groups of persons to destroye the company’s assets and inflict injuries on some staff.

    In a statement issued by the Corporate Communications Department of Dangote Cement Plc. in Lokoja, the management of the company alleged that some people invaded the cement plant on Wednesday.

    “No fewer than 27 staff of the company are currently in bad conditions after the invasion.

    “Cement trucks were also burnt, and many others were vandalised, as they forcefully took the company’s buses and vans.

    “Since the attack, our vehicles carrying diesel have been attacked on Anyigba road,” the statement alleged.

    The statement said that some victims of the invasion were currently admitted to the emergency section of the Kogi State Specialist Hospital in Lokoja.

  • FG closes Obajana junction for repairs

    The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on Friday announced the closure of Obajana junction on Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba road for repair.

    The ministry said that the closure would last for seven days to facilitate the reconstruction of the road and culverts washed away by floods sometimes in 2021.

    The Federal Controller of Works in Kogi, Mr Jimoh Kajogbola, Kogi, announced this to newsmen in Lokoja on Friday.

    “Obajana-Kabba road will also be closed from Friday to Aug. 15 when it will be reopened,” he said.

    Kajogbola described as “embarrassing and unfortunate” the unending gridlocks and accidents being witnessed at the Obajana junction and the entire Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba road.

    “Inview of this closure, traffic from the Kabba junction-Obajana-Kabba road is now being diverted to Kabba junction-Okene-Kabba to give room for easy construction work.

    “Therefore, motorists from north-central and south-western parts of the country plying the Obajana-Kabba highway in Kogi should use the alternative Lokoja-Okene-Kabba road

    “The Lokoja-Okene-Kabba road is also free and should be the route to take since Lokoja (Obajana junction) to Okene is under dualisation, though almost completed.

    “Again, the Okene township road has been repaired just like Okene-Kabba road that can be used as well.

    “So, Nigerians should bear it with us. It is for our collective good. We cannot leave this section of this road like this for people to be dying. We need to repair it.

    “We are pleading with road users to use Obajana junction-Okene-Kabba road instead of using Obajana-Kabba road directly; adequate directional road signs have been provided to guide the motorists,” he said.

    The Sector Commander of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) in Kogi , Mr Steven Dawulung, pledged the readiness of his officers’and men to assist at ensuring flow of traffic and orderliness at the diversion points, commendeding the federal government for responding to calls for repairs of the junction.