– Says, Not All Nigerians Can Be Bullied, Blackmailed
FORMER Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has dismissed as deliberate mischief, claims by the Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, that his cement factory was demolished twice during the Amosun Administration.
In a statement, titled, “Re-Government Demolished My Cement Factory Twice”, signed by Lanre Akinwale, for Senator Ibikunle Amosun Media Office, the former Governor challenged Dangote to “avail the public of the requisite approvals for the construction of the structures he alleged were demolished.”
Amosun noted that his government believed that there could not be two governments in a state, and Dangote, therefore, could not operate above the law or under a different set of laws.
“However, while we will wait to hear from him, we will like to state that not all Nigerians can be compromised, bullied or blackmailed. The notion that everyone has a price is an expression applicable only to people with weak foundations and questionable upbringing.
“This is why some of us will continue to uphold high standards in all our undertakings, irrespective of whose ox is gored,” the statement said.
The former governor, however, recalled that the same Dangote had, during the
commissioning of his Ibese Cement factory, “praised the Amosun Administration to high heavens for its promotion of investments in Ogun State and for facilitating the commencement of the cement factory after eight years of frustration as he then alleged by other administrations.”
The statement reads in full: “We have just seen a footage in which the Chairman of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, alleged that his cement factory in Itori, Ogun State, was demolished twice while Senator Ibikunle Amosun served as governor.
“We assume that an average person understands how government functions through Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, with each exercising mandates on specific responsibilities, including approvals for physical development.
“It is on this basis that we want to appeal to Alhaji Dangote to avail the public of the requisite approvals for the construction of the structures he alleged were demolished.
“This will, at least, help the public to put the issue in proper context and for us to know what exactly his grouse is.
“For us, as a government, we believed that there could not be two governments in a state, and Dangote, therefore, could not operate above the law or under a different set of laws.
“It is important to note that at the commissioning of his Ibese Cement factory, Dangote praised the Amosun Administration to high heavens for its promotion of investments in Ogun State and for facilitating the commencement of the cement factory after eight years of frustration as he then alleged by other administrations.
“Dangote is just one of the many going concerns in Ogun State, and the Amosun Administration is on record to have attracted over 500 companies to the state and was acknowledged by the World Bank as one of the top three states ensuring Ease-of-Doing-Business in Nigeria.
“Highlighted as one of the top reforming states in 2014, which marked a significant improvement from its previous rankings, the World Bank report attributed this progress to substantial reforms across multiple indicators like Construction Permits and Property Registration.
“It is also on record that during Senator Amosun’s administration, Ogun State became the “Industrial Capital” of Nigeria. Our state at the time accounted for about 75 per cent of the Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), in relation to industry in the country. This is a fact subject to verification.
“This recognition was further given fillip to by former president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, when he visited Ogun State to commission multinational projects on five different occasions.
“Thus, while we will not give vent to this obvious mischief as it is deliberate, we will advise Alhaji Dangote to furnish the public with details of the land acquisition with relevant planning approvals, and let us engage in a constructive conversation therefrom.
“However, while we will wait to hear from him, we will like to state that not all Nigerians can be compromised, bullied or blackmailed. The notion that everyone has a price is an expression applicable only to people with weak foundations and questionable upbringing. This is why some of us will continue to uphold high standards in all our undertakings, irrespective of whose ox is gored.”