The Kogi State Government has accused Dangote Group of making moves to cause chaos across the state over the closure of the Obajana Cement Plant.

The Kogi State Government, in a statement issued on Saturday by the state Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said the Dangote Group, at a meeting held on Friday night has concluded plans to use the press to attack Governor Yahaya Bello and the state government.

Fanwo noted that the Group planned to deploy people to the major TV Stations in the country to attack the governor and the Kogi State Government.

The commissioner stated: “We have uncovered certain plans by the Dangote Group 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 Obajana Cement Company.

“The latest strategy stems from frustrations occasioned by the failure of the Dangote Group to misinform the general public and its shareholders as the state government has consistently and continuously present the facts of the matter to the general public.

“A top management staff of Dangote Group erroneously called a top government official as the meeting was going on to hatch their satanic plans against the government and people of Kogi State.

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“The call which came in at 10.06pm went on for 28 minutes, 12 seconds, detailing how they intend to doctor documents to prove they own the cement company 100 percent; how they intend to use the DSS and other security agencies to arrest top government Officials on frivolous charges; how they intend to use the EFCC to arrest some government officials in order to cow them down; how they also intend to use the media to promote falsehood against the government and people of Kogi State and sundry other satanic plans against the people and government of our dear state.”

Fanwo added that the resolutions at their meeting were “obliteration of the Agreement between the Kogi State Government and the Dangote Group; a plan to use the press to attack the Governor and the Government of Kogi State. They planned to deploy people to the major TV Stations in the country to attack the Governor and the Government of Kogi State; they planned to call the EFCC and DSS today to claim those who sealed the company on the orders of the House of Assembly stole the sum of N207m and that those agencies should arrest them; they also resolved to initiate both civil and criminal proceedings against certain government officials.

“Lastly, they resolved to block all the major highways across the state with their trucks to make it impossible for the Governor to move out of the state capital. In their words, they said ‘we will prove to him that his madness cannot match our own’. They said at the meeting that Dangote owns Nigeria and that there is nothing anyone can do to stop him.”

Fanwo further accused Dangote Group of distorting facts about the acquisition of the company, saying: “The over 28 minutes recorded meeting typifies the mindset of economic oppressor who thinks he could use every apparatus of the Federal Government to fight our dear state into submission. Nigeria is what it is today because certain individuals think they own the country and can get away with any atrocity they commit.

“We make bold to say that if the Dangote Group attempts to carry out any of his threats or deny our claims above which are supported by facts, we will release visuals and audio of the said meeting and the whole world will see the mindset and modus operandi of Alh. Aliko Dangote and his conglomerate. We are a people that cannot be destroyed by the whim and caprices of the capitalist dominance that the Dangote Group stands for.

“One of the plans hatched at the meeting was to use Dangote trucks to block all major highways in Kogi State from today to make life unbearable for the people of the state and also launch attacks on commuters across the state in order to cow the state government into submission in the ongoing ownership determination battle for the Obajana Cement Company.”

The commissioner added that the Kogi State Government will continue to defend the state’s rights to movement and safety, noting that the government will take legal steps to resist the “act of cowardice of the Dangote Group to harass, intimidate or harm the people of Kogi State for demanding their rights.”

He, however, called on security agencies to be on alert to forestall any breakdown of law and order in the state, adding:  “It is our wish to ensure the agitation to reclaim our equity at Obajana is non-violent as we have all that is required to win the battle.

“Security agencies should resist the temptation of being used by the Dangote Group to be used to harass officials of government and our people as hatched at the ill-fated meeting.”

Fanwo equally urged the people of Kogi State to remain calm, saying the state government was ready to “fight this economic battle successfully”.

The Star