Minister, Oshiomhole Commend Dangote On flagging-off $1bn Cement Plant

MINISTER of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi yesterday commended the Nigerian business magnate and a leading private sector investor, Alhaji Aliko Dangote over the construction of an­other cement plant with 4,500 direct and 45,000 indirect jobs capacity by the Dangote Group at Ok­pella in Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo State.

 

Fayemi disclosed this at the groundbreaking cer­emony of the over $1 bil­lion 2-line six million met­ric tonnes capacity cement plant adding federal government has concluded plans to meet with the 36 state governors to simplify access to land by investors in the mining industry.

Commending the Dan­gote Group for champi­oning the Federal Gov­ernment industrialisation policy, Fayemi lamented that only 0.24 percent of the country’s GDP comes from the mining industry, but anticipated that with continuous investment in that sector, Nigeria is ex­pected to earn $25 billion per annum by the year 2025.

Similarly, Minis­ter of Trade, Investment and Industry, Dr. Oke­chukwu Enelamah, who spoke through Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, said the Dangote Group has been a major stakeholder in the economy with most of his investments in the country thereby creating employment opportunities in the polity. However, he urged the Dan­gote Group and other in­vestors to always honour agreements reached with their host communities in other to ensure safety of their investments as well as enduring peace within the host communities.

“What we are witness­ing today is a path to na­tional development and peace,” he said, urging the Dangote group to embark on constructive manufac­turing and mentorship of the young ones to grow.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole also noted that all the money invested by the state government on infra­structure in the past seven and half years, was a little less than what the Dangote Group is investing in the Okpella cement plant and therefore enjoin him to never to relent.

“We recognise that the plant that is being set up, for which we are doing the groundbreaking today, is worth over $1 billion. It means that all the activi­ties of Edo State Govern­ment over the past seven and half years is just about the same value of what we are about to commence to­day,” he said.