National Security Council Orders Reopening Of Dangote Cement Plant In Kogi

The National Security Council (NSC) on Friday ordered the reopening of Dangote cement factory in Obajana, Kogi State.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made this known to State House correspondents after the end of the Council meeting in Abuja.

Aregbesola advised both the Kogi State Government and Dangote Cement to ensure that all issues of controversy related to the factory are resolved in accordance with the law.

On his part, the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, said that an agreement has already been reached between the Kogi government and the Dangote cement on the reopening of the factory to ensure that peace is maintained in the state.

Dingyadi said the Federal Government is committed to providing jobs rather than closing factories which would expand the unemployment market.

The minister expressed hope that the decision made by the council would be respected by the parties involved and the Memorandum of (MOU) signed between the parties adhered to.

Recall that the Kogi government had set up a panel to investigate the acquisition of the Obajana cement plant following agitations by indigenes that the sale was illegal.

However, the panel in its report said the purported transfer of the facility to Dangote cement was not proper and didn’t follow due process.

Following the development, the Kogi House of Assembly ordered the sealing of the factory which was met with stiff resistance by the Dangote group.

However, during an attempt to seal the factory on October 5, a shooting incident reportedly occurred. The plant was eventually sealed off and a number of persons were injured during the shooting.

Illegal Crude Oil Pipelines

Speaking further, Aregbesola said the Office of the National Security Adviser will probe the discoveries of abandoned and illegal crude oil pipelines to determine the extent of the illegalities and perpetrators of such.

The minister stated that a report will be submitted to President Muhamadu Buhari and the security council at the end of the investigation.

Also speaking, Dingyadi said a committee would be set up for the purpose of investigating the crude oil theft as a matter of urgent economic importance.

The minister added that the committee work in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to arrest and prosecute oil thieves stealing from the country.