Business
Host Community Monarchs Laud Dangote Plant Director’s Leadership
Prominent Traditional rulers from Dangote Cement Ibese host communities have commended the leadership ingenuity of the outgoing Plant Director, Azad Nawabuddin saying his pleasant personality has boosted the cordial relationship between the cement company and the host communities.
It was a moment of accolades for Mr. Nawabuddin, during a send forth ceremony organized for him by the Ibese Plant to bid him farewell to Obajana where he has been transferred, as the monarchs one after the other took turn to shower encomiums on him.
The Aboro of Ibeseland, Oba Rotimi Mulero described the erstwhile Plant Director as a bridge builder whose leadership and administrative style has influenced better collaborations between the host communities and the Dangote Cement in so many areas.
He said the communities witnessed good projects and enjoyed employment enhancing empowerment programmes during the time of Nawabuddin as the Plant Director and would have wished he stayed longer. “Nevertheless, we are happy that the company management recognized his worth and has decided to second him to a bigger plant after all, the reward for hard work is more work.”
In his own remark, the Olu of Aga Olowo, Oba Kayode Adio Kusoro, said the relationship between the host communities and the Dangote Cement, Ibese has never been more cordial than during the tenure of Mr. Nawabuddin as the Plant Director and that his disposition to the community issues has been very commendable.
“The Plant Director is a good man. He listens to us. He is always concerned whenever we have issues to sort out. And that is why he has also enjoyed our cooperations, the communities, the youths, the women and the royal fathers.”, Olu of Aga Olowo stated.
Amidst applause form the staff and the invited guests, the Head, Social Performance, Ibese Plant, Mr. Ade Ojolowo as part of gestures to eulogize the former Ibese Plant Director and described his administration as very eventful while reeling out some milestones that characterized the stay of Mr. Nawabuddin as the head of the cement plant.
Said he: permit me to share with this gathering, some of the key indicators of the outstanding performance of Mr. Nawabuddin Azad in the course of his leadership of this Plant. His time marked an Increase in Ibese Plant Kilns’ Mean Time Before Failure(MTBF) and reduction in production downtime: Ibese Plant’s Year End average Kilns MTBF was between 181 to 200 minutes until Mr. Azad became the Plant Director. He introduced the use of Asonic Horns and ID fans tipping in all the four Lines to get to the current level of between 580 to 600 minutes. This is over 90% above the budgeted figure of 300 minutes, and has led to significant reduction in production downtime.
“Production volume and dispatch increase: The Plant also witnessed increase in cement production volume from about 6.7 million tons in 2018 to about 7.9 million tons and increase in Cement Dispatch to about 8.0 million tons under the leadership of Mr. Azad.
“In-house refurbishment of Rollers and attendant Forex Savings: DCP used to procure Raw Mills & Cement Mills Roller assemblies for replacement from overseas before Mr. Azad joined Ibese as PD. Procurement of these roller assemblies was stopped through his ingenuity, and in-house refurbishment of the old rollers commenced. This has been successfully implemented till date, with savings of over 500,000 Euros so far.
“Championing of Alternative Fuels Project: Ibese Plant is at the forefront of the DCP’s vision to get into International carbon trading after benchmarking its carbon footprint. Thanks to the introduction of the Alternative Fuels Project, which also has led to the stoppage of importation of expensive & high CO2 emission factor, coal. Agro-waste usage and substitution of coal saved the company 2.77 million USD and 17.3 million USD in the year 2022 and 2023 respectively, and the saving is expected to go higher in 2024 due to the just completed AF projects in all the four lines.
“As a friend of the community, Mr. Azad’s passion for the local communities as critical stakeholders to the Plant is outstanding. Our modest achievements in Social Performance in the last couple of years has been through his personal values and commitment, which has yielded unhindered support and collaboration. We have been able to record some firsts in our intervention programmes, including the Annual community day event; Women empowerment programme; Care for the elders, and Support for the vulnerable during festive periods etc. It is also to his adulation that we have recorded improved social investment delivery, improved relationship with key government functionaries, and overall local content development.”
Following the marginal reduction of the pump prices of premium motor spirit (PMS) by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and the Nigerian National Petrol Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), civil society groups have reacted by calling for further downward review.
Recall that the Dangote Petroleum Refinery had announced a partnership with MRS Oil and Gas to offer petrol at N935 per litre at retail outlets, while it reviewed the ex-depot price from N970 to N899.50 per litre.
The move, saw state oil major, the Nigeria National Petroleum Company peg its retail prices at N965/litre.
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However, the civil society groups are of the opinion that the price reduction, fall short of expectations.
According to the Chairman, Centre for Accountability and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, the reduced price of N935/litre was still expensive and unsatisfactory.
He pointed out that petrol was just one of the products coming out of crude and that both government and private business could still give out free petrol to citizens while making huge profits from the other products.
In his words, “Well, we believe that if NNPC and the private sector actually give out PMS for free, they will still not run their business at a loss, because the other derivatives of petroleum products can still serve them, and can still make them to break even. So, even at that N900 and something, it’s still expensive.
“Dangote has kind of mooted the idea that it could drop to as low as N650. And if he has mulled this, then it means that it is the state, it is the NNPC that will have been the clog in the wheel of such progress. And you know also that we expected that fuel prices, especially PMS prices, will drop below N200 when Dangote was expected to come on stream.
“So, it’s unfortunate that we are still talking about over N900 and they want us to jump up and rejoice for that. That is not satisfactory. They should just let us see the breakdown of their production cost and why it’s still there. I mean, there are countries like Libya under Gaddafi that gave out PMS for free and they didn’t run anything at any loss. So, I believe that it can still go further down.”
On his part, the Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Ibrahim Rafsanjani, commended the reduction of fuel prices by the NNPC and Dangote, but said the government could still reduce the price.
“Dangote’s own is about N899 or something like that. Well first and foremost, we are happy that there is a little reduction in the prices. But also based on analysis and based on facts and evidences, we believe that it is possible for the Nigerian government to further reduce the prices.
“Because if a private company can reduce the price and it still makes profit, we wonder why government-owned enterprises cannot really pity its citizens,” he said.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has announced a significant growth in the country’s economy, with a 3.46% increase in gross domestic product (GDP) in the third quarter of 2024.
This marks the third consecutive quarter of expansion, up from 3.19% in Q2 2024 and 2.54% in Q3 2023.
According to the newly published Q3 economic report, Nigeria’s GDP output rose to ₦20.115 trillion, reflecting a notable improvement from ₦18.285 trillion in the previous quarter.
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The CBN attributed this growth primarily to the performance of the non-oil sector, which grew by 3.37% compared to 2.80% in Q2 2024.
The report highlighted transportation, crop production, and other sub-sectors such as financial & insurance services, information & communication, trade, and real estate as major contributors to the expansion.
The non-oil sector accounted for 3.18 percentage points of the total growth rate.
“The expansion of the non-oil sector was driven by the performance of the financial & insurance, information & communication, crop production, trade, transportation & storage, and real estate sub-sectors,” the report stated.
Despite the economic growth, challenges persist. Inflation, particularly in food prices, remains a significant concern, standing at 39.93% as of November 2024.
Rising food and energy costs have also impacted transportation expenses, with intercity bus fares increasing by 20.23% year-on-year to ₦7,117.17 in July 2024, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
Furthermore, the cost of petroleum, now exceeding ₦1,000 per litre, has driven up logistics and transportation expenses, adding pressure to households and businesses alike.
The CBN acknowledged these challenges, noting that the growth was achieved despite headwinds such as high inflation and rising operational costs.
Enhanced security measures in the Niger Delta have boosted domestic crude oil production, while restrictive monetary policies have helped moderate inflation in some areas.
“The growth recorded in the country is a result of continued efforts to improve the business environment, streamline cumbersome business processes, and deepen the quality of business infrastructure,” the CBN noted.
However, the report comes amid concerns over businesses exiting Nigeria due to persistent economic challenges.
Asharami Synergy, a leading downstream energy solutions provider, has demonstrated its commitment to community development and education by donating essential furniture to Gaskiya Junior School in Ijora, Lagos, Nigeria.
Biztellers reports that the social responsibility initiative was executed in collaboration with Sahara Group Foundation – the social impact vehicle of global energy conglomerate, Sahara Group.
It was gathered that the initiative is part of Asharami Synergy’s ongoing efforts to support education in communities.
The donation includes classroom desks and chairs for the JSS1 classes.
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CEO of Asharami Synergy, Nomnso Dike, said the project will create a more comfortable and functional learning environment and enhance student performance.
“We are delighted at the opportunity to support the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4, which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education. It has been a privilege to collaborate with the management and students of Gaskiya Junior School to deliver this project, and we look forward to future opportunities to enhance academic performance in this historic institution,” Dike said.
According to him, Asharami Synergy’s education-focused social impact initiatives have benefitted over 10,000 individuals. They focus on building capacity and providing the resources necessary to help students learn and grow sustainably.
“Education is the foundation of a brighter future, and at Asharami Synergy, we believe that every child deserves a learning environment that inspires and empowers them” he noted, adding, “This donation is not just about providing furniture; it’s a reminder to the students that their dreams are valid, and we are committed to helping them achieve their goals.”
Vice Principal Academic of Gaskiya Junior School, Sola Oladokun, commended Asharami Synergy for the donation, noting that it would inspire students to perform better with “increased concentration and fewer distractions”.
“These desks and chairs are a game-changer for our students. It’s heartwarming to see their excitement, and as teachers, we are equally thrilled because this will make teaching and learning more effective. We are incredibly grateful to Asharami Synergy and Sahara Group Foundation for this thoughtful intervention,” she added.
Two representatives of the students, Akin Moses and Chukwudi Gift, at the event said the donation would increase their “desire to dream bigger and concentrate better during lessons”.
Also speaking at the commissioning, COO at Asharami Synergy, Adekanmi Adesola, said, “What started as an opportunity to support the communities that host our operations has now come full circle. This donation directly impacts the lives of these students, and we are proud to bring smiles to the faces of the students and teachers.”
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