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Obajana: Kogi drags Dangote to court as FG orders plant’s reopening

Published

4 years ago

October 15, 2022

Gov. Yahaya Bello and Alhaji Aliko Dangote

The Kogi State Government is resorting to litigation over its dispute with Dangote Cement Plc over the ownership of the Obajana Cement Plant in the state.

The state’s position followed on the heels of the peace talks brokered between Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and the chairman of Dangote Cement Plc, Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

The peace talks informed the position of the National Security Council yesterday that an agreement had been reached between the two sides to re-open the plant in the interest of the workers.

Kogi State Information Commissioner Kingsley Fanwo said in a statement yesterday that the state government and stakeholders representing the different ethnic groups in the state resolved at an emergency meeting on Thursday night to go to court on the matter.

This, according to him, was “in the interest of the people and generations to come.”

Fanwo said the Governor made it clear during the Thursday night meeting that there was no going back on the state’s resolve to reclaim its asset, even while he sued for calm in the interest of peace.

He said: “This struggle is not about Governor Yahaya Bello or his administration. It is about the people of Kogi State.

“In the last 72 hours, well-meaning Nigerians, leaders and government officials have waded in and have pleaded with the Governor to consider reopening of the plant while discussions are ongoing.

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“The expectations of the over 4 million Kogites are clear and high and we want to assure them that the Governor and the Government of Kogi State will not compromise the interest of the people of the state to reclaim their rights in the cement company.

Dangote Cement Obajana

“There were series of high-powered meetings to resolve the impasse, including meetings having the Governor and Alhaji Aliko Dangote in attendance. Discussions were held and statements of interest were established.

“But there was no agreement yet as some desperate parties are trying to promote in the media to mislead the public. We shall be non-violent in our approach as we are sure of green pathways to success for the people in this battle for the economic future of our dear state.

“However, we maintain that the collective asset of the people of Kogi State must be protected and reclaimed in this instance. And that is the process the government has started.

“We will fight this battle to the end until we get justice from the courts. No committee can resolve this dispute.”

The plant must reopen, says FG

The matter was discussed yesterday by the National Security Council (NSC) which said the disputed plant should be re-opened in the interest of the workers.

Police Affairs Minister Maigari Dingyadi told reporters at the end of the NSC meeting that an agreement had been reached to ensure the re-opening of the plant to give room for peace on the matter.

His words: “An agreement has been reached between the Kogi State Government and the Dangote Cement in Kogi on the need to re-open the factory and ensure that there is peace in the state. “Government is committed to the provision of employment to its citizens rather than closing factories that will make people unemployed, and we do hope that the parties involved will respect this agreement and come to terms with the memorandum of understanding signed by the parties involved.”

Dingyadi said the agreement was brokered by the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari.

Speaking on same matter, Aregbesola said: “The council noted the development in Kogi and has ordered the reopening of the cement factory that is closed down; has advised that all issues relating to that industry or factory be resolved legally; nobody must take the law into their hands, either as a government or an individual.

“We are committed to guaranteeing and providing employment for Nigerians, so whatever will, in any way, hinder that must be discouraged. So, in that regard, the cement industry in Obajana must be reopened and all issues that are in dispute should be resolved legally.”

The Nation

Related Topics:court Dangote Featured FG Obajana

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Tinubu’s order: EFCC lifts freeze on Osun government accounts

Published

19 minutes ago

August 22, 2026

Trends Admin

Tinubu’s order: EFCC lifts freeze on Osun government accounts

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has lifted the restriction on Osun State Government bank accounts after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu directed the agency to vacate the order.

The affected accounts, held with First Bank of Nigeria and Zenith Bank, are now operational, according to confirmations from both the Presidency and an aide to Osun State Governor Ademola Adeleke.

A Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi, confirmed that the restriction had been removed, saying the EFCC could not disregard the President’s directive.

“The lien has been lifted. EFCC cannot ignore the presidential order. I can confirm to you that it was done immediately,” Ajayi said.

An aide to Governor Adeleke, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also confirmed that the Post No Debit (PND) restriction had been vacated and that the state government’s accounts were functioning again.

The EFCC had imposed the restriction on August 5, 2026, as part of an investigation into the alleged fraudulent handling of about N11 billion in Ecology Funds, Intervention Funds and allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

The commission said the investigation had been ongoing since March 2026 and was aimed at preventing the alleged diversion of public funds.

The decision to restrict the accounts, however, generated significant controversy because it came shortly before the August 15 Osun State governorship election.

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The timing prompted allegations from the Osun State Government and its supporters that the EFCC action was politically motivated and intended to weaken Adeleke ahead of the election. The commission rejected the allegations and maintained that its action was connected to an ongoing financial investigation.

The dispute escalated after the President intervened and directed the EFCC to take steps to vacate the restriction.

Tinubu expressed concern about the timing of the action and its potential implications for public confidence in the electoral process, while also maintaining that anti-corruption agencies should carry out their responsibilities professionally.

The account restriction had also triggered a legal battle between the Osun State Government and the EFCC.

The state government approached the Federal High Court in Abuja to challenge the restriction and sought N2 billion in damages, arguing that the EFCC’s action unlawfully interfered with the state’s access to its funds.

The legal dispute changed following Tinubu’s intervention and the subsequent lifting of the restriction.

After being declared winner of the governorship election, Adeleke directed the Osun State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwole Jimi-Bada, SAN, to withdraw the suit against the EFCC.

Adeleke said the President’s intervention had addressed the immediate dispute and that there was therefore no need to continue with the case.

With the accounts now operational, the immediate confrontation between the Osun State Government and the EFCC appears to have eased.

However, the lifting of the account restriction does not necessarily mean that the underlying investigation has been discontinued. The EFCC’s earlier allegations concerning the handling of about N11 billion remain separate from the decision to restore access to the accounts.

The development has also renewed discussions about the relationship between anti-corruption agencies and elected governments, particularly when financial investigations take place close to major elections.

For the Osun State Government, the restoration of access to its accounts removes an immediate financial constraint and allows the state to continue accessing funds required for government operations.

For the EFCC, the development means the financial investigation, if still ongoing, would have to proceed through the appropriate legal and investigative channels without the earlier account restriction.

Tinubu’s order: EFCC lifts freeze on Osun government accounts

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IPOB Accuses UK of Hypocrisy Over Israel Stance, Demands Kanu’s Release Following UN Ruling

Published

37 minutes ago

August 22, 2026

Trends Admin

Mazi Nnamdi Kanu

IPOB Accuses UK of Hypocrisy Over Israel Stance, Demands Kanu’s Release Following UN Ruling

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called out the British Government for what it describes as a “selective outrage” and double standards in applying international law, citing a United Nations ruling that its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, was subjected to torture and extraordinary rendition.

The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the British Government of hypocrisy and applying international law selectively over its stance on Israel and the continued detention of its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu. The group was reacting to recent comments by the British Foreign Secretary concerning real estate development in Jerusalem. IPOB’s spokesperson, Comrade Emma Powerful, in a statement on Friday, said the group supports Israel and recognises Jerusalem as its “eternal and undivided capital”.

The group maintained that Britain lacks the moral authority to lecture Israel on international law while allegedly ignoring the findings and recommendations of United Nations human rights bodies concerning Kanu. According to IPOB, the United Nations Human Rights Council, acting under the UN General Assembly, has officially indicted Nigeria for what it described as gross violations of international law and fundamental norms in Kanu’s case. The group stated that the UN had determined that Kanu was subjected to torture and extraordinary rendition after being forcibly returned to Nigeria from Kenya in 2021, and the UN Working Group explicitly called for his immediate release and payment of compensation.

“These are not the words of IPOB. These are the findings of the highest international human rights bodies,” the statement emphasised. IPOB regretted that, rather than support this binding call for justice, Britain chose to assist Nigeria in defying international law. The group further lamented that the same Britain now lecturing Israel about international law turned a blind eye to the torture of a British citizen. “The same Britain invoking legal principles against our Israeli brothers and sisters actively helped Nigeria circumvent those very principles when it concerned Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,” the statement said.

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IPOB also criticised the British Foreign Secretary’s position on Israel, describing it as entirely one-sided. The group accused the British Government of condemning Israel over construction near Jerusalem while allegedly failing to adequately address Palestinian terrorism, incitement, and the Palestinian Authority’s “pay for slay” policy. The group claimed that this policy of blaming only Israel while ignoring Palestinian extremism has contributed to a massive wave of antisemitic hatred against the British Jewish community.

IPOB vehemently rejected what it described as the patronising tone of the British government’s lectures, pointing out that the Jewish people have the right to live throughout the historic and Biblical land of Israel. “Jerusalem is Israel, and Israel is Jerusalem. The Balfour Declaration formally recognised this historic right more than a century ago,” the group said, adding that Britain, which still controls colonial territories thousands of miles from its shores, has no right to lecture the Jewish people about where they may live in their tiny historic homeland.

IPOB subsequently demanded what it described as consistency in Britain’s application of international law. The group called on the British Government to publicly support the UN findings concerning Kanu, demand his release and compensation from the Nigerian Government, and end what it described as the selective application of international law based on political convenience. “Britain must choose: respect international law for all, or be exposed as a hypocrite that uses law only as a weapon against its friends,” the statement concluded.

IPOB Accuses UK of Hypocrisy Over Israel Stance, Demands Kanu’s Release Following UN Ruling

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Enugu ADC Chairman Found Dead Near Residence in Suspected Murder

Published

1 hour ago

August 22, 2026

Trends Admin

Enugu ADC Chairman Found Dead Near Residence in Suspected Murder

Hon. Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu was reportedly strangled, with two suspects arrested as the political community calls for a thorough investigation ahead of the 2027 elections.

Tension and grief have gripped the political community in Enugu State following the reported death of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairman in Udenu Local Government Area, Hon. Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu, under suspicious circumstances. Ngwu, described as one of the party’s longest-serving members in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, shortly after leaving his residence.

According to a family source who spoke to journalists, Ngwu woke up early that morning, walked out of the house, and never returned alive. The family became worried after discovering that Ngwu was missing, only to later find his lifeless body in front of the family compound. “When we woke up, we didn’t see him only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound. We saw scratches on his neck which was twisted backwards,” the source said.

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The circumstances surrounding Ngwu’s death have raised concerns among his family, political associates, and members of the ADC. The deceased, who hailed from Orba in Udenu LGA, was reportedly strangulated. Two persons have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident, although their identities and the circumstances of their arrest were not immediately disclosed as of press time.

The Enugu State Police Command’s spokesman, SP Daniel Ndukwe, could not immediately confirm the incident, stating that he was not aware of the development. However, the immediate past chairman of the ADC in Enugu State, Mrs. Stella Chukwuma, confirmed Ngwu’s death.

The development has cast a pall over the ADC in Enugu State, coming at a politically sensitive period ahead of the 2027 general elections. The incident has heightened concerns among members of the party and residents of the community, with calls for a thorough investigation to unravel what led to Ngwu’s death and determine those responsible. Authorities are expected to intensify investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the politician’s death.