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Dangote Cement Making Measurable Impacts In Benue Host Communities — FG
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Dele Alake, has said that Dangote Cement Plc is making measurable impacts in its Gboko Host Communities of Benue State.
At the commissioning of Dangote Cement’s multi-million-naira water projects, scholarship awards and youth skill acquisition programme, the minister commended the company for its impactful contributions to host communities.
He also commended the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) for partnering and supervising the training of youth during the skill acquisition programme.
Represented by an Assistant Director of Mines and Environmental Compliance, Benue State, Mrs. Adijatu Usman, the minister said Dangote Cement is meeting its obligations under the Community Development Agreement (CDA).
He said the CDA ensures that mining companies plough back part of their profits into their host communities.
He said: “I can tell you that the Dangote Cement has delivered several projects for its host communities.
“The project was a fall out of a Federal Government policy, for companies such as Dangote to give back to its host communities.
“It is a Federal Government policy for mining companies to reinvest part of their profits into host mining communities so as to impact the communities, and as a result of that policy we have had series of engagements with them.
“There are six of these communities here. We sat with them several times and these projects are certified community-based projects because the community agreed that they needed these projects. And we are here today because the projects have been completed.
“What we expect is for the communities to see these projects as their personal projects; own them, and protect them, so that they will be sustainable. That way there will be economic development within the communities.
“We share in their joy as we present these projects to them, and we think that mining will be sustainable.”
Speaking at the commissioning and handover ceremony of the projects to the communities, Head of Social Performance at Dangote Cement Plant in Gboko, Dr. Johnson Kor, stated that the projects were delivered to communities that have challenge in access to good water supply.
Dr. Kor said: “We are here today to commission CDA projects that were earmarked for these host communities since last year December 2024. We have done many of them and these are the ones that have been completed, and they are water projects among them motorized and solar powered boreholes.
“Community Development Agreement was entered in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development and the host communities, the stakeholders and the Plant.
“It is a five-year agreement, and this is the first year and by next year we will be going into the second round and as you can see, we are also working on some electricity projects which are yet to be completed.
“These are areas where they hardly get water, despite having hand dug wells, they are perennially in need of water and some of them are using water from the streams or river because of their proximity to River Benue.
“Therefore, we felt there was need to provide water for them, and they are happy with this kind of gesture exhibited by the Dangote Cement Plc.
“The boreholes are located in Pass Brother, Mbaakpoghol-Mbatyu; Mbaswa-Mbatser and Agboghol-Amua communities.”
District Head of Mbaakpoghol-Mbatyu, Chief Kunav Anum, observed that as a community, his people were very happy to have one of the boreholes located in the community.
He said: “We are very excited. We didn’t know that this would happen so soon in this community. It came as a surprise, so we are grateful to Dangote Cement Plc for the gesture.”
The monarch said the community had accessed electricity earlier through Dangote Cement, even as he pledged that the community would continue to support the company.
A statement from the company had said: “In further demonstration of this commitment, the scholarship fund has this year been reviewed upward to ₦28,800,000.00, and its scope expanded to cover all six host communities, strictly in line with the provisions of the Community Development Agreement (CDA). This deliberate expansion reflects our desire to ensure equity, inclusiveness, and shared benefits across all our immediate communities.
“The company has executed several projects, with others still ongoing, including the Women Empowerment Programme, the Farmers Empowerment Programme and the Youth Empowerment Programme, all aimed at improving livelihoods in the host communities.”
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), Kano Strategic Command, has commended the Federal High Court in Kano for sentencing a 20-year-old drug suspect, Muhammad Maharazu, to 15 years imprisonment.
In a statement issued by the Public Relations Officer NDLEA Kano Strategic Command Assistant Superintendent of Narcotics Sadiq Muhammad Maigatari on Thursday, the command said the conviction followed Maharazu’s arrest on February 14, 2026, at the notorious Filin Idi drug den in Kano.
According to the NDLEA, the suspect was apprehended by operatives of the Commander’s Special Joint Task Force in possession of various illicit substances, including Diazepam tablets. During the operation, Maharazu allegedly produced a knife in an attempt to attack officers while trying to evade arrest but was swiftly disarmed and taken into custody.
The agency said Justice S. M. Shuaibu of the Federal High Court, Kano, sentenced the convict to 15 years imprisonment on April 15, 2026, with no option of fine. The sentence is to take effect from the date of judgment.
Reacting to the development, the NDLEA Kano Commander, Dahiru Yahaya Lawal, described the judgment as decisive and a strong warning to drug offenders.
“This conviction sends a clear message that no amount of threats or violence will deter our officers from carrying out their mandate. Kano will not be a safe haven for drug traffickers,” he said.
The command added that the custodial sentence would serve as a deterrent to others involved in drug trafficking or those who resort to violence to resist arrest.
It also called on members of the public to continue supporting the agency’s efforts in tackling substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking, emphasizing that the fight against drug-related crimes requires collective responsibility.
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
Africa’s leading conglomerate will feature its flagship Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Company at the 2026 Nasarawa Trade Fair, which will be officially declared open by the State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, on April 20.
KANO FOCUS reports that Dangote Industries Limited will also showcase its Vision 2030, which focuses on driving innovation and Africa’s industrialization.
The Dangote Group is the major sponsor of the Nasarawa Trade Fair and Exhibition (NASTFE) with the theme: Unlocking Industrial Synergy: Deepening the Value Chain and Driving Inclusive Growth in Nasarawa State.
A statement from the company’s spokesman, Anthony Chiejina, said other Strategic Business Units of the company will be participating at the annual event in the state capital, Lafia.
Anthony Chiejina stated that products to be featured at the Fair will include those from the Group’s Strategic Business Units, such as Dangote Cement, Dangote Sugar, Dangote Salt and seasonings, Dangote SinoTruk, Dangote Packaging, and Dangote Fertiliser.
The statement quoted the Regional Director/Senior Adviser to Dangote Group President, Fatima Wali Abdurrahman, as saying that Nasarawa State is key to the Group’s overall investment in Africa.
“It is home to Dangote’s Nasarawa Sugar Company Limited (NSCL). The sugar project, when completed, will be one of the biggest sugar investments in Africa,” she said.
Mrs. Wali-Abdurrahman noted that the Trade Fair provides a valuable platform for the company to engage with key stakeholders and Nigerians interested in exploring business opportunities with the organization.
She stated that a dedicated Help Desk will handle inquiries, enabling the company to effectively engage participants on the Dangote Group’s Strategic Business Units.
Speaking to newsmen in Lafia, Chairman and Council members of the Nigeria Association of Small-Scale Industrialists (NASSI), Nasarawa State Chapter, Nidan Sambo Manasseh, said the theme for this year’s Trade Fair aptly aligns with Dangote Group’s vision.
“We align strongly with the vision of Aliko Dangote, whose leadership continues to shape Nigeria’s economic future. His focus on industrialization, local production, and value creation inspires our efforts to connect MSMEs to structured value chains.
“Through this partnership, we are building a bridge between grassroots businesses and large industries, driving inclusive growth,” he said.
He said the third edition of NASTFE is designed as a practical business, industrial, and human capital development platform, adding that it is not just an exhibition.
According to him: “A major highlight of this year’s programme is the Empowerment Skill Acquisition Programme (ESAP), now structured as a package project for sponsorship support.
“ESAP is a yearly initiative from July-December targeting 2,000 beneficiaries across the 13 Local Government Areas of the State.
“The programme is strategically designed as a mobile training system, moving from one Local Government to another to ensure inclusive grassroots participation.”
Speaking on the Dangote Group’s Vision 2030, he said: “Our strategy is to align local enterprise development with large-scale industrial systems.”
Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim
The Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has nominated the Chairman of its Kano State chapter, Dr Goni Faruk Umar, alongside several prominent Nigerians to serve on its Endowment Fund Management Committee.
KANO FOCUS reports that the committee, which comprises distinguished figures from across the country, is expected to oversee the management and administration of the forum’s endowment fund.
According to the list released by the forum, retired Inspector General of Police, Mohammed D. Abubakar, will serve as Chairman of the committee, while former Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, has been named Vice Chairman.
Other notable members of the committee include Amina Dantata, Kashim Ibrahim Imam, Suleiman Adamu, Tijjani Bande, Aliyu Idi Hong, and Yerima Lawal Ngama.
Also listed are legal luminary Dakas I. Dakas and Joe-Kyari Gadzama, among others drawn from the public and private sectors.
The forum named Usman Kukasheka as Secretary of the committee, with Maimuna Yaya Abubakar serving as Assistant Secretary.
The Endowment Fund Management Committee is expected to play a key role in mobilising resources and ensuring transparent management of funds to support the activities and long-term objectives of the ACF.
The inclusion of Dr Goni Faruk Umar, alongside other eminent personalities, reflects the forum’s effort to draw on a broad spectrum of experience and expertise in strengthening its institutional capacity.
*Nasiru Yusuf Ibrahim ANIPR,*
*Publicity Secretary ll,*
*ACF Kano State Chapter.*
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