Journalists under the aegis of the Legislative Writers Forum, Abuja today conferred an award tagged the “Excellence Leadership Award” on the Plant Director of Dangote Cement factory, Gboko plant Mr Louise K. Raj.
In a brief ceremony held at the premises of the company at Kilometer 72 Makurdi-Gboko road, Mr Abraham Onum who led the journalists delegation said that the team had undertaken a discreet investigation into the progress of the Dangote Cement Gboko Plant as well as several other indigenous companies and were impressed with the efficiency and productivity in the running of its affairs under the leadership of Mr Raj. Mr Onum said that the award which is in recognition of his hard work is meant as an appreciation and encouragement for him to continue to contribute his best for the progress and development of not just Dangote Industries Limited but Nigeria in general.
In his address at the occasion, Financial Controller of the Cement Plant, Mr Anthony Tanko while thanking the journalists for the award, Mr Tanko however debunked the recent reports on the social media that the Dangote Cement, Gboko Plant was a tax evading company.
On the recently Benue State Internal Revenue Service (BIRS) sealed of the company for non-remittance of tax, Mr. Tanko said that as at the time the plant was sealed by the BIRS, they were not ‘owing BIRS a dime’.
The finance controller said that the BIRS only capitalized on the late arrival of receipts of the Gboko plant’s tax remittance from its headquarters in Lagos to embark on a smear campaign, which he pointed out was given maximum publicity as a sign of bad faith.
Earlier in his address, Head of Administration Mr Jonathan Kunde explained that even as a profit making organization, the company has remained conscious of her Corporate Social Responsibility to the host community.
As according to him, the company has renovated and constructed no fewer than sixteen schools within the host community, instituted an annual scholarship scheme of ten million naira for students of the immediate host community, has sunk and is servicing boreholes to ameliorate the hardship occasioned by water scarcity within the company’s area of operation as well as sundry other interventions like donations of tricycles to youths to foster economic self-reliance, and annual food palliatives to the vulnerable amongst several other efforts.
President of the Yion Community Development Association, who also doubles as immediate host community of the cement plant Mr. Orver Yongu urged the company to curtail the limestone dust which emit from the kilns during production.
He further explained that the community leader are lamenting that the dust was a grave source of concern to the community as continuous inhalation poses health risks to inhabitants around the company’s vicinity.
In his acceptance speech after the award, the Plant Director expressed surprise that members of the fourth estate of the realm did an independent evaluation of his stewardship and have found him worthy of commendation.
He however thanked the management and staff of the plant for their sustained commitment to work and their cooperation.
