The Dangote Group has absolved self from the fire incident that gutted the House of Assembly yesterday morning. The company refuted claims that it was responsible for the development in a statement signed by Mr. Anthony Chiejina, Group Head Branding and Communications, Dangote Industries Ltd. on Monday in Lagos. Chiejina noted that the company, as a socially responsible corporate entity, totally refuted this allegation and condemned “the unprofessional and irresponsible attempt to smear its image before local and international investors and thus erode its brand value.” He said the company would never stoop so low as to sponsor thugs to destroy any property, belonging to either government or any individual. “Our attention has been drawn to a circulating press statement issued by the Kogi State Government, wherein the Dangote Group was accused of allegedly sponsoring arsonists to set the Kogi State House of Assembly on fire in the early hours of Monday, October 10, 2022,” the statement read.
“Desperation sets in as imported hoodlums burn down Kogi Assembly’, which was signed by the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo pointedly accused our company of burning the Complex “in an attempt to possibly destroy evidence relating to the ownership tussle between the Kogi State Government and the Dangote Group over the Obajana Cement Company.
“As a socially responsible corporate entity, we totally refute this allegation and condemn this unprofessional and irresponsible attempt to smear our image before local and international investors and thus erode our brand value.
“Dangote Group would never stoop so low as to sponsor thugs to destroy any property, belonging to either government or any individual. This runs contrary to our business ethos and everything we stand for as a leading manufacturer with teeming customers and consumers across Nigeria and Africa.”
It added: “Our lawyers have been mandated to react appropriately to the damaging allegation from the Kogi State Government within the full extent of the law.
“We urge our stakeholders and the public to disregard such irresponsible and insane statements as we ask all our stakeholders, namely shareholders, customers, suppliers, employees, and the entire community of Obajana and Kogi State at large to remain calm while we follow the legitimate and lawful process to resolve this matter with the State Government.”
Meanwhile, the Kogi State government has initiated a probe into the fire incident which gutted the state House of Assembly yesterday.
In a statement, the commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, said the state government wished to inform the people of Kogi and other Nigerians that the House of Assembly had been razed down by fire.
According to him, security and technical experts have started working hard to unravel the cause (s) of the inferno which caused significant damage to the complex.
Fanwo said the state government would inform the general public of findings as they unfold.