Former Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, has called on Dangote Group Chairman, Aliko Dangote, to present evidence of the necessary approvals for the structures he claimed were demolished during Amosun’s administration.

The Guardian reports that Dangote, during a courtesy visit to Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, on Monday, had alleged that his cement plant under construction in Itori was demolished twice when Amosun served as governor of the state.

Dangote, the richest person in Africa, with a net worth estimated at $28.1 billion, had added that his business is, however, making a return to Ogun State due to the favourable policies of Abiodun’s administration.

In a swift reaction, Amosun’s media aide, Lanre Akinwale, in a statement on Tuesday, appealed to Nigerians to understand how government carries out its functions through ministries, departments, and agencies, with each exercising mandates on specific responsibilities, including approvals for physical development.

He said if Dangote provides the requisite approvals for the construction of the structures he alleged were demolished, it would help the public put the issue in proper context, adding that it would also enable “us to know what exactly his grouse is.”

Akinwale said, “For us, as a government, we believed that there could not be two governments in a state, and Dangote, therefore, could not operate above the law or under a different set of laws.”

He recalled that at the commissioning of his Ibese Cement factory, Dangote praised the Amosun administration for its promotion of investments in Ogun State and for facilitating the commencement of the cement factory “after eight years of frustration, as he then alleged, by other administrations.”

Revealing some of the achievements of the Amosun administration, Akinwale said it attracted over 500 companies to the state and was acknowledged by the World Bank as one of the top three states ensuring Ease of Doing Business in Nigeria.

He said under Amosun, Ogun was highlighted as one of the top reforming states in 2014, which marked a significant improvement from its previous rankings.

He said the World Bank report attributed the progress to substantial reforms across multiple indicators like Construction Permits and Property Registration.

“It is also on record that during our administration, Ogun State became the ‘Industrial Capital’ of Nigeria. Our state at the time accounted for about 75 per cent of the Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) in relation to industry in the country. This is a fact subject to verification.

“This recognition was further given fillip to by former president, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, when he visited Ogun State to commission multinational projects on five different occasions.

“Thus, while we will not give vent to this obvious mischief as it is deliberate, we will advise Alhaji Dangote to furnish the public with details of the land acquisition with relevant planning approvals, and let us engage in a constructive conversation therefrom,” he said.

Amosun’s aide further said that while their team awaits a response from Dangote, “we would like to state that not all Nigerians can be compromised, bullied, or blackmailed. The notion that everyone has a price is an expression applicable only to people with weak foundations and questionable upbringing. This is why some of us will continue to uphold high standards in all our undertakings, irrespective of whose ox is gored.”

THE GUARDIAN