• Friday, March 29, 2024
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Dangote extends empowerment to Ijebu-Igbo as scores receive scholarship awards

Dangote-Group

Having established empowerment scheme through which resources were deployed to empower people of its host communities across the country, especially at the Ibese Cement Plant in the Ogun West Senatorial District, Dangote Group on Friday extended its tentacles to Ijebu-Igbo in the Ogun East Senatorial District by awarding scores of scholarships and bursaries to students and pupils.

These scholarships and bursaries were given to 21 students picked across eleven tertiary institutions across the country and 27 pupils who are residents of five Ijebu-Igbo communities, namely, Ajebandele,
Ademowo, Baba Risi, Ijebu-Igbo and Idi-Omo, in addition to the building of health centre and 10 blocks of classrooms in some schools and provision of boreholes.

Speaking on the empowerment scheme inaugurated in Ijebu-Igbo on Friday, Fola Ali, declared that Dangote Group is creating the empowerment scheme in Ijebu-Igbo communities in accordance with dictates of Mineral Act on the performance of the required Corporate Social Responsibility in all communities, cities and states where Dangote Group has corporate operations.

Ali, while explaining that Dangote Group is extending its empowerment scheme to Ijebu-Igbo in Ogun state due to the location of Dangote Granites Mines Limited sites in Ajebandele community in the state where granites and other construction materials are mined and sourced for the ongoing Dangote Refinery Project within Lekki Free Trade Zone in Lagos as he pledged that Nigerians would have acces to petrol and petroleum products at cheaper rates when the Refinery is completed.

“We would have done this long ago but for COVID-19, we however thank God that we are starting the distribution of scholarship and bursary awards now in Ijebu-Igbo. We are giving out N100,000 each to indigent students that are indigenes of Ijebu-Igbo who are in various tertiary institutions across the country. Also, we are giving N25,000 each to pupils in some Secondary Schools.

“Our plants all over the country can’t meet up demands for petrol and petroleum products, but with Dangote Refinery, we can meet up our plants’ demands and even ensure that Nigerians don’t lack access to petrol and petroleum products and these products can also be got at reasonable prices.

“I promise, on behalf of the company that this won’t be the end of it, it can’t be one-off scholarship and bursary award scheme as Dangote Group plans, like it does for other host communities, to give scholarship and bursary awards to indigent students across its production plants in the country on yearly basis”, he said.

Responding on behalf of all the Chiefs and residents of Ijebu-Igbo communities, Oba
Adesesan Yusuf, Sopen Lukale of Oke-Sopen, Ijebu-Igbo, said “On behalf of the entire Ijebu-Igbo, I express our gratitude to Alhaji Aliko Dangote for the palliatives sent to us at Ijebu-Igbo here in Ogun state.

“I am happy about the scholarship and bursary awards being given to our sons and daughters, but I will implore that this should not be one-off project, it must be a continuous gesture because if we don’t continue this, many pupils and students intended, may drop out and it wouldn’t be meaningful, hence, I urge Dangote Group to continue this lofty and laudable gesture.”