Dangote Cement plc has donated 25 operational cars, fully equipped with security features, to the Ogun Security Trust Fund (OSTF) as part of its strategic Corporate Social Responsibility towards maintaining security of lives and property.

The donation was a fulfillment of a pledge made by the immediate past group managing director (GMD) of the company, Joseph Makoju, who had promised the state government that Dangote Cement as a responsible corporate citizen would partner the government in ensuring the much-desired security is maintained in the state and its environs.

Presenting the cars to the OSTF in Lagos on behalf of the management of Dangote Cement plc, Emmanuel Ikazoboh, independent non-executive director, said the donation was informed by the need to boost the Fund’s operation because security is essential to economic development.

“No investor will be willing to put his/her funds in an economy where insecurity is rife with lawlessness and chaos as the order of the day. We are major investors in Ogun State and as such we prefer a state of orderliness and sound security which allows businesses to thrive,” Ikazoboh said.

Ogun Security Trust Fund was established in 2011 and refined in 2019 by Governor Dapo Abiodun. The objectives of the Fund include the maintenance of security and welfare of citizens.
“I recall that on October 6, 2019, our then group managing director, Engr. Joe Makoju, made a pledge on behalf of the company to present operational vehicles to the Fund. As a corporate socially responsible organisation, the security and well-being of our host communities remain utmost in our minds,” he said.

Ikazoboh said a major step towards encouraging investments and creation of employment is promoting and ensuring adequate security in the environment.

“This is why we at Dangote Cement fully appreciate your state government’s several initiatives in the promotion of security and a safe operating environment for business,” he said.

He explained that government alone could not continue to bear the full cost of meeting the expectations of the entire populace in the provision of basic necessities like health, education and security for the citizenry, adding that this thought gave rise to Public-Private Partnerships, where private sector collaborates with public sector in the provision of essential services.

“Our desire to partner government or the public sector informed our interventions such as Itori-Ibese Road, Apapa-Wharf Road and Obajana-Kabba Road,” Ikazoboh said.

Opeyemi Agbaje, executive secretary of the Fund, who received the keys to the cars, expressed the appreciation of the Ogun State government to the management of Dangote Cement plc, saying the gesture would go a long way in helping the Fund achieve its core mandate of maintaining security with ease.

“When you do a fundraiser, we are used to the Nigerian phenomenon, where it’s very easy to make a pledge and when it is time to redeem, it becomes difficult. We are happy that this is a fulfilment of a pledge made sometime ago and it is happening in our very eyes,” Agbaje said.

He promised that the cars would be maintained and put to judicious use, saying the Fund would not disappoint the company on the partnership.

Speaking further, Ikazoboh said Dangote Cement was also at the forefront of combating the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We have adopted several protocols such as social distancing, provision of temperature scanners, hand sanitisers, face masks, and sick-bays, designed to secure the health of our staff at the cement plants. We have provided basic necessities to prevent infection and transmission of the virus in our plants,” he said.

Ikazoboh called on all other responsible corporate social bodies like to join in supporting the Ogun Security Trust Fund through the provision of necessary operational tools.

“This collective support, we believe, will go a long way to ensure adequate security for all stakeholders in Ogun State,” he said.

H/T: BusinessDay