By Amos Aar
INDIGENES of the host communities of Dangote Cement Plant in Gboko, Benue State, have expressed dissatisfaction with the contents of the Community Development Agreement (CDA) signed on Wednesday, December 4, 2024.
The CDA, meant to redress gaps in the Dangote Cement Plant’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) obligations, is drawing discontent from the affected communities.
Mr. Jibrin Abubakar, Dangote Group’s Corporate Communications Manager, North, announced the signing of the CDA in a mail to National Record.
According to Abubakar in the statement, the agreement was reached with six host communities: Tse-Kucha (Mbatyula), Quarry, Amua (Mbakper), Mbazembe, Mbatur, and Pass Brothers in the Mbayion district of Gboko.
Abubakar’s statement reads: “A wave of jubilation swept through Gboko, Benue State, on Wednesday as Dangote Cement Plc and six host communities signed an historic Community Development Agreement (CDA).
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“The landmark accord, which commits Dangote Cement to multimillion-naira development initiatives, was celebrated as a transformative milestone, with the communities pledging to uphold a peaceful coexistence.
“His Royal Highness, Ter Gboko, Gabriel Shosum, hailed the pact as the dawn of a new era, affirming that the communities’ longstanding aspirations had been realized.
“The monarch extended gratitude to Alhaji Aliko Dangote, President of the Dangote Group, for his commitment to addressing the needs of the host communities, while urging local leaders to sustain peace and harmony to support the company’s operations.
“Mrs. Bimbo Sariat Olawoye, representing the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, expressed pride in the achievement and called for collective efforts to ensure the full implementation of the CDA.
“Hon. Elias T. Yina, Executive Chairman of Gboko Local Government, described the agreement as unparalleled in the company’s over 40-year history, highlighting its potential to benefit not only the local government but also the State.
“Plant Director, DCP Gboko, Louis K. Raj, said the achievement of the CDA is as a result of the support from the Benue State government, as well as from the Gboko Local Government, community leaders and the ministry of Solid Minerals Development, among other stakeholders.
“The Plant Director added: “This important occasion marks the beginning of concrete infrastructural development and social support in the areas of Education, improved access to Healthcare, Economic Empowerment programs targeted at the Youths, the women groups and the farming population. The company’s social investment will also facilitate improved access to potable water, improve electrification and power supply to the host communities, among other things.
“The Gboko Plant’s CDA also provides for scholarship grants for students in secondary and tertiary institutions to promote excellence in educational pursuits of indigent students from our host communities.”
“Head of Social Performance, Mr. Wakeel Olayiwola described the signing of the CDA as historic and key to the implementation of key projects in the host communities.
“The CDA, he said, provides for interventions covers the provision of infrastructural and educational development for a period of five years.
“In his remarks, President General of the Jemgbash Development Association Prince Yandev Amaabai urged the communities to be peaceful and eschew violence.
“Dangote has provided us jobs, and now is supporting us as a people. We must support him and be peaceful,” he said.
“The agreement was signed with six host communities: Tse-kucha(Mbatyula), Quarry, Amua(Mbakper), Mbazembe, Mbatur and Pass Brothers.”
Asked whether this was the first time the Dangote Cement Plant was signing a CDA with the host communities after operating in the area for over a decade, Abubakar remained mute up to press time.
Other enquiries Abubakar refused to respond to include more information on the scope or worth of the scholarships and the number of beneficiaries per community per year.
These enquiries were necessary against the backdrop of persistent complaints from the communities on environmental pollution and the corporate social irresponsibility of the management of Dangote Cement Plant by the communities, which had culminated in a N10 billion litigation.
Although Abubakar’s report underscored the celebratory mood in the host communities, upon signing the CDA, however, some community members have raised concerns over its content and implementation.
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Residents of Mbatyula, the immediate host community of the cement factory, voiced their frustrations, particularly regarding the scholarship component of the agreement.
Mr. Joseph Yaji Akpa, an indigene of Mbatyula, castigated the CDA as offering pittance. “Over the years, Dangote has paid N10 million annually for undergraduates in Mbayion. But individual beneficiaries receive only N20,000 to N30,000 per year, a meager amount for university expenses,” Yaji stated.
Speaking about the newly signed CDA, Yaji revealed that community representatives were initially asked to present their demands. Dangote’s management, he said, later returned to finalise the agreement, promising to address the needs over the next five years.
Yaji also highlighted an ongoing displacement of community members. According to him, community members, including those not directly impacted by mining operations, are being pressured to sell ancestral lands and graves.
“We were offered N1.5 million per person, including those aged 18 and above, to relocate. But there is no specific timeline for full compensation,” he added.
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Mr. Emmanuel Ioryem, an elder in Quarry, another immediate host community, confirmed the signing of the agreement but disputed claims of widespread approval.
“There was no jubilation as Mr. Jibrin Abubakar claimed. This agreement was imposed on us by our leaders,” Ioryem remarked.
Similarly, Zaki Ajoh, the kindred head of Mbatyula, disclosed that he was briefed by the Gboko council chairman about the signing of the CDA but refrained from commenting on its specifics.
While some have lauded Dangote’s efforts to formalise a development agreement, others see it as long overdue.
A news report by The Guardian indicated that last Wednesday’s CDA “was the first of its kind since the firm was established 44 years ago.”
For many residents, the current agreement offers little reassurance. Concerns over transparency, fairness, and genuine commitment to community development remains at the forefront of the debate.
The overwhelming sentiment in the impacted communities is whether the CDA will truly bring relief or if it is merely a facade to subdue growing discontent of recent.
