Dangote Cement increases scholarship slots for Ogun State host community, Ibeshe
Leading African cement merchant, Dangote Cement Plc, Ibese Plant, has announced a multi-million naira educational scholarship award for 115 students from its 15 host communities for the 2017/2018 academic session.
In a statement, the company said the scholarship had become an annual event meant to contribute to the educational development of the people and the areas, and position them in the scheme of things in Ogun State and the country in general.
The Acting Plant Director, Dangote Cement, Ibese Plant, Mr. Louis Raj, during the presentation of cheques to the beneficiaries, explained that the management decided to increase the number of beneficiaries to 115 from the previous 80 so that more children of the area could benefit.
Raj averred that “The decision was meant to encourage the young ones to go to school as a sure way of building them mentally and morally so that they would be good to themselves and the society”.
“The scholarship award is just one of the many social services the company has committed itself to and continues to provide other social services as a way of giving back to the society within which it operates.
Continuing, the Plant Director noted that the scholarship award and other CSR projects were being undertaken as a way of thanking the people for maintaining and sustaining peace in the area, pointing out that it was the prevailing atmosphere of peace that made the company to operate smoothly.
While expressing the management’s gratitude to the royal fathers and other community leaders whose efforts accounted for the peace and tranquility, Raj made it clear that the company would wish the furthering of the peaceful coexistence between the company and host community.
Earlier in his remarks, the General Manager, Government and Community Relations, Dangote Cement, Joseph Alabi, said the scholarship award covered 115 students of Yewa origin studying in several higher institutions of learning in the country.
In his remark, the Olu of Imasayi, Oba Gbadebo Oni said the host communities are happy with Dangote Cement with its handling of community issues, saying Alhaji Aliko Dangote deserves all the cooperation his people could muster for citing the cement plant in their land and then taking care of the people and the communities.
He promised that his people would continue to give peace a chance always because to whom much is given, much is expected. The Monarch said the education scholarship is the best thing that has happened to the host communities because the issue of quality education cannot be quantified in monetary terms.
The scholarship according to him, has offered a big relief to parents who have to struggle so much to ensure their children school fees are paid, saying they will forever be grateful to the management of Dangote cement.
Also, the Dangote Cement Plc, Gboko factory in Benue State had also given out N20 million worth of scholarships to indigent students from the firm’s host community, Mbayion, as part of its CSR in the last one year.
The Group also emerged Nigeria’s best Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Company according to a survey by Governance Advancement Initiative for Nigeria (GAIN), an NGO.
Dangote was the adjudged overall winner among 25 Nigerian and multinational companies operating in the country in 2016, scoring 6.3 per cent, followed by Nestle with 5.51 per cent and Etisalat with 5.45 per cent.
Business Hilights recalls that Dangote Cement had been in the habit of delivering scholarship in every of his cement plant’s host communities both home and across Africa.
It would be recalled that on takeoff of his latest international cement investment in Congo, Alhaji Aliko Dangote announced scholarship awards for indigenes of the host communities.
