Some elders and youths of Ijako-Orile community in Yewa North Local Government area of Ogun State, have staged a peaceful protest, calling for the payment of their “ownership entitlements to the land on which the Dangote Cement PLC Factory is sited in Ibese”.
Few Representatives of the youths and elders of the community also went to the Dangote Cement PLC factory and submitted a letter of appeal to the President of Dangote Cement PLC, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, over the issue.
Speaking with journalists after submitting the letter, receipt of which was acknowledged by the company, the three signatories to the letter, Prince Ayeseni Shewu, Prince Basiru Gbadamosi, and Prince Olumide Akinyemi, as well as their counsel, Chief Adekunle Funmilayo, pleaded with Dangote to use his good offices to effect payment of the land entitlements.
“We would have mobilised all our youths to this place, but we don’t want our peaceful protest to be hijacked by thugs and miscreants”, Shewu told newsmen.
In their petition, copies of which were made available to journalists, the Ijako-Orile community said they owned the land upon which the Dangote Cement PLC factory was sited and that they were compelled to file an action before the Ogun State High Court (Suit No HCY/3/2011) when all efforts to claim their rights on the land proved abortive.
“While in court, Dangote and Ogun State Government’s counsel approached our community to settle the matter amicably out of court and the honourable court gave the parties the opportunity to do so.
“Several meetings were held on countless occasions both in Ogun and Lagos States and Dangote Cement PLC officials were always present, promising to act on the consensus arrived at by the parties.
“To our chagrin, nothing has been done despite the fact that we have got to the stage whereby we wrote a letter of definite demand in accordance with the decisions reached at the meetings; yet no reply has been communicated to us”, the community further stated in their petition.
The community, as such, pleaded with Alhaji Aliko Dangote to wade into the matter, and ensure that the matter is resolved, stating, “This is the ninth year of the existence of the matter with Dangote Cement PLC officials… yet we are a peace-loving people”.
