The management of the Mangal Cement company in the Iluhagba community, Ijumu local government area of Kogi State has stated that the company is up to date in the implementation of the Community Development Agreement between the organization and the host community.
This was disclosed in an interview with the General Manager of the Plant, Dr. Musa Umar, who described the information published yesterday by some media organizations as false and pointed out that the company has been meticulous in implementing the Community Development Agreement.
According to him, the incident that happened a few days ago in the community has nothing to do with the company rather it was a disagreement between two people in the lorry park of the company that is handling the haulage section, stressing that it is a misrepresentation of facts that the company have not provided the boreholes agreed in the CDA.
Dr. Musa said that based on the agreement in the document signed by both parties; the company is to provide six boreholes to the host community, 3 within the Iluhagba community, 1 in Aiyetoro-Gbede, 1 in Odokoro-Gbede while the last 1 is meant for Iyara community being the headquarters of the local government.
He further noted that out of the 6 agreed boreholes, 5 have been delivered hundred percent in the agreed locations and they are working fine, while the remaining one for the Iyara community will be delivered before the end of this month.
He said aside from the three solar-powered boreholes already delivered to the Iluhagba community, there is one industrial borehole and two hand pump boreholes provided alongside the relocation agreement to the new site.
For the scholarship, he said the 10 people agreed to be given scholarships by the community have received their two hundred thousand naira scholarship award, pointing out that it is not true that the scholarship has not been given, admonishing journalists to cross-check their facts before publishing false information about the organization.
He noted with nostalgia that Mangal Cement company, despite being young in operations, is one of the best in the host community relations in Nigeria, and pointed out that all items in the CDA will be treated with almost sincerity.
Meanwhile, our reporter was taken to the site to see the projects, especially the boreholes projects and the new site of the community where the company built 3 and 2-bedroom bungalows for those whose houses were affected by the relocation agreement.
GM Audit, Ibrahim Nafada and Community Relation Manager, Ifeanyi Nwachukwu who spoke to our reporter during the inspection said the company will do everything possible to implement the CDA, stressing that the roads within the new site which is already used by the people have been captured for this year’s capital projects and that they will make sure all boreholes provided are powered by Solar so as the people will not need to buy fuel and wait for aedc supply to pump water.
