ASHAKACEM AND UMARU KWAIRANGA: SOMEONE IS TAKING A SHOT IN THE DARK.
Ordinarily, someone harping on issues that he is not conversant of, deserves no replies to his tantrums, save of course, for the purpose of putting things straight and as they are. I am not holding brief for Umaru Kwairanga, but being someone with the full knowledge of what transpired during his stint as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, I see the need to put the records straight, for the gullible readers, in the public 'court' to understand by disdainful prophrts of doom.
It is so unfortunate, that someone has failed to appreciate the efforts of this highly enterprising citizen of Gombe, in transforming the lives of the people of the community in AshakaCem. He myopically distorted the truth, for reasons best known to him, that Kwairanga's tenure as Chairman of the Board of Directors was uneventful and a sell out. Unlike my humble self, this fellow has never served in whatever capacity in that company and not even visited it for once, as per as I know. His assertions are therefore baseless, unfounded wicked and naught.
RELOCATION OF VILLAGES:
Some villages located around the company for many years, have suffered as a result of quarrying activities going on around them. As the quarry expanded towards those settlements, their mud houses began to crack. Their complaints fell on deaf ears, while they continued to live in perpetual fear of imminent consequential hazards to their lives. Their dream of being relocated was actualized by the coming of Umaru Kwairanga into the Board and his subsequently becoming the Chairman. He doggedly pushed for the construction of houses for them to be relocated and save them from further danger. It was lots of admiration and jubilation, when he laid the foundation for the building of the houses to commence in earnest. Exactly after about nine months, he came back to commission the newly constructed houses and personally handed each beneficiary the keys to his house. It is now called Ladde Bage and anyone that wishes to confirm can go there and confirm.
THE EXPANSION PROJECT:
Having the realized the low capacity production of cement acutely below one million tons, coupled with the aging of the two production kilns, Kwairanga and the team of Directors he led, initiated a capacity expansion project drive. If completed, it will generally increase the capacity of the company to produce 3.5m tons. The then Minister of industries, Olusegun Aganga laid the foundation for the capacity expansion project on behalf of ex President Jonathan.That project is now camatose and nobody knows its fate, despite the good intentions behind it.
APPOINTMENT INTO KEY POSITIONS:
At a time when succession plan was hardly considered that whenever an officer left office another one is brought from outside the department concerned to take over. Two indigenes of Gombe State, Salisu Ajiya and Hauwa Baba Ahmed were to take over the Marketing and Human Resources respectively, but were not out rightly given the opportunity. Speculations were ripe that the two positions would be given to some ones else. It was the intervention of Umaru Kwairanga that saw to their ascension of the two positions of Head of Marketing and Human Resources. The reason for refusing to give them the positions in time, was that their retirement date has approached.
DIVESTMENT OF SHARES BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT:
In 2002 the Federal Government divested all its share holding in the company to the Blue Circle Industries (BCI) of UK, making it the highest share holders. BCI too, was later absorbed by Lafarge, a cement conglomerate of France. That was how the original shareholders of the company, the Federal Government and the six Northeast State Governments lost AshakaCem. For anyone to insinuate that Umaru Kwairanga, who came only eight years later, sold it, is the height of deceit and a crass falsification of facts. As it is now, Lafarge itself, and after the exit of Umaru Kwairanga from the Chairmanship of the Board, has been taken over by Holcim of Poland. the current Chairman of the Board and the Managing Director/CEO are not from Gombe and not even from the original catchment area, the Northeast. is that what we want?
The trend of the bring down syndrome that has eaten deep into the fabric of lives, is clearly taking its toll on us. Some of us do not appreciate the worth of our sons and daughters, because we never encourage and cherish their success. Of course it goes without saying, that the fellow perpetrating these vendetta, might be having a personal grudge against Umaru Kwairanga. Be that as it may, with that attitude, we will continue to lose the formidable and enterprising efforts of the young men and women, who always see the progress of our people and our state as a paramount quest to move it forward. May the Almighty Allah SWT give us the courage to say and stand with the truth, amin.
No comments:
Post a Comment