A first-class monarch in Ogun State, Olu of Itori, Fatai Akamo, has raised alarm over the operation of the popular cement company, Lafarge Africa plant, in his domain.
Aside from climate pollution, the monarch noted that the operation of the factory is destroying the community and the company is not mitigating the harsh effect on the locals.
Oba Akamo made the complaints on Wednesday during a press briefing addressed to usher in a week-long 20th anniversary celebration of his coronation.
The monarch accused the cement company of destroying the only General Hospital in the community and refusing to salvage the situation, leaving locals to travel for medical attention.
Akamo lamented, “WAPCO is not doing fine at all, Is that a company? If you pass through their company what they blast affects mostly all the houses in their environment, so if you don’t bind your house firmly it may collapse.
“WAPCO was the one that destroyed the General hospital, But for them to demolish it and rebuild became a problem but God will use Dapo Abiodun for me, he will build it again.
“I don’t believe that Larfage exists because their actions or reactions to things are not normal. How would a multi-billion naira company be sited in a community and our roads will be in this condition?
“What takes Larfage to do this road?”
The monarch also noted that the company was responsible for the horrible plights of motorists on the Lagos- Abeokuta expressway.
He also recalled that at the start of the factory in the community, the company had agreed to always take the host community into cognizance, alleging that the community had never benefited anything from the company.
He said, “I don’t know what Larfage is doing there, the raw materials they are using are from here, they don’t import anything. It is even very worrisome that a bag of cement is being sold for N10,000 now.
“When they were doing their MoU, they promised to do a lot of things for the community, they promised to take care of their host community, honestly this is not the way things are supposed to be done.
Also speaking on the bad situation of the road, the monarch stressed, “We thank God that the Federal government has mandated Ogun and Lagos States to do the road together and our governor said recently that they will start before the rainy season.”
Efforts to speak with the Head of Corporate Communications at Lafarge Africa, Ginika Frank Durugbor, were unsuccessful as she neither picked nor responded to text messages of enquiry sent to her.
The company’s publicist did not also reply to a WhatsApp message sent to her.
Lafarge destroying our land, not mitigating damage – Olu of Itori, Akamo alleges
