A Lagos-based businessman, Dr Sijibomi Ogundele, is set to challenge the perceived monopoly in the cement industry and possibly crash its prohibitive price as he unveils plans to establish another cement factory in Gombe State
Gombe State hosts one of Nigeria’s biggest cement production factories, Ashaka Cement brand, managed by Lafarge International, and Dr Ogundele says he is ready to expend his resources in building another cement factory in the state.
Dr Sijibomi Ogundele, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Sojimoto Group Holdings, after two days exploring opportunities in the North-East state, told the state deputy governor that apart from the cement factory, he also plans to engage in mechanised farming in the state.
During the business discussion in the office of the State Deputy Governor, Manassah Daniel Jatau, Dr Sijibomi Ogundele said his company has an interest in cement production and mechanised agriculture with the aim of easing housing problems and food insecurity.
The investor, who had earlier visited the palace of the Emir of Gombe, the multi-billion naira Muhammadu Buhari Industrial Park, and the famous Dadinkowa Dam, among other investment hubs, told the deputy governor that he was ready for a mutually beneficial business relationship.
According to him, he has had a burning desire to replicate the French Industrial standard in Nigeria after returning from France ten years ago, leading him to start his own company in Nigeria.
He said, “When you are exposed to extraordinary ambition, you want to dream high,” adding that, it was this determination to change the narration of his people that pushed him into seeking to address some of the nation’s problems.
He also explained that the company is spread into five areas covering construction, mechanised agriculture, financial technology (Fintech) real estate and manufacturing.
He said he intends to establish a cement company in Gombe State as well as invest in the area of mechanised farming with a view to making Gombe State a strong chain in the long chain of development in Nigeria.
Speaking for the Gombe State government, Manassah Daniel Jatau expressed the administration’s strong political will in realising the industrialisation and food security dream of the Governor Inuwa-led administration.
He said the establishment of the Buhari Industrial Park was borne out of the government’s desire to engage the teeming unemployed youths to develop the economy of the state because it Internally Generated Revenue and the federation allocation is low.
He told Dr Sijibomi Ogundele that the location of the industrial park at Dadinkowa was because of its proximity to the hydropower plant for adequate power supply for the companies and that Gombe is not only peaceful but endowed with an abundance of natural resources. He assured the investor that his company would have a hitch-free business in the state.
The team of Sijimoto Group Holdings included Honourable Umar Usman, Ahmed Magem and Alhaji Suleiman Dawu, among others while the Industrial Park interim Chairman, Alhaji Nuhu Bashir, led the committee members during the visit.
Eighteen-Eleven Media