ABEOKUTA- The Olu of Itori, Oba Fatal Akamo has called out popular cement company, Larfage Africa over its operations which had degraded most of the host communities in parts of Ogun state.
Oba Akamo stated that aside from climate change pollution, the operation of the factory is destroying the community and the company is not mitigating the harsh effect on the locals.
Addressing newsmen on Wednesday as part of activities marking his 20th years anniversary, Oba Akamo accused the cement company of destroying the only General Hospital in the community but refused to salvage the situation, leaving locals to travel for medical attention.
“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 is existing because their actions or reactions to things is not normal. How would a multibillion naira company be sited in a community and our roads will be in this condition?
“What takes Larfage to do this road”, Oba Akamo queried
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, regretting that the community has 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.”
Effort to speak with the Head, Corporate Communications of Lafarge Africa, Ginika Frank Durugbor, was unsuccessful as she neither picked nor responded to text message of enquiry.
The company’s publicist did not also reply to a Whatsapp message sent to her.
