Dangote Cement host communities’ leaders laud outgoing Plant Director for ingenuity

*Prominent traditional rulers from Dangote Cement Ibese host communities, in Ogun State of Nigeria, have commended the leadership ingenuity of Mr. Azad  Nawabuddin, outgoing Plant Director, for his pleasant personality that has boosted the cordial relationship between the cement conglomerate and its host communities

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Prominent traditional rulers from Dangote Cement, Ibese, in Ogun State, host communities have commended the leadership ingenuity of Mr. Azad  Nawabuddin, outgoing Plant Director, for his pleasant personality that has boosted the cordial relationship between the cement company and the host communities.

The Group Thursday, April 4, 2024, stated it was a moment of accolades for Nawabuddin, during a sendforth ceremony organised for him by the Ibese Plant to bid him farewell to Obajana, from he has been transferred.

“The monarchs one after the other took turns to shower encomiums on him,” said the Dangote Group.

The conglomerate also noted the Aboro of Ibeseland, Oba Rotimi Mulero, described the erstwhile Plant Director as a bridge builder whose leadership and administrative style had influenced better collaborations between the host communities and the Dangote Cement in several areas.

Ọba Mulero affirmed that the host communities witnessed good projects and enjoyed employment enhancing empowerment programmes during the time of Nawabuddin as the Plant Director, stating that he would have wished the outgoing Plant Director stayed longer.

The monarch noted: ““Nevertheless, we are happy that the company management recognised his worth, and has decided to second him to a bigger plant after all, the reward for hard work is more work.”

In his own remark, the Olu of Aga Olowo, Oba Kayode Adio Kusoro, said the relationship between the host communities and the Dangote Cement, Ibese, has never been more cordial than during the tenure of Mr. Nawabuddin as the Plant Director. Oba Kusoro said that the Plant Director’s disposition to the community issues has been very commendable.

The traditional ruler stated: “The Plant Director is a good man. He listens to us. He is always concerned whenever we have issues to sort out. “And that is why he has also enjoyed our cooperations, the communities, the youths, the women and the royal fathers.”

Amid applause from the staff and the invited guests, Mr. Ade Ojolowo, Head of Social Performance, as part of gestures to eulogise the former Ibese Plant Director, described his administration as very eventful while reeling off some milestones that characterised the stay of Mr. Nawabuddin as the Head of the cement plant.

Said he:”Permit me to share with this gathering, some of the key indicators of the outstanding performance of Mr. Nawabuddin Azad in the course of his leadership of this Plant.

“His time marked an Increase in Ibese Plant Kilns’ Mean Time Before Failure (MTBF) and reduction in production downtime:  Ibese Plant’s Year End average Kilns MTBF was between 181 and 200 minutes until Mr. Azad became the Plant Director.”

According to him, the outgoing Plant Director introduced the use of Asonic Horns and ID fans tipping in all the four Lines to get to the current level of between 580 and 600 minutes.

Ojolowo said: “This is over 90 percent above the budgeted figure of 300 minutes, and has led to significant reduction in production downtime.

“Production volume and dispatch increase: The Plant also witnessed increase in cement production volume from about 6.7 million tons in 2018 to about 7.9 million tonnes and increase in Cement Dispatch to about 8.0 million tonnes under the leadership of Mr. Azad.”

The Head of Social Performance also noted: “In-house refurbishment of Rollers and attendant Forex Savings: DCP used to procure Raw Mills & Cement Mills Roller assemblies for replacement from overseas before Mr. Azad joined Ibese as PD. “Procurement of these roller assemblies was stopped through his ingenuity, and in-house refurbishment of the old rollers commenced.

“This has been successfully implemented till date, with savings of over 500,000 Euros so far.”

Ojolowo further stated: “Championing of Alternative Fuels Project: ⁠ Ibese Plant is at the forefront of the DCP’s vision to get into International carbon trading after benchmarking its carbon footprint.

“Thanks to the introduction of the Alternative Fuels Project, which also has led to the stoppage of importation of expensive & high CO2 emission factor, coal. “Agro-waste usage and substitution of coal saved  the company 2.77 million USD and 17.3 million USD in the year 2022 and 2023 respectively, and the saving is expected to go higher in 2024 due to the just completed AF projects in all the four lines.”

He as well explained: “As a friend of the community, Mr. Azad’s passion for the local communities as critical stakeholders to the Plant is outstanding.

“Our modest achievements in Social Performance in the last couple of years has been through his personal values and commitment, which has yielded unhindered support and collaboration.”

Ojolowo stated: “We have been able to record some firsts in our intervention programmes, including the Annual community day event; Women empowerment programme; Care for the elders, and Support for the vulnerable during festive periods etc.

“It is also to his adulation that we have recorded improved social investment delivery, improved relationship with key government functionaries, and overall local content development.”