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BUA’s Violation of Sugar BIP Worries Stakeholders

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Abdulsamad Rabiu

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As the federal government continues to monitor the level of compliance of all companies engaged in the implementation of the backward integration programme (BIP) in the sugar industry, seeming subtle efforts of BUA Group to violate the tenets of the agreement is causing serious concerns in the sugar industry.

 

An independent, detailed investigation carried out by THISDAY on the three companies that signed the agreement with the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) to fully implement the BIP in the year 2020 and end the nation’s dependence on importation to meet its need for sugar, found BUA lagging behind vastly in investment in and implementation of the BIP.

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According to the THISDAY investigation published in the March 7 edition of the newspaper, from page 46 to 49, while Dangote Group’s Savannah Sugar Company in Numan Adamawa State has essentially met the deadline by already producing pure refined sugar straight from sugarcane harvested from its own farms and Flour Mill’s Golden Sugar Company in Sunti, Niger State is on target to begin production this year, BUA’s Lafiagi sugar estate has neither set up a farm nor put a processing factory in place.

 

The THISDAY special report noted that Dangote Group, at the moment, has above 6,000 hectares of mature sugarcane which is currently undergoing harvesting and processing, and the estate is running three 24-hour shifts daily. But BUA only has 13 hectares of sugarcane nursery which it plans to transplant in the future.

 

THISDAY investigation also revealed that while Dangote’s Savannah Sugar currently employs around 750 full-time employees, 5000 contract staff who work in the farms and other parts of the factory; and Flour Mills’ Sunti has 750 employees, BUA’s Lafiagi Sugar estate  only has 25 workers indicating that very little is going on there.

 

There are even unconfirmed speculations that of all the equipment and staff displayed at the Lafiagi sugar estate, none is owned by the company as they simply hired and displayed the few assets to deceive the NSDC and other stakeholder and give BUA access to the federal government benefits enjoyed genuine investors in integrated sugar production.

 

In the area of the installation of a sugarcane processing factory, while Dangote has a functional plant in place, already churning out refine sugar and generating 6.4 MW of electricity and Flour Mills is set to inaugurate its plant by May, 2016, BUA has none, except a manual 50 tonnes per day sugarcane crushing plant which is currently non-operational.

 

Another revelation of the THISDAY investigative report is that while Dangote Group stated that it has  invested around N35 billion in integrated sugar production and Flour Mills noted that it has invested above N18 billion there was no figure for BUA Group, indicating that probably no significant investment has been made.

 

Apparently confirming BUA’s failure to measure up with the objective of ending sugar importation into the country by 2020, the Executive Secretary of the Sugar industry regulatory agency, NSDC, Dr. Latif Busari, noted: For BUA Group, development of Lafiagi Sugar Estate, the BIP site of BUA Sugar Refinery, while not at same pace as the others, is expected to accelerate in 2016. The company is ramping up its seed multiplication nursery pending the outcome of its site feasibility study which is being handled by a reputable UK company called Booker Tate.”

 

According to the report, the General Manager for BUA Sugar Company, Lafiagi, Mr. Samuel Yisaku and the Group Head, BUA Agribusiness, Mr. Mario de Matos, however put up a spirited explanation of their failure to keep pace with other operators, stressing that the company was running its own BIP programme exactly as agreed with the NSDC and so was not lagging behind any other company.

 

According to quotes from the THISDAY report however, the BUA executives  inadvertently admitted that their company might certainly not meet the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan’s aim of ending sugar importation by 2020.

 

In the report, the company’s executives;Yisaku, Matos and the spokesman Otega Ogra Yisaku, stressed that BUA was working to attain reasonable integrated cane processing in the next three to four years and swing to full capacity production around 2024, which violates the overall objective of the 2020 NSDC deadline.

 

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Sahara weekly online is published by First Sahara weekly international. contact saharaweekly@yahoo.com

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ASR AFRICA KICKS OFF THE CONSTRUCTION OF A N250 MILLION ABDUL SAMAD RABIU SPORT COMPLEX FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF JOS

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ASR AFRICA KICKS OFF THE CONSTRUCTION OF A N250 MILLION ABDUL SAMAD RABIU SPORT COMPLEX FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF JOS

 

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The Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa), the philanthropic initiative of the Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu (CFR, CON), has kicked off the construction of the N250 million sport complex for the University of Jos. The sporting facility which is sited at the Naraguta Campus of the university, is set to consolidate the preparedness of the university in hosting the Nigerian Universities Games Association (NUGA).

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The facility will feature a 300-seater spectator stand, changing rooms, a lawn tennis court, and a basketball court.
Speaking at the event, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, praised the Chairman of ASR Africa, Abdul Samad Rabiu for the critical facility intervention. He mentioned that at the time of the institution’s nomination by ASR Africa for this laudable project, the university management was concerned about sourcing for funds to meet up with its nomination as the host university for the NUGA games. He added that with the ASR Africa TEGS grant, the university is positioned to host more games during the tournament.

 

 

 

 

The Vice Chancellor noted that the university signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Sports University in South Korea to develop a comprehensive sports programme to harness the talents that abound across the country in the various fields of sports and this complex would be a business boost to implement the agreement.

 

 

 

The Managing Director of ASR Africa, Dr. Ubon Udoh, applauded the management of the University of Jos for being an outstanding institution. He added that all of the universities who are beneficiaries of the ASR Africa Tertiary Education Grant Scheme, were selected based on some stringent criteria which include the quality of leadership, the academic excellence at the University, amongst others. Dr Udoh assured the university of the speedy completion of the project ahead of NUGA games and reiterated the commitment of the Chairman of BUA Group and ASR Africa, in supporting the education sector in Nigeria and Africa as a whole by providing indigenous solutions.

 

ASR AFRICA KICKS OFF THE CONSTRUCTION OF A N250 MILLION ABDUL SAMAD RABIU SPORT COMPLEX FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF JOS

About ASR Africa
ASR Africa is the brainchild of African Industrialist, Philanthropist and Chairman of BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, the Abdul Samad Rabiu Africa Initiative (ASR Africa) was established in 2021 to provide sustainable, impact-based, homegrown solutions to developmental issues affecting Health, Education and Social Development within Africa.

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Again, Dangote crashes diesel, and Aviation fuel prices further to N940, N980 respectively

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Dangote reacts to EFCC’s visit to its Headquarters

Again, Dangote crashes diesel, and Aviation fuel prices further to N940, N980 respectively

 

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Dangote Petroleum Refinery has again announced a further reduction in the prices of both diesel and aviation fuel to N940, N980 per litre respectively.

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This is coming in the wake of its widely celebrated price reduction to N1,000 barely two weeks ago.

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The price change of N940 applies to customers buying five million litres and above from the refinery, while the price of N970 is for customers buying one million litres and above.

Speaking on the new development, the Head of Communication, Mr Anthony Chiejina, explained that the new price is in consonance with the company’s commitment to cushion the effect of economic hardship in Nigeria.

“I can confirm to you that Dangote Petroleum Refinery has entered a strategic partnership with MRS Oil and Gas stations, to ensure that consumers get to buy fuel at affordable price, in all their stations be it Lagos or Maiduguri. You can buy as low as 1 litre of diesel at N1,050 and aviation fuel at N980 at all major airports where MRS operates.”

He further stated that the partnership will be extended to other major oil marketers. “The essence of this is to ensure that retail buyers do not buy at exorbitant prices.

“The Dangote Group is committed to ensuring that Nigerians have a better welfare and as such, we are happy to announce this new prices and hope that it would go a long way to cushion the effect of economic challenges in the country.

It would be recalled that the management of Dangote Petroleum Refinery announced a further reduction of the price of diesel from 1200 to 1,000 Naira per litre barely two weeks ago.

This marks the third major reduction in diesel price in less than three weeks when the product sold at N1,700 to N1,200 and also a further reduction to N1,000 and now N940 for diesel and N980 for aviation fuel per litre.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu had also commended Mr Dangote for the initial price reduction, describing it as an “enterprising feat.”

Reacting to the latest development, The Director General of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Ajayi Kadiri, said that “The decision of Dangote Refinery to first crash the price from about N1,750/litre to N1,200/litre, N1,000/litre and now N940 is an eloquent demonstration of the capacity of local industries to positively impact the fortunes of the national economy.”

He added that “The trickledown effect of this singular intervention promises to change the dynamics in the energy cost equation of the country, in the midst of inadequate and rising cost of electricity.

“The reduction will have far-reaching effects in critical sectors like industrial operations, transportation, logistics, and agriculture, contributing to easing the high inflation rate in the country; a lot of companies will be back in operation.”

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Prophet Fasola launches inspirational book, ‘Knowing Your Position in Christ’ on Amazon

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Prophet Fasola launches inspirational book, ‘Knowing Your Position in Christ’ on Amazon

 

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Upwardly mobile Evangelist, Prophet Idowu Fasola, otherwise known as Broda Woli has launched his inspirational book, ‘Knowing Your Position in Christ’ on Amazon.

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‘Knowing Your Position in Christ’ is an exciting book that uncovers the reader’s identity and purpose as a Christian.

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According to the author, in the book, readers will “learn that, through your faith in Jesus, you’re welcomed into God’s family with open arms. You gain salvation, righteousness, and an incredible inheritance. This book will help you grasp your new identity in Christ and inspire you to live in a way that truly honors God.”

 

Prophet Fasola (Broda Woli) is the Shepherd-in-Charge of Celestial Church of Christ Hirahjahman Parish. He has a deep understanding of the teachings of Christ and a passion for sharing them with others.

In addition to his spiritual gifts, Prophet Fasola is also versatile in many other areas, including Writing, Songwriting, Content
Creation, Video editing, Graphics Design, and using social media to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Through his book, Prophet Fasola aims to inspire and guide others to better understand their position in Christ and to live out their faith in meaningful ways. With his passion for sharing the message of hope and love found in Jesus Christ, Prophet Fasola is dedicated to helping others grow in their relationship with God and to live a life of purpose and fulfillment.

 

Read book here:

 

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