No Regret On Our Petition Against BUA, Dangote Says

Less than 24 hours after a truce was brokered between two sugar refining giants, Dangote Sugar Refinery has again maintained its position regarding the petition it filed against BUA Sugar Refinery, saying the action was appropriate to protect the National Sugar Master Plan.

The company in a statement dated April 15 and released on Friday also denied allegations that it was engaging in price-fixing with Flour Mills of Nigeria.

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The development comes after the Kano State Governor, Abdulahi Ganduje, made peace  between the founder and Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabiu, the Chairman of BUA Group in Kano on Thursday.

Dangote had on  January 28 petitioned the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investments that BUA may circumvent the National Sugar Master Plan’s framework and jeopardize its objectives by taking advantage of the location of its Port-Harcourt Refinery in the Free Trade Zone.

This was another phase of the rift between the companies owned by the two Kano State billionaire businessmen, Dangote and Rabiu. The both had clashed over cement prices earlier this year.

But in the current feud, Dangote claimed that it was assured that the Federal Government had promised that no refinery would be allowed in the country.

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Dangote Sugar said, “We believe our action is in line with our responsibility as a major stakeholder to alert the supervising Ministry on activities that would derail the plan of the Federal Government in its drive to self -sufficiency in Sugar under the NSMP.

“We are committed to the ideals of corporate governance and ethical practices and assure our various stakeholders that we shall continue to support the Federal Government’s National Sugar Master Plan.”

The company explained that it began its Backward Integration Programme with a 10-year sugar development plan, to produce 1.5 million Metric Tonnes per annum of sugar from locally grown sugarcane.

The manufacturer had acquired land in Taraba State, Adamawa State and Nasarawa State resulting in three BIP sugar companies; Dangote Taraba Sugar Limited, Dangote Adamawa Sugar Limited, Nasarawa Sugar Company Limited were incorporated.

It said, “DSR has a responsibility to the Government, the good people of Nigeria, the Sugar Industry, and all other stakeholders to protect the integrity of the Sugar industry and wishes to assure its stakeholders that it will do all that is necessary to vehemently protect the integrity of the Sugar Industry.”

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