Cement, Politics, and a War of Words

Business and politics often make uneasy companions, but in Ogun State, they sometimes collide like a fully loaded cement truck skidding on a wet road. Former Governor Ibikunle Amosun, never one to back down from a fight, has now fired back at Aliko Dangote’s claim that his administration twice demolished the billionaire’s cement factory in Itori.

The former governor’s media office dismissed Dangote’s complaints as “obvious mischief” and accused him of seeking to operate “above the law.” The argument is simple: the state government enforces regulations, and even Africa’s richest man is not exempt. If structures were demolished, Amosun insists, it was because they were built without proper approvals. If Dangote has evidence to the contrary, he is welcome to present it.

Previously, many reports praised the incumbent governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun for bringing back Dangote to the state. Some of these praises, being at the expense of Amosun, might have hurt.

In their response, Amosun’s camp was keen to remind everyone that under his leadership, Ogun became Nigeria’s “Industrial Capital,” attracting over 500 companies and earning top rankings for ease of doing business. Even former President Goodluck Jonathan, they noted, visited the state five times to commission projects.

This is all well and good. It’s just that these accomplishments now stand awkwardly beside the image of a state government locked in a dispute with the very industrialists it was supposedly welcoming.

Of course, it does not seem as if Amosun is giving excuses. Instead, the former governor probably wants to make it clear: he follows principles, not pressure. But for Dangote, the matter is less about political philosophy and more about economic certainty. Investors, whether local or foreign, crave stability. The idea that a state government might demolish multimillion-dollar facilities over paperwork disputes is hardly an advertisement for Ogun as an investment destination. It raises uncomfortable questions about how secure business interests really are in Nigeria’s economic hubs.

This spat is unlikely to end here. Both men are known for their tenacity, and neither seems inclined to concede ground. In the grander scheme of Nigerian politics and business, this is yet another reminder that even billionaires must tread carefully when dealing with those who wield state power. Sometimes, the real battle is not about money but about who gets to decide the rules of the game.