It was a night of accolades for Africa’s foremost business conglomerate, Dangote Industries Limited, (DIL), as journalists in Lagos State conferred an award of excellence on the Group for its outstanding contributions to the economic development of Nigeria and Africa.
The award, according to the journalists, was because of Dangote’s aggressive employment generation drive, which has seen thousands of able youths, gainfully employed in the Group as well as commitment to the provision of critical infrastructure.
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The award presentation was during the Gala/Awards Nite to end the 2023 Press Week of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council, where some corporate firms and individuals were recognized for their contributions to society.
The NUJ award for Dangote Group came barely a week after the conglomerate emerged as Nigeria’s Most Valuable Brand for the sixth consecutive year, an achievement that was announced by the brand and marketing firm, TOP 50 BRANDS NIGERIA, as part of its comprehensive 2023 Top Brands perception assessment.
Dangote Cement Plc, a subsidiary of DIL, is the leading producer of Cement in the country and employs more than 65,000 direct workers and over 100,000 indirect workers, across all its Plants.
The journalists specifically lauded Dangote Group over the leading roles played by the company regarding backward integration in the cement and sugar industries with the continuous expansion of its operations, both within and outside the country, which has transformed the nation from being import-dependent to self-sufficiency and thereby creating the much-needed jobs for the employable youths.
Chairman of NUJ Lagos Council, Mr. Adeleye Ajayi, in his address said the Council set aside the event as an occasion for his administration to reflect on its major landmarks, roll out the drums, and celebrate excellence by recognizing those who have made the journey eventful for the Council over the year.
As parts of the landmarks recorded in the last three years, Ajayi enumerated some of the achievements including the completion of the building of the new Council secretariat complex, training of journalists, and allocation of lands to the subscribers to the Council estate project at Abaren in Ogun state.
Mr. Ajayi also disclosed that the Council was almost completing the process of establishing a community radio station for the Council, adding that the NUJ is awaiting the issuance of a radio license by the Nigeria Broadcasting Commission (NBC).
