Fawaz Adebisi
The wife of an alleged business partner to Nigeria’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, Foluke Onabanjo, has cried out to the public, accusing Dangote group of acquiring her husband, Victor Onabanjo’s 41 Acres of land for his proposed fertiliser plan without paying a dime.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the 250 Actres of among which the widow’s husband 41 Acres of land were acquired for the construction of the multi-billion dollar Dangote Fertilizer Plant in Okunraye, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.
She spoke with newsmen in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital ,saying, “We are now homeless and downtrodden. Since November 2022, we have been staying on and off at the headquarters of Mountain of Fire Ministry (MFM) located at Lagos/Ibadan Express way; we would stay seven days, leave and return, as the Church wouldn’t allow anyone to stay more than a week at a stretch.
“in the year 2010, the Eriki and Caleb families of Okunraye, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State, contacted my husband, Mr Victor Onabanjo, to survey a 250 acres of land for them with an agreement that he would be the financier and be reimbursed with a plot of land per acre. Infact, during some of the negotiation meetings, my husband mandated me to sit by his side as a witness.
“The deed of agreement sealed, and my husband thereafter contacted business partners, friends and family members to get the fund needed in addition to all money in our account. He invested a huge amount of money into the Survey, Documentation and Logistics. On many occasions, leaders of the two families would collect money from my husband.
“Unfortunately for us, weeks after the completion of the Survey and documentation, my husband died. Meanwhile, at the time of his sudden death, he hasn’t shown me the exact location of his 41 acres.
“Not quite long, while I was still mourning his irreparable loss, the pressure became intense when those partners from whom my husband borrowed the capital invested into the Survey came calling inconsiderately. I had to wipe my tears and visited the Eriki and Caleb families of Okunraye, Ibeju- Lekki, Lagos, to ask them to show me the 41 acres so that I can sell it and pay off the loans, and take care of our children.
“I was bewildered at the initial when members of the two families denied having any business transactions with my husband forgotten that I was part of some of the seatings where photographs were taken, but as God would have it, after many visits and pleas, one principal actor and member of Eriki family, Mr Yemisi, identified himself and implored other members of the families to say the truth and stopped being ingrate to the deceased who made such a dangerous risk in doing the Survey for the two families which actually facilitated Dangote’s interest in the land.
“That day, the late Community head Chaired the meeting. At the end, they promised to pay me for the 41acres that belongs to my late husband whenever Dangote compensate them. That was when they indirectly told me that Dangote has bought the land through the State Government. So, following many unyielding efforts and struggling, I realised that the families are been deceptive, so, I told my lawyer to write Dangote itself so that I can fight for my husband’s sweat and rights directly, at least to send his children to school and house them in a deserved accommodation.
“I saw hell in the hands of the lawyers; I was brutally exploited. I sold all properties of my husband in a bid to get justice.
“This year 2023 makes it eight (8) years since the first of the several letters of appeal were written. Dangote has been ignoring brazenly my pleas. The management has refused to be considerate to the impoverished children of the deceased. Till this moment, Dangote has not deemed it fit to show any iota of humanity to the children, family and wife of the deceased upon whose landed property sits Dangote multi-billion dollar fertilizer plant!”
When asked what she wants, she said she desired that Dangote could read about her plight and take the necessary actions.
She further stated that she’s aware that the commissioning of the Refinery would hold on Monday, 22nd of May, she therefore said in order to avoid protest on that day, Dangote should act fast as “the deceased’s children, human rights activists and family members have agreed to join me in staging a protest with placard.”
A text message sent to the head of corporate communications of the Dangote groups ,Tony Chiejina had not been responded to as of the time of filing this report .
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