Ashaka Community in Funakaye local government area of Gombe has accused Ashaka Cement Company of abandoning its corporate social responsibility in the host community.
The community chairman, Muhammad Sulaiman, disclosed this in an interview WikkiTimes about the plight of the community.
Sulaiman said the company, a subsidiary of Lafarge Africa, which has existed for more than 40 years in the community, has only made life difficult for the residents.
According to him, the company has failed to invest in the community’s health, education and welfare which are supposed to be a crucial part of its corporate social responsibility.
He noted that Ashaka Cement has also recently fired about 5 managers in the company who are indigenes of Gombe state and replaced them with non-indigenes.
“The company is all about business. The Managing Director does not care about the welfare of the Ashaka community. We don’t have good roads, adequate water, good hospitals nor standard schools.
“The company recently invested the sum of over N100 billion to expand the company but they are yet to invest even N500 million to their host community.
“Just recently, 53 residents of Ashaka were diagnosed with eye problems due to pollution and 52 of them had to undergo surgery. This is not fair to us. We are supposed to be benefiting from this company. It’s a business entity and not a government agency. They have dominated our land, use our water and soil, so why should we be the ones suffering?,” he queried.
Efforts to reach Ashaka Cement as of the time of compiling this report proved futile as calls placed across were not reachable and a text message sent was not attended to as of press time.
Hafsah Muhammed Ibrahim, from Bauchi State, is a literary enthusiast and an advocate for women’s rights. As the Editor and Lead Podcaster at WikkiTimes, she draws on her background in Sociology and Education to create compelling narratives that amplify the voices of marginalized communities.
An avid Scrabble player and tea enthusiast, Hafsah blends her passion for storytelling with a strong commitment to driving social change.
