For their continued loyalty, the management of Dangote Cement Plc, at the weekend, rolled out the drums to celebrate its teeming distributors across the country.
The funfair and celebration were in appreciation of its customers’ patronage in the previous years and the company’s acceptability by Nigerians.
The distributors’ award ceremony was in recognition of the distributors’ long-standing commitment, devotion, loyalty and valuable contribution to the distribution and sale of Dangote Cement in 2023.
All the key distributors, who converged on Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos, went home with mouth-watering rewards for keeping faith with the company and its product.
While both Kizz Daniel and Tuface Idibia were on standby to thrill and entertain the customers, prominent Nigerians were also in attendance to felicitate Aliko Dangote and the cement’s customers.
Among top dignitaries in attendance were the former governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi; Executive Chairman of Geregu Power, Femi Otedola and the former Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo.
Welcoming the distributors and other customers of the company to the award ceremony, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive of Dangote Cement, Mr Arvind Pathak, said the company is thankful to the distributors and all its customers for their loyalty and for making the public see the uniqueness of the Dangote Cement brand.
Group Executive Director, Commercial Operations, Hajia Fatima Dangote, said the distributors must have seen that they have not made a mistake in choosing to do business with the company.
She promised that the cement company would continue to show appreciation to them and urged them to strive to sell more Dangote cement this year, with a promise that the relationship between the company and distributors will be an enduring one that will lead to them moving forward together as partners.
While also lauding the efforts of the customers and distributors for ensuring that Dangote Cement remains the most sought-after cement in the country, Aliko Dangote said Dangote Cement is the undisputed leader in the Nigerian cement market because of the loyalty of distributors and customers.
He said Dangote Cement has enough capacity to meet local demands and that the company has started exporting its products outside the country.
Dangote said, “Our success story would not have been possible without you, our distributors, who work tirelessly to ensure that the product gets to our customers in every nook and cranny of the country. We can never thank you enough! You have been an integral and vital part of our business over the years.
“We have remained Africa’s leading cement producer with 52.0Mta capacity across the continent. We have a production capacity of 35.25Mta in Nigeria, with Obajana Plant in Kogi State, Nigeria as the largest in Africa, accounting for 16.25Mta of capacity across five lines; Ibese Plant in Ogun State has four cement lines with a combined installed capacity of 12Mta; Gboko Plant in Benue State has 4Mta and Okpella Plant in Edo State has 3Mta.
“We have effectively eliminated Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement. We now export cement and clinker to several neighbouring countries.”
While acknowledging the contributions of the corporate customers, Dangote said, “Our dear corporate customers, who consist mainly of construction companies, we are also celebrating you for using our cement products in your various construction projects. You are worthy partners which reflects your confidence and trust in our products.
“We assure you of continuous research and improvement in our production processes so as to always give you the best quality cement products in the market. Our range of products offers you several options in your construction jobs.”
Kazab Heritage Limited won the overall Best Distributor of the Year award, while Gilbert Igweka Global Concept and Nwa Ado Resources Nigeria Limited occupied the second and third positions, respectively.
The respective winners in the regions are as follows: Twins Faja Enterprises was the overall winner in the Lagos/Ogun region, while, Nwa Ado Resources Nigeria Limited, Abdullahi Fugu, Giwa Dynamics Ventures and D.C. Okika Nigeria Limited were overall winners in the North Central, Northeast, North West and Southeast regions, respectively.
In the same vein, Chinedu & Sons Investment Limited and Gilbert Igweka Global Concept were the overall best distributors in both South-South and South West regions, respectively
Aboubacar Charfo dit Garaga won the award of the best-performing customer in cement export to Niger and the overall best customer in cement export outside Nigeria, while Gato Cement Gatcem SARL won the award of best-performing customer in cement export to Togo.
Responding on behalf of the distributors, Best Overall Winner, Otunba Kazeem Olayemi Odeyeyiwa of Kazab Heritage Limited, thanked the Dangote Cement’s management for reaching out to its customers and distributors.
He assured them of the determination of all the distributors to do more to improve sales in their respective catchment areas.
