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Dangote Cement Steps Up Driver Safety Standards Across Africa
Photo caption: Head of Transport, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Murilo Silva(L) and the Group Managing Director, DCP, Arvind Pathak(R), present an award to one of the company’s drivers at the Drivers Safety Retreat at the Obajana Plant
Dangote Cement Plc, Africa’s leading cement conglomerate, has intensified its commitment to road safety by strengthening measures to improve drivers’ safety awareness, competence, and compliance with best practices across its African operations.
Speaking at the 2026 Drivers Safety Retreat at the Dangote Cement Plc, Obajana Plant, Kogi State, Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Arvind Pathak, said drivers must ‘Think Safety, Act Safely’ across all its operations in Africa.
He reiterated its commitment to the safety and welfare of its drivers, urging them to prioritise safe driving practices and ensure they return home safely after every journey.
According to him, Dangote Cement, as the largest cement producer in Nigeria and Africa, places a premium on the quality of its products, while its drivers play a crucial role in ensuring that the products reach customers safely and efficiently.
Pathak stressed that no business delivery was worth the loss of human life, describing the safety of drivers as more important than operational targets and commercial considerations.
The retreat, themed: “Think Safety, Act Safely,” brought together drivers, transport personnel and management representatives to promote responsible driving, address welfare concerns and strengthen the Company’s safety culture across its logistics operations.
Addressing the participants, Pathak reminded the drivers that they represented the Dangote brand on highways across the country and had a responsibility to protect their lives and those of other road users.
“Every time you get behind the wheel, you are carrying more than a product. You are carrying the reputation of this Company, the trust of other road users and, most importantly, your own life. We can replace a truck; we cannot replace a human being,” he said.
He assured the drivers that the Company would continue to invest in initiatives aimed at improving their welfare, developing their professional capacity and promoting safer transportation operations.
According to him, drivers remain indispensable to the Company’s growth and distribution network, making their safety and wellbeing a priority.
“We appreciate the sacrifices you make every day to keep our business moving. That is why we are committed not only to providing you with the tools and training to work safely, but also to listening to your concerns and improving your welfare. When our drivers are safe, our operations are stronger and our communities are safer,” Pathak stated.
He urged the drivers to avoid speeding, fatigue and other dangerous driving practices, emphasising that professional competence should be measured by safe arrival rather than the speed with which a journey is completed.
The Dangote Cement chief executive advised drivers to take breaks whenever they felt tired and to avoid taking unnecessary risks on the road.
“I want every driver to remember one simple principle: if you are tired, stop and rest. If a situation looks unsafe, do not take chances. The goal is not just to reach your destination; the goal is to return home safely to your family,” he added.
Dangote Cement’s Head of Transport, Murilo Silva, while addressing them cautioned against reckless driving, proxy driving and other unsafe transportation practices, warning that such conduct would not be tolerated.
Silva urged the drivers to take personal responsibility for their actions and contribute to making Nigerian roads safer for motorists and other road users.
Ebere Okonkwo- Group Head, Transport Health, Safety and Environment- Pan Africa Nigeria said the retreat is necessary for the Dangote drivers for their safety and also to avoid any accident that will push the company to sack them.
She noted that with the retreat most of the drivers of Dangote will be very careful because the management is watching all their movement any where they travel to.
The retreat also provided an opportunity for drivers to interact with management and discuss issues affecting their welfare and working conditions.
Among the concerns raised during the interactive session were the rising cost of living, work-related expenses and the need for timely communication of drug test results.
Several drivers who spoke at the event commended the Company’s continued investment in their welfare, saying the retreat demonstrated management’s concern for their lives beyond their operational responsibilities.
They pledged to maintain high safety standards and handle the trucks entrusted to them as valuable business assets while avoiding practices that could endanger human lives.
As part of the programme, Dangote Cement recognised outstanding personnel for their performance and commitment to safety.
Awards were presented to 10 outstanding drivers, while Ismaila Suleiman was the most performing driver in the year under review.
Dangote Cement Plc, Gboko Plant has awarded multi-million-naira scholarships to tertiary and secondary school students from its six host communities in Benue State.
The company also presented starter packs, working tools and certificates to graduates of its Youth Empowerment Programme to enable them to establish their own businesses, apply the skills acquired during the training and become financially reliant.
The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Henry Dele Alake, lauded Dangote Cement Plc for its community development interventions, calling on other private sector players to adopt similar initiatives to promote socio-economic development in their host communities.
Dr. Alake, who was represented by the Federal Mines Officer of the Federal Ministry of Solid Minerals Development in Benue State, Engr. Achi Gregory, urged the company to sustain its commitment to implementing community development programmes agreed upon with its host communities.
Speaking at the official presentation ceremony, Group Head, Social Performance, Dangote Cement Plc, Mr. Wakeel Olayiwola, said the implementation of the Community Development Agreement underscores Dangote Cement’s commitment to equipping young people with practical skills and resources to promote entrepreneurship, create employment opportunities and improve livelihoods in its host communities.
Mr. Olayiwola, who was represented by the Head of Social Performance of the Dangote Cement, Gboko Plant, Dr. Johnson Kor, said the scholarship and youth empowerment programmes came against the backdrop of several other programmes recently executed by the company, which include farmers and women empowerment programmes.
The Acting Plant Director, Dangote Cement, Gboko, Engr. Arbind Singh, said: “This annual scholarship scheme for indigent students of the host communities is an indication of our company’s commitment to its Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR).”
Engr Singh, who was represented by the company’s General Manager, Production, Engr Tabershima Soom, said: “The Gboko Plant has already launched 150 Women Empowerment Programme and 50 Farmerss Empowerment Programme where women were provided with cash to support their businesses, and farmers were supported with farm inputs.”
The beneficiary communities for these programs are: Tse-Kucha, Quarry, Amua, Mbazembe, Mbatur, and Pass Brothers.
Speaking on behalf of the Benue State Attorney-General, the Chairman of the Mineral Resources and Environmental Management Committee (MIREMCO), Barr. Dooshima Orosaga, commended Dangote Cement Plc for its compliance with the Community Development Agreement (CDA), urging the beneficiaries and host communities to maximise the benefits of the company’s interventions.
Chairman of the Gboko Local Government, Hon Yina Elias said the government will continue to provide the support needed for the company to succeed, adding that the Dangote Cement Plc is an exemplary company in Corporate Social Responsibilities programmes.
In his remarks, the District Head of Ukpekpe, Chief Tsegba Igbarumun, commended Dangote Cement Plc’s Gboko Plant for its contributions to the community, assuring the company of the community’s continued support.
He said the community valued its mutually beneficial relationship with the company and would continue to serve as its ambassadors.
A beneficiary of the Youth Empowerment Programme, Mr Ignatius Aondohemba, expressed appreciation to Dangote Cement Plc for the support, pledging to put the skills and resources provided to good use and build a business that would enable him to become an employer of labour.
By Prof. Mike Ozekhome, CON
Happy 97th Birthday to a living legend, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, CON, OFR, FCIArb, LL.D,D.Litt, Founder and Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti. A great man was born today, and Nigeria is still blessed by that birth.
When a man turns 97 and is still relevant, still building, still teaching and still healing, his birthday is no longer a mere episode. It becomes a national lesson and a celebration of life.
The man Afe Babalola is resilience clothed in humility,doggedness masked in simplicity. Born today in 1929, in a humble homestead in Ado-Ekiti, without any silver or golden spoon or privilege, he walked through life laboriously as farm labourer, Grade Two teacher, court registrar and became one of Africa’s most celebrated lawyers and educatioists.His life teaches that where you started can never define where you end.
From that humble beginning, he taught himself law by private study, passed all his examinations in flying colours and rose to become a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Today his name is synonymous with legal brilliance and integrity at the Bar for which he had shone and still shines for over six decades,and till date.
He is a builder in every sense of the word. At 80, an age many have retired from active service, baba founded Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD. What he conceptualized and built is not just a citadel of learning, it is a city within a city — vast farms, fish ponds, factories, industries, potteries, piggeries,electricity grid,and a world-class multisystem teaching hospital that rivals any in Africa.
At ABUAD, shining star shows that education must produce, not just certificate but societal relevance. The hospital has modular theatres, CT scan, MRI, ICU, dialysis and cutting-edge equipment. It is his gift to humanity, a proof that wealth is best measured by impact,not by loads of cash in the bank. .
Today at 97, the Aare still wakes up early mornings and sleeps late at nights,thinking of what to add, not what to take or rest on. That is the first lesson for today’s youths — hard work has no retirement age when purpose drives you.
The second lesson is that education has equally has no age limit. If a man who could not afford secondary school would later become a SAN and founder of one of the world’s leading universities, then no youth has any excuse to give up learning.
The third lesson is vision that works. Youths must learn that dreams must be planted like farms, nurtured like fish ponds,and built like factories. Baba Afe Babalola did not just talk vision, he manufactured,and walked it. He did not just dreamt dreams, he actualized them.
The fourth lesson is humility. With all his glittering array of titles,honours and massive wealth, our nonagenerian ( soon a centenarian, by God’s grace) still personally phones far younger ones like me,calling me “my son”. He still opens his doors, still listens,still advises, still mentors, still helps. Greatness that intimidates is fake;true greatness lifts. The Aare has epitomized the latter.
The fifth lesson is courage to start,even if late. He started his greatest legacy at 80. To every youth who thinks time has passed, Afe at 97 born today says you are still early if you start now.
The sixth lesson is integrity as capital. His name has remained untainted till date. In a world of shortcuts, he reminds youths that a good name is still better than silver and gold.
Today, as we celebrate him at 97, we celebrate more than age.We celebrate relevance. We celebrate patriotism. We celebrate impact. To live long is grace; to remain relevant at 97 is uncommon resilience.
Joining all patriots at home and in diaspora, I wish Aare Afe Babalola,the irrepressible advocate,courtroom gladiator, mentor of a generation, teacher of teachers,and philanthropist extraordinaire,a happy 97th birthday.May his hands be strengthened,his soul lifted, his muscles oiled, and his life prolonged ( Gen 6:3 ).
Born today, celebrated for all times. Happy Birthday, Papa.
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