COVID-19: EXPLOSION LOOMS IN HOST COMMUNITIES AS MANY DANGOTE CEMENT STAFFERS TEST POSITIVE

OGUN STATE: There is apparent panic and fear in host communities at Dangote Cement, Ibese Plant as many staffers of the company are reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus.
         The host communities are now calling on the NCDC and Ogun state government to quickly come to their aid and safe them from being infected by Covid-19.
        In a visit to these host communities, investigation revealed that many staff of Dangote Cement plant located at Ibese in Yewa North of Ogun State are now infected with Covid-19 pandemic.
        It was scooped that the management of the company have tried to cover up this incident until over five patients of the desease recently gave up the ghost in a makeshift isolation centre located inside the Ibese plant of the company.
       We also gathered that when it was apparent that the incident is getting out of hand, the management invited the NCDC to the plant to conduct a random test of Covid-19 on members of staff of the company.
       However, it was learnt that not less than 27 members of staff were discovered to have infected with the virus.
       Against this backdrop, the host communities where these staffers are living now expressing fear of being infected with the desease.
       It was also gathered that amongst the victims of this infections are some top management officers, including the Plant Director of Dangote Cement, Ibese which is being rumoured to have died as a result of the virus.
      According to impeccable sources, the management of the company decided to make the incident a secret by not disclosing those both senior and junior staffers that were discovered to be Covid-19 positive in order to avoid the close down of the cement plant by the government.
       The sources informed us that more than five staff of the cement plant who were coronavirus patients have died and were secretly buried without informing NCDC and Ogun state government.
      In an interview with some members of the host communities who craved for anonymity, they were of the opinion that, "The decision of the state Government not to stop the company from working during the lockdown across the state is responsible for what is presently happening at the company.
       "Is it because Dangote donated money to the government or because of his status that the government refused to stop the company from working?  Can the money bring back the lives of those that have died or prevent the likely explosion of the pandemic (God forbid) in the host communities?
        "Funny enough, the management of the company were keeping it secret despite the increasing number of those infected;  that is heartless. The Ilaro, Ibese-Yewa, Imasayi, Igbogila, Iboro, Onidundu and other host communities are now in panic because majority of Dangote staffers are living in these communities".
        All efforts to speak with some management of the Ibese Plant proved abortive as they refused to pick calls.
       Recall, there was uproar in the media at the inception of the lockdown when Ogun state government exempted Dangote Cement, Ibese Plant from the lockdown, claiming that the company falls into the category of essential services.