Mining giant, Ayom seeks Buhari, NASS intervention over $1.2b investment

From Fred Itua, Abuja

Ayom, who made the appeal in a chat with newsmen, said the invention will “promote employment opportunities and wealth creation.”

Ayom’s Granite and Marble, signed a deal with China’s SBM, in 2016, the same day the deal for the Dangote fertilizer plant was consummated, when the two business mogul accompanied PMB to China for bilateral talks. Senator Ibikunle Amosun and Governor Nasir El-Rufai were among the dignitaries on the delegation that witnessed the agreement.

The deal was to enable Granite and Marble to establish Africa’s biggest mining processing plant in Abuja.

However, more than seven years after the deal was signed, same has not been activated, prompting Ayom’s appeal. He reckons igniting the deal will significantly address the problem of unemployment in the country and impact wealth creation.

According to Ayom, “on return back to Nigeria (after the 2016 China trip), the Governor of CBN who witnessed both agreements in China, granted to both companies – Dangote Group and Granite and Marble, different grants,” but which Granite and Marble is not paid.

He lamented that “the corporate crisis threatening the $1.2 billion mining equipment investment could reverse the economic gains being recorded by the Buhari administration in the emergence of the Dangote fertilizer plant as well as the Dangote refinery that would soon be completed.”

The Granite and Marble owner while expressing delight over the commissioning of the Dangote owned $2.5 billion fertilizer equipment plant in Lagos last month expressed concern that the SBM deal that is meant to be located in Abuja and supported by the Central Bank with RSSF, is yet to take off because of some corporate crisis and struggle over ownership.

“While Aliko Dangote’s factory has since been commissioned as the second largest fertilizer blending plant by the president, Moses Ayom’s Granite and Marble which has more potentials of employing more Nigerians across the nation especially in the northern part of Nigeria and reduce banditry, kidnapping and all forms of negative vices has been engaged in coparate crisis and ownership tussle.

“We hereby ask the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of Nigeria who co-hosted the signing of the agreement, to find political solution to the crisis to unbundle the potentials of unemployment, wealth creation, etc,” he appealed, saying, he was ready for any political solution that could be deployed to address the matter for the purpose of promoting employment and curbing crimes which are taken a toll on the country,” he said.