YOUTH FARMERS RICE PROJECT PRESENT WORLD PRESS CONFERENCE AGAINST ALH. ALIKO DANGOTE AND DANGOTE RICE LIMITED ON THE YOUTH FARM RICE PROJECT HELD AT EJIBA, YAGBA WEST, KOGI STATE, BETWEEN 7TH APRIL, 2017 TO 10TH OCTOBER, 2017.

"He who tear the garment of honour will wear the rag of disgrace"
The Youth Farmers Rice Project under the leadership of Honourable Abdulrahman Umar Etudaye express great dissatisfaction with the Dangote Rice Limited over breach of agreement, Sabotage, intimidation, fraud, threat to life and maliciously using the name of the youth farmers at the rice farm project in Ejiba, Yagba West, Kogi State Nigeria to deceive the members of the public under the guise of multimillon youth empowerment programme for unemployed youth graduates in Nigeria.

On 4th April, 2017, Dangote Rice Limited had an understandig and agreement embarking on a Rice Project with the youth farmers clearly stating out parties obligations with the sole aim of partnership in a contract farming by fifty unemployed youth graduates cutting across the thirty six states of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory. In a bid for the youth farmers to make a better livelihood. We embarked on the project, staying in the farm for over seven months, starting from 7th April 2017 to 10th October 2017.

We further wish to inform Nigerians and the world that the staff and management in Dangote Rice Limited conspired to frustrate, sabotage and defraud the effort of the youth since the inception of the project to harvesting and off-taking period using all resources within their means to make the project a failure ranging from late arrival of farm inputs (fertilizer and urea) and demands of kickbacks of funds for the project. At severally times in the project the staffs insist on getting kick backs from the youth farmers making claims that it is the doctrine in the dangote group plc, with references made to previous rice projects at hadeja in Jigawa state were the staffs embark on multimillion fraud and kick back collection from contractors.

In order to ascertain integrity and credibility in the project, the youth promptly notified the management of the company via several emails, petitions and text messages of the fraud, sabotage, inflation of figures, intimidation and threat to life been committed by the staff of Dangote but no response from the management. It is observed that the fraud and corruption by the dangote management is systemic and such the staffs are confident in carrying out this nefarious activities because they enjoy cover up even when reports are being made.

We will make available to the press and public evidences on: email, audio and video record.

After the completion of the first season of the project, harvesting over 30 metric tonnes of rice despite the frustration and sabotage, the management of dangote rice led by the Group Executive director and managing director travelled down to the youth farm location, Ejiba, yagba west kogi state to flag off the project on 10th of October 2018 which was aired on media both print (several national newspaper) and visual media( Channel TV) stating the project is successful, also that the company have empowered unemployed youths graduate in Ejiba with a multi-million Naira rice project.
Thus when we agitated against their criminal acts and seek compensation via a petition to the management, to our dismay the company denied the youth of not having any agreement with them ( the letter of denial from dangote will be made available to the press and public), we consider this act criminal, for dangote rice to have denied us after carting away our farm produce and also showing us to the world on air that they have empowered us to gain public accolades.

We make bold to say confidently, that the project is a scam, deceit, highly misleading to the members of the public and a sabotage of livelihood of young hardworking graduate men and women who left their various homes to labour via their sweat in the farm.

On 1st November, 2017 the managing Director of dangote rice limited directed a dangote truck from obajana to transport over 30 metric tones of rice paddy at the youth farm warehouse in Ejiba, with the promise that they will make payment of the paddy once it arrive dangote ware house in kano and on the basis of trust considering that dangote is a reputable conglomerate, we agreed.
Uptil date, 2 years after the project no payment have been made to this effect.

On Sunday 20th May 2018 the management of dangote rice out of their act of impunity, oppression and greed against the youths, burgled the youth farmers warehouse at Ejiba, yagba west, kogi state.
It is Noteworthy that the burgled ware house was duly rented and being maintained by the youth farmers out of their sweat. Dangote rice management made away with our farm implements ( pumping machine, NapSacks sprayers, rice harvesting equipments, threshers, bird scaring nets etc), also all the farm input ( Chemicals, fertilizer, etc.
On 20th June 2018 a female secretary from dangote headquarters who have been part of the project made a call to the leader of the youth farmers making several confessions on the project and also revealed the management plan to arrest and silent us if we further raise an eyebrow on this matter again (audio evidence will be make available to the press and public on this to be verified from network service providers.).
This act of sabotage and burgle is embrassing to have been carried out by a conglomerate as Dangote rice limited against young hardworking Nigerian graduate, who choose to work dirty in the farm field for their livelihood.

This press release became necessary after severally letters and mails have been forwarded to dangote group plc. precisely to Alh. Aliko Dangote and the Management with no response at different times in the last one year.

We call on the President of Dangote group Plc, Alh. Aliko Dangote, GCON, to come into this matter and give the youths their desired justice. As we would avoid dragging his had earn name into the mud.

We call on: the Presidency, National Assembly, Coalition of Civil Society groups, National Youth Council of Nigeria ( NYCN), National Association of Nigerian Student ( NANS), All African Student Union ( AASU), Nigerian Youth Parliament (NYP), Nigerian Labour Congress ( NLC), Youth Organizations, National Human Rights Commission, Federal Ministry of Justice, Crusader of human rights in Nigeria and the International Communities to save our soul for justice from dangote.

We the aggrieved youth hereby demands:
1.That the management of dangote return all burgled farm inputs and implements back to the youth farm warehouse in Ejiba, Yagba west, kogi state.
2.That the management of dangote Immediately pay the youth farmers for the over 30 metric tones of rice paddy from the youth farm transported to dangote ware house in kano on 1st November,2018.
3. Compensate the youths for sabotaging and damaging our livelihood; risking our lives as Nigerian youths and maliciously using our names in press under the guise of youth empowerment to gain public accolades. More so for threatening our life.
We give Alh. Aliko Dangote and Dangote rice limited a 14 days ultimatum to urgently meet the demands of the youth farmers.
Failure to meet the demands of the youth farmers will leave us with the option of mass action (nationwide democratic protest) to occupy dangote headquarters, marble house, Ikoyi, lagos state indefinitely in our quest for justice until our demands is meet.

We therefore call on the Federal Government to come to our aid in getting justice as the future of Nigerian youths is being enslaved in his own father land.



HON. ABDULRAHMAN UMAR ETUDAYE
Coordinator
Youth rice farm project

COMR. IBRAHIM RASAK JEJE
Secretary

BARR. PAUL AJIROBA AYOMIKUN
Head of Legal Department

https://www.loyaltyupdates.com.ng/2019/04/youth-farmers-rice-project-full-details.html


,, Lalasticlala mynd44 Dominique Seun

Okay. What next ?