Dangote Group Addresses EFCC’s Visit, Restates Dedication to Assisting Investigation
While assuring the EFCC of its dedication to assisting the agency with its investigations, Dangote Group Chairman Aliko Dangote has provided clarification over the recent visit of EFCC officials to the company’s office.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has given the Dangote Group foreign money from 2014 to the present. EFCC representatives visited the Dangote Group’s headquarters in Lagos to gather more information.
Dangote released a statement a few days after the visit in which he stated: “On December 6, 2023, we received a letter demanding details of all the foreign exchange allocated to our company by the Central Bank of Nigeria from 2014 to the present.” It has come to our attention that 51 additional groups of companies were also given letters asking for the same information for the same time period.
“We contacted the EFCC to confirm that we had received their letter and to ask for further information regarding the specific subsidiaries or firms that they were requesting details about. Furthermore, we asked for more time to gather and present the mountain of documentation that spans a decade.
Though he did ask for an extension, he claimed that the EFCC refused and instead insisted on getting the whole set of paperwork within the allotted period. We reassured the EFCC that we would still provide the information and would distribute the documents in batches as we finished compiling them, despite this limitation.
On January 4, 2024, our group sent the first shipment of paperwork to the EFCC. The EFCC officials, however, refused to take the paperwork and instead insisted on physically coming to our offices to obtain the same paperwork.
“A group of EFCC officers showed up at our offices demanding the same documents in a way that seemed meant to make us look foolish, all while our reps were still at the EFCC’s office to provide them. The fact that the officials didn’t remove any papers or documents from our main office during their visit is noteworthy, as they already had them.
No firm in our group has been accused of any wrongdoing as far as we are aware, and we feel it is important to stress this. For the time being, all we can do is address the EFCC’s request for information in their continuing investigation.
He reassured that, “As a law-abiding and ethical business citizen, we remain committed to providing the EFCC with all essential information and cooperation,” regardless of the development. We are hard at work compiling and submitting the remaining records to aid their inquiry, and we have already delivered the first batch.
We are among the top taxpayers in the nation, the biggest private sector employer, and one of the biggest organisations listed on the Nigerian Exchange. Our group also plays a significant role in the country’s gross domestic product. The rule of law and the government’s efforts to create an atmosphere that attracts investment and benefits investors both at home and abroad continue to inspire confidence in Nigeria.
So, we’re pleading with our stakeholders to be patient and understanding. If something new comes up, we will make sure our stakeholders know about it.