Ebun Francis || Alhaji Aliko Dangote, the President of Dangote Group and Africa’s richest man has described as untrue the rumours making the rounds that he has been granted a ten year tax holiday by the federal government for constructing the 35 km Apapa-Oworonsoki highway in Lagos.
Dangote’s clarification was position was conveyed by the Group Executive Director, Strategy, Portfolio Development and Capital Projects of Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Devakumar Edwin in a chat with media men in its Ikoyi office on Monday.
According to Edwin, Dangote group has never benefited from tax waivers or credits in its history unless when industry based and applicable to all competitors.
He also revealed the company decided to rebuild the Apapa road as part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) and at no cost to the federal government.
Edwin said, “It is very painful when some people accuse our company of benefitting 10 years’ tax rebate from the government. There is nothing like tax credit in all these. We volunteered to construct the Apapa to Oworonshoki highway at a cost that will be about 15 to 25 per cent less than the lowest bid on the road…We hope to get back our money after three years by removing the sum from the tax we are supposed to pay.”
Dangote group, Edwin explained proposed to the government to reduce 50 per cent of the total cost of the road, from its proposed tax, on its first year after completion and 25 per cent of the costs respectively for two years from its proposed tax.
“: The government came forward and said, you guys are repairing the road, good enough but this road is very important to all Nigerians. Is it possible to help us do proper road construction of 35 kilometers from Apapa to Oworonshoki?
“We advised the government to go for a competitive bidding and also that we will take it up at a cost that will be lower than the lowest bid received by the government since the government may not be handy with cash.
“We proposed that we will recover our money in three years at installments against our future tax, so in fact, the government will not pay anything to us, we will only offset our costs against our three years tax, so government will not pay us a dime for the road and it is not as if we are not paying tax,” Edwin said.