•Over 11 die in two separate accidents within two days, dozens injured
•Drivers not trained, should be called to order – Apostle Suleiman
•As company responds, retrains truck drivers
•Refinery fails fuel distribution deadline, keeps Nigerians in the dark
The cries of Nigerians on how much carnage and destruction that drivers of Dangote Cement Company cause across the country has reached its crescendo after the sccidents in Edo and Delta States, JULIET IBIMINA writes.
Tragedy struck on Monday morning, August 25, when a Dangote truck lost control and rammed into traders and passersby near Oko Market, close to the Onitsha Toll Gate in Asaba. Eyewitnesses said the accident, which occurred around 11:15 am, left at least eight people dead and dozens of others injured.
According to eyewitnesses, the truck, which was speeding, veered off the road and ploughed into the crowded roadside market where trading was in full swing.
Just about a week earlier on Sunday, August 17, three persons were reportedly killed in Auchi, Edo State, when two trucks, one belonging to Dangote Cemen and another unidentified truck, and a Mercedes Benz GLK, claimed the lives of the three occupants in the Benz. Touched by the accident, the Senior Pastor and General Overseer of the church, Johnson Suleman, described the incident as an avoidable tragedy, blaming it on the recklessness of poorly trained truck drivers.
It is an avoidable death. These boys who drive should be called to order. They are not trained, they are overworked, stressed, and some of them are even high on drugs. So, the management of the organisation these boys work for should carry out an assessment because several trucks are working across the country. Trucks of that particular organisation keep claiming the lives of Nigerians.
“This organisation should put their acts together. These deaths are avoidable. It is a mess. Three people just lost their lives for the recklessness of some young boys, who, if well checked, might not even have licenses.
“I agree that the roads should be fixed. Even if the roads are fixed, there are many people who ply the road. It is not all about the government. We are all government. Giving your truck to untrained drivers is that the government? Overworking the drivers because you want to meet your target has nothing to do with the government. The government has to do their part, but citizens have to be responsible. This is one mess that should have been avoided,” he lamented.
Many Nigerians have expressed their displeasure over repeated cases of fatal accidents involving trucks belonging to Dangote Cement Company. Like apostle Suleman, many have queried the driving ability of these drivers who continue to show recklessness. According to a business woman who gave her name as Madam Florence Ikemefuna, It was just the Almighty god that saved my life in March 2023 when one of these truck drivers driving recklessly, veered off the road in Abaji and rammed into my car which was over 50 metres away from the road, but many were not as lucky as I am.
My greatest worry is that when you see most of these drivers, you begin to wonder how they were issued licenses to drive such heavy duty vehicles because they appear way too young. And when you try to interact with them, many barely speak any English so I began to ask myself, where are all those graduate drivers we were told were being employed to drive these trucks? Do they drive their trucks in another planet or they are non-existent?
But while Nigerians are still worried, the management of Dangote Cement Plc, DCP, has expressed its irrevocable commitment to training and constant retraining of its truck drivers to promote operational efficiency and safe driving across Nigeria. Speaking during its 2025 Annual Drivers Retreat themed, Dangote Cements Group Managing Director, Arvind Pathak emphasised that as a leading cement manufacturer with thousands of trucks in its fleet, safety on the road remains the companys core mandate. He said the essence of the yearly training is to remind the drivers of the core values of the brand and ensure that they are all committed to the Absolute Safer Road Policy of the Group.
The training exercise for the drivers in DCP Ibese Plant took place during the week in Ilaro area of Ogun State, with over 900 drivers in attendance. Another extensive re-training exercise for more drivers has been scheduled to take place in Obajana, Kogi State next week.
The Dangote Cement boss reaffirmed the Companys commitment to road safety, transparency, appropriate ethical conduct, and provision of detailed clarity on the comprehensive systems and procedures to mitigate against any incident along roads across the country, saying that Dangote was a responsible organisation that consistently cooperates with the Nigeria Police and other relevant authorities in the investigation of reported incidents with support of all lawful processes, aimed at establishing the facts and routinely implement recommendations that strengthen public safety.
He explained that that every driver employed by Dangote Cement is required to undergo an extensive and rigorously structured recruitment process that includes Valid Drivers license class G, background verification of both the driver and their guarantors, comprehensive medical evaluation, including vision screening (eye test), blood pressure checks, Body Mass Index, BMI, random blood sugar, RBS, test as well as drug and alcohol testing.
In a related development, the $20 billion Dangote Refinery has come under fire after failing to meet its self-imposed August 15, 2025 deadline to roll out petrol and diesel distribution nationwide, raising fresh doubts about its much-hyped promises to slash fuel costs. Despite assurances in June that 4,000 Compressed Natural Gas, CNG, trucks would begin nationwide fuel and diesel distribution, the refinery has remained silent as the deadline passed, leaving marketers, retailers, and consumers in confusion.
The initiative, projected to cost N720 billion annually and save Nigerians N1.2 trillion in logistics costs, has stalled without explanation. Industry stakeholders say the delay threatens to shake confidence in Aliko Dangotes dominance of Nigerias downstream sector. Reports suggest the refinery has received around 1,000 trucks, short of the 4,000 pledged, but there has been no official word from Dangote Group on the reasons behind the missed deadline. While some industry groups lauded the scheme as potentially transformative, others warned of monopolistic risks, drawing comparisons to Dangotes cement sector, where consumer prices have remained high despite similar distribution reforms.
As Nigerians continue to buy petrol at between N885 and N910 per litre in Abuja, many question whether Dangotes promised price relief will ever materialise.
