By Jackson Kingsely

Thank you for the hatchet job you did on behalf of Dangote and the other cement cartels. Personally, I do not believe Dangote is an ideal business man to look up to. He is a monopolist and believes he alone can meet the needs of all Nigerians in terms of the product he produces.

Dangote cannot survive without government support and he is always seeking ways of running his competitors out of business in collusion with people in government. I am hundred percent sure he cannot try this in developed economies. He started by importing cement. He got waivers from the government yet complains when others get the same thing. Let him leave Ibeto cement alone because I know that is who you are referring to.

File photo: Alhaji Aliko Dangote

The truth is that Dangote is just flooding the market but the people know which product is good. And for your information I don’t work for Ibeto neither do I know who he is but I have been watching closely the happenings in the cement industry in Nigeria and I have been praying that someone breaks Dangote’s hold on the cement business. Go on the internet and see for yourself what people are saying about Dangote’s monopolistics tendencies. Soon the bubble will burst. I rest my case. (Adeyinka Oladejo)

The writer undermined his lobbying effort by claiming that the local industry is capable of exporting cements. If this is indeed true why can’t they embark on exportation instead of arguing for protectionism? If you cannot compete fairly in your local market how do you intend to compete in a foreign market where you may not be able to use political patronage for market allocation. (Ben Ade)

One wonders how Dangote feels with his trucking empire running on dilapidated Nigerian roads. Why doesn’t he use some of his vast wealth to repair some of the roads damaged by his trucking business? Let him put pressure on his political friends to repair the roads. It will be good for his tucking business. (Taro Jojoye)

This your question should be directed to NASS, the truth is that these folks don’t have the interest of the nation at heart, all they are interested in  is what will  enter their pockets. A situation where a country borrows to finance recurrent expenditure (consumption) is not substainable, at least on a long term basis. The noise about the non full implementation of 2012 budget is never because of the betterment of me and you,it is because less money is made available for sharing among themselves .

One wonders what is the future of a country that does not think about tomorrow. Often you hear this clamour for diversification of the economy, but all the noise is on pages of newspapers and televisions. The day the westerners will come up with reliable and more convenient substitute, as they are already working on, that day will mark the end of oil being lucrative, one wonders what will become our fate.