Obasanjo reveals how he secretly monitored Dangote Cement project

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he secretly deployed two security officers to monitor the construction of Aliko Dangote’s cement project during his administration.

Obasanjo made the revelation on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at the launch of the Lamu oil refinery project in Kenya, while recounting how his administration encouraged Dangote to shift from cement importation to domestic production.

According to the former president, Dangote had developed plans to establish a cement manufacturing plant after the government tied importation privileges to progress in local production.

Obasanjo said he decided to closely monitor the project without Dangote’s knowledge by placing two security personnel at the construction site.

He explained that the officers were instructed to monitor the activities of the contractors and report directly to him whenever work was not carried out.

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“Aliko made this plan. What Aliko didn’t know was that I put two security men on his site. The day his contractors did not work, they would report to me,” Obasanjo said.

The former president said the arrangement allowed him to track the progress of the project and intervene whenever construction activities stalled.

He recalled that whenever the security officers reported that the contractors had failed to work on a particular day, he would personally call Dangote to seek an explanation.

“I will phone Aliko and say, ‘Aliko, your contractors didn’t work yesterday.’ He will give the reasons,” Obasanjo recalled.

The disclosure highlights the close monitoring and policy intervention Obasanjo said his administration used to encourage investment in domestic cement production and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement.

Dangote has since expanded his cement business into one of Africa’s major manufacturing operations, with production facilities across several African countries