Onuminya Innocent in Sokoto
Members of the Association of Voluntarily Disengaged Staff of BUA Cement Company, Sokoto, have appealed to the Chairman of BUA Group, Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu, to consider their plight over unpaid cement allocations dating back to 1999.
The appeal was contained in a letter addressed to the managing director of BUA Cement Plc, Kalambaina Road, Sokoto, on October 10, 2026, and signed by the Chairman of the association, Mallam Abdullahi Abubakar, and Secretary, Mr. Leonard A. Ameh.
In the letter titled, ‘Letter of Plea for Settlement’, the former workers said they were staff members of the Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc, now BUA Cement Plc, who served the company with dedication before voluntarily withdrawing their services in August 2001.
According to the association, at the time of their disengagement, they were being owed cement allocation for the years 1999, 2000 and 2001, which had remained unsettled for over two decades.
They said a lot of time had passed and that while no one is perfect, they had decided to seek a peaceful resolution in the interest of all parties.
The association said the letter was written on behalf of widows and orphans of their deceased colleagues who are passing through difficult conditions, as well as elderly members who are bedridden with terminal illnesses.
The Chairman of the association, Abdullahi Abubakar, said many of the affected ex-staff members were facing severe economic hardship and could no longer meet basic family needs due to the long wait.
They pleaded with the BUA chairman to temper justice with mercy and approve the settlement of their outstanding allocations to alleviate their suffering.
The association tendered an apology for any way they may have wronged the company, and prayed for the continuous growth of BUA under the leadership of Alhaji Abdul Samad Rabiu.
The disengaged workers said they were ready to embrace an out-of-court settlement and any peaceful resolution that the company might propose to finally close the matter.