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DISTRIBUTORS of the Dangote foods companies, including Dangote Flour, Sugar and Salt smiled home on Tuesday night, February 14, as the management of the companies doled out more than N2 billion as rewards for their loyalty to the companies in the past one year.

At a colourful Gala night which the distributors were hosted to Tuesday night, top performers in each of the six geo-political zones as well as national leading distributors were duly recognised with plagues and cash rewards of varying amounts.

Aliko Dangote, president of Dangote Group, said the recognition and cash rewards were in the character of the companies’ management to appreciate their loyalty customers who stood by the organisations through thick and thin.

He explained that the management hold their distributors in high esteem because they are the reason for the success recorded by them in 2016 despite the economic challenges and the difficult operating environment businesses found themselves.

“Our achievements would not have been possible without you. You stood by us through tick and thin. We appreciate the confidence reposted in us to serve you. We came into these businesses at a time Nigerians have preferences for imported foreign foods, even if inferior.

“Because you are behind us we have succeeded and today we take the lead while others follow in ensuring we domesticated all our production processes and by so doing good creating jobs locally,” Dangote said.

He informed the distributors of the Dangote Group’s venture into rice production saying it was a very ambitious project and that in two years time, Dangote Rice limited item would be churning out one million tonnes.

He stated that mission of the Dangote rice is to wipe out all imported rice from the homes of Nigerians noting that by the time Dangote rice comes on stream, “Nigerians would not talk about Thai rice again, because our rice will be finer than imported ones,” he said.

While urging the customers to remain committed and loyal to Dangote products, he promised that the managements of the food companies under Dangote Group would double the more than N2billion billion given out as rewards.

Dangote disclosed the food companies would replicate the same achievement recorded in cement industry through backward integration such that every component of their production processes would be domesticated to ensure all the products are available in  all nooks and crannies of Nigeria and at the same price.

Also speaking, Halima Aliko-Dangote, executive director of the Dangote Flour, said what the companies did was just a token of appreciation for the volume sales recorded by the distributors despite the economic doldrums.

She stated that the managements were encourage by the loyalty of the distributors to continue to invest in innovation and research extensively on how to make their products more consumer friendly continuously in line with the realities of the time.

In his address of welcome email earlier, Chairman of the Dangote Flour, Mr. Asue Ighodalo said the distributors have proven to be dependable allies with their patronage of Dangote products and loyal to the brands in all circumstances.

The Dangote Flour boss said 2016 was in it deed a difficult years for most businesses saying some closed down, some scaled down their operations and in the process retrenchment their staff. Dangote food companies rather absorbed the substantial higher cost of inputs so that the customers would remain in profitable business

“However, it is to your credits our dear distributors that in that particular challenging year, Dangote Food companies waxed stronger, produced more, sold, more and gave returns to all stakeholders hence our gathering together tonight. Tonight is your night, and tonight is your day”, he said.

He said all the regions in the country did well and that was why the companies were happy to reward them bountifully. Ighodalo challenged them not to rest on their oars but strive to sell more.

—  Feb 15, 2017 @ 14:00 GMT

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