The Chief Executive Officer of Lafarge Africa Plc, Khaled El Dokani, has apologised to Nigerians over the role his company played in bringing the deadly Coronavirus into Nigeria.
Speaking to Channels TV, Dokani also thanked the Lagos State and Ogun State governments for their swift timely response and assistance towards containing the reported Coronavirus case.
As Nairametrics reported, an unnamed Italian national was visiting Lafarge Africa’s factory in Ogun State on a working visit when he inadvertently brought along the deadly virus. It was reported that he did not know that he was already infected with the deadly virus.
Upon arrival in Nigeria, he made contact with many people, including other workers in the cement company. It wasn’t until two days after his arrival that his symptoms began to show. Subsequently, the Italian was quarantined, even as all those he made contacts with were also identified and quarantined.
[READ MORE: Lafarge Plc reveals why it invited Italian man with Coronavirus to Nigeria)
Dokani commented on their current conditions, stating that all of those quarantined are in good health and even working remotely from their containment centres. He also stressed that Lafarge Africa Plc is not going through a low period and that contrary to speculations, its plant was not shut down but is currently up and running.
“Frankly speaking, the company is not going through any low periods. We are doing great… The plant is up and running, it has not been closed. We have our trucks shipping our cement, so this is part of the social media rumours or news, which did not take place.
“We had visitors from the honourable Commissioner of Health, the World Health Organisation, they visited the plant and they commended each and every step we have taken so far,” he said.
He went further to explain that Lafarge Africa Plc is a big organisation that put measures in place to handle medical emergencies such as the Coronavirus incident. The company’s level of awareness and preparedness for the disease helped to coordinate safe containment once the Coronavirus was detected on the company’s plant, Dokani said.