The Management of Dangote Cement Plc, has expressed its commitment to training and constant retraining of its truck drivers to promote operational efficiency and safe driving across Nigeria.
Speaking during its 2025 Annual Drivers’ Retreat, Dangote Cement’s Group, Managing Director, Arvind Pathak, stated that training exercise for the drivers in its Ibese Plant took place in Ilaro area of Ogun State, with over 900 drivers in attendance.
According to him, in the past 2 months over 500 prospective drivers have successfully completed this process and only those who met all required standards were engaged and certified to operate any Dangote Group vehicles.
“These include regular checks on blood pressure, vision, and overall fitness, ensuring drivers are physically and mentally fit to operate safely.To enforce compliance with our zero-tolerance policy on substance use, random drug tests are conducted routinely across our operations.”.
Mr. Pathak said another extensive re-training exercise for more drivers had been scheduled to take place in Obajana, Kogi State next week.
He explained that that every driver employed by Dangote Cement is required to undergo an extensive and rigorously structured recruitment process that includes Valid Driver’s licence class G, background verification of both the driver and their guarantors, comprehensive medical evaluation, including vision screening (eye test), blood pressure checks, body mass index (BMI), random blood sugar (RBS) test as well as drug and alcohol testing.
“Other recruitment screening covers usage within a three-month detection window, ensuring identifying any history of substance use before employment, completion of a two-week intensive training programme, which consists of twelve safety modules, practical driving assessments, and written examinations,” the Cement GMD stated.
Mr. Pathak, said the essence of the yearly training is to remind the drivers of the core values of the brand and ensure that they are all committed to the Absolute Safer Road Policy of the Group.
He emphasized that Dangote Cement would continue to collaborate with the Federal Road Safety Corps, FRSC, and other regulatory agencies to ensure that all training, compliance, and operational processes are not only standardised but also continuously improved.
He maintained that Dangote Cement remains fully committed to strengthening driver onboarding and training, enforcing strict safety and behavioural standards, applying punitive measures to curb errant driving, collaborating with government agencies, regulators, and communities to improve road safety and ensuring transparency and accountability.
Also addressing the Drivers, Group Chief, Health Safety Social and Environment Officer, Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. James Adenuga, stressed the importance of safety protocols and that the training process was not to train the drivers on the consequences but to continuously reminding them of essentials of safety guides.
Mr. Adenuga, who stated that the regular training was to educate them in the language they understand and teach them how the training matters to them, gave an insights on the measures put in place to ensure the right individuals are recruited as drivers.
He said the group partners the FRSC to train and prepare them for professional driving so as to equip and give them the basics and fundamentals to prevent them from reckless driving as well as give recognition and award to well behaved drivers.
Taking the drivers through some requirement for safe driving, a Road Safety Expert, Mr. Oje Ebhota, listed some bad driving habits such as aggressiveness, impatient driving, Use of phone while driving, Taking alcoholic drink and disobedience to traffic signs.
He advised the drivers to be conscious of dangerous overtaking and drive within the driving limit of 60km per hour so as not to veer off the road and cause accident that could affect other road users.
Reporting by Victor Okiche