Michael Onwuka, Enugu
The Nigerian Breweries Plc (NBL), incorporated in Nigeria in 1946, is a household name in Enugu State, particularly, with its ultra-modern plant popularly called ‘AMA Breweries’ located at Umuezeani, Udi Local Government Area of the state.
The multi-billion naira facility, comfortably sitting on 1000 plots of land freely donated by the community, is a cynosure.
During the inauguration of the civil works expansion project of the company worth N56 billion on April 27, 2022, the Chief Executive Officer, HEINEKEN, Mr. Dolf van den Brink, said that the investment is further demonstration of the long-standing history and relationship between HEINEKEN and Nigeria.
Brink said that the project when completed is expected to boost the brewing capacity of the facility from 2.7 million hectolitres to 4.8million hectolitres in the first phase and up to 6 million hectolitres in the second phase.
“We are proud to be part of the growth and development of this state and look forward to a continued partnership with the people of Enugu,” Brink said.
Furthermore, the Chairman of NBL Plc, Chief Kolawole Jamodu, said that the company has continued to play its role as a responsible corporate citizen, with payment of over N400 million in employee taxes, levies, and other duties to the state government in 2021 alone.
According to Jamodu, the facility in AMA Brewery has 840 staff.
Also, the Managing Director, NBL, Mr Hans Essaadi, said that the company has invested hundreds of millions of naira in various community projects and social investment initiatives in the areas of health, education, community infrastructure and sports development.
Such projects include N300 million in scholarships, bursary, classroom blocks and books between 2003 and 2022, including its N5 million yearly sponsorship of Heineken Golf Tournament, which was last sponsored in 2019.
Essaadi said that the company’s footprints in the areas of healthcare, women and youth empowerment, access to potable water, security and community infrastructure in the state are significant, adding that the NBL spent N40 million in cash, including personal protective equipment and non-alcoholic beverages as it’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) support during the outbreak of the pandemic.
Host community faults claims on corporate social responsibility
However, the host community does not seem to be fully benefitting from the corporate social responsibility of the NBL arising from the corporate investment on its land and tempers are beginning to rise which if not addressed might lead to unfavourable outcomes in the foreseeable future.
The community has raised concerns and objections on the claims that it has been benefitting from the sundry corporate social responsibility of the company.
The Traditional Prime Minister of Enugu State and Spokesperson of the community, Ozo Gabriel Amujuogu, said that the community donated the land to NBL with the hope that its presence in their community will have positive impact on the socioeconomic life of their people.
Amujuogu said that it is sad that the company has reneged on all fronts regarding the terms and conditions upon which the 1000 plots of land were donated to the organisation.
“I was the leader of the youths in Umuezeani when our executive gave NBL the 1000 plots of land on lease without any compensation.
“They only paid us N74, 000 in 1982 for the economic trees and also gave us four cows, 40 bags of rice, 120 cartons of beer and palm wine to appease our gods after relocating our shrine.
“As part of their corporate social responsibility, we agreed that they will build a market, school, health centre, employ our people and also give us contracts,” he said.
He said that the company about 10 years ago requested for additional plots of land as access road for the expansion of their business and additional 100 plots of land were given to them.
According to Amujuougu, the Ambassador of Culture in Igboland, the NBL in 2003 entered into an agreement to be paying to Umuezeani Community N10 million annually for scholarships to students from the community.
“Our community had requested to be paid five per cent of the cost of every bottle of drink sold in AMA Breweries, but they declined on the grounds that it will cause problems in the future.
“Our relationship with the company was going well but as soon as the management was handed over to Nigerians, everything changed. They sold the third-party contract given to our people and diverted all benefits meant for us.
“The only infrastructure the company built in our community 18 years ago is a civic centre which has since dilapidated,” he said.
Amujuogu said that the potable water in the community was facilitated through self help, adding that the community has no school, market, hospital, or health centre.
He said that their children and wards attend schools either in neighbouring communities or in the state capital.
“The borehole they promised to provide in our community only worked the day the supposed project was inaugurated and the water which ran from the overhead tank ceased to run thereafter.
“During the inauguration of the expansion project in AMA Breweries, they claimed to have spent N300 million in education and we ask how? From 2003 to 2022, they are supposed to have given us N200 million but what they have given us is not up to N40 million.
“Out of the 840 staff working in NBL, none of them is from our community. All we have are contract workers who are less than 10 per cent of all the contract workers in the facility,” he said.
He said that the community did not receive any single support from NBL during the COVID-19 pandemic, adding that apart from the roads leading to the brewery constructed by the state government, other internal roads in the community were in deplorable condition.
“We have reported our case everywhere, but no one gives us attention. They are rather instigating crisis in our community by trying to divide us. Our youths are becoming restive, and we can no longer control them. If these problems are not addressed, there might be problems.”
Desecration and rape of tradition/culture
Amujuogu, who is also a king maker in Ameke Ngwo clan, said that the gods of the land are angry over what he called the desecration of Igbo culture and tradition by the company.
Recall that the management of NBL, AMA Breweries in collaboration with the traditional ruler of Ameke Ngwo, Igwe J. C. Okolo, after the inauguration of the civil works decorated Brink and Essaadi with traditional Igbo regalia, including a red cap with eagle feather as a mark of honour.
However, Amujuogu described the incident as a sacrilege.
“The gods are angry because what happened is a sacrilege. What they did amounts to giving a white man an ‘Ozo title’ and this has never happened in over 500 centuries in our community. Ozo title is not an award,” he said.
Cleansing of the community as requested by the gods
According to him, the Counsel of Ozo title holders in the community has consulted the gods of the land and they demanded for the cleansing of the land. Else, the community will be plagued.
“It is a rape of tradition for you to decorate a white man with a red cap and eagle feather you bought from the market in the name of a traditional title.
“First, all the collaborators are expected to leave our community pending the performance of the ritual to cleanse the community and they must return all those items used to decorate the white men.
“Second, the gods of the land requested for the following items from Brink and Essaadi: live elephant, live hippopotamus, live python, live lion, and an over 100 years old tortoise.
“Furthermore, they will give each Ozo title holders in Igboland both at home and in the diaspora one ram, nine tubers of yam, one keg of palm wine, white hen, two eagle feathers, nine kolanuts and N9000,” he said.
Amujuogu said the cleansing of the community will be performed by Ozo title holders from Nri in Anambra State.
