By Magnus Aluma
There are indications that the Ebonyi State Government has concluded plans to
establish a new cement factory at Nkalagu, Ishielu Local Government Area of the state.
A release issued by Chief Press to the Ebonyi State Governor, Dr. Monday Uzor in Abakaliki, revealed that Governor Nwifuru dropped the hint, while conducting Chinese contractors round the moribund Nigeria Cement factory, (NIGERCEM), Nkalagu.
Dr. Uzor’s release quotes the governor as saying that the bottlenecks surrounding the reactivation of the old factory informed the decision of the state government to establish a new one.
He said Nwifuru confirmed that preliminary findings proved that the area has large deposits of limestones that will sustain the new company for more than thirty years, when established.
“We have 50 million tons of limestone in Nkalagu and 23 Million tons at Effium, and if put together will sustain the factory for a minimum of 30 years.
“The company will be fully functional, creating jobs and crashing costs of building materials for not only Ebonyi State, and the Southeast, but for Nigeria in general.
“As a responsive government, which is alive to its social contracts, the establishment of the new factory was not politically motivated neither was it driven on opaque interests, but because it formed the industrialization components of the People’s Charter of Needs Agenda,” the governor was quoted as having said.
According to Uzor, the governor said the project is the part of part of what the Ebonyi State government believes it must execute.
“We came with manufacturers, designers, builders and contractors.
“They will see the limestones. Upon completion no one, including my humble self, will buy shares here.”
The Governor disclosed that the expatriates have assured him of timely completion of the project, to drive the industrialisation vision of his administration.
Governor Nwifuru also lauded the support of some stakeholders and leaders of the southeast zone, and commended his Anambra State counterpart, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo for continuing to indicate interest in the reactivation of the old NIGERCEM.
The Ebonyi State Government had earlier earmarked the sum of 150 Billion Naira in the 2026 Budget for the establishment of a new cement factory.
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