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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
What was once a shadow of its glorious past has become a new engine of agricultural opportunity for Ebonyi State and its neighbouring states. The Nkaliki Hatchery has risen again to serve a new generation after over 15 years of being moribund.
For decades, Nkaliki Hatchery stood as one of Ebonyi’s major agricultural assets and one of the largest poultry complexes in the South-East. Established in 1979 during the Jim Nwobodo administration, the facility occupied about 36 hectares and operated as an integrated poultry complex with broilers, layers, parent stock, hatchery operations, poultry processing and feed mill.
It had nine layer pens and six sets of hatchery facilities, producing thousands of birds and eggs, while its automated slaughterhouse was regarded as one of the most sophisticated in the country.
Beyond production, the hatchery generated employment and attracted buyers from Abia, Enugu, Imo, Cross River, Benue and Anambra, making it an important economic hub. Between 1999 and 2007, under former Governor Sam Egwu, the facility underwent significant development and expansion.
But the glory eventually faded. Years of decline left its pens, facilities and equipment dilapidated. Production collapsed and the once-thriving Nkaliki Hatchery became a shadow of its former self.
But today, the administration in the state has rehabilitated and remodelled the hatchery, restored critical infrastructure and brought life back to facilities that had become moribund. The chicken pens have been restored. The administrative and supporting facilities have been rehabilitated while the wider complex has been repositioned for production.
What was once a shadow of its glorious past is becoming a new engine of agricultural opportunity. The Nkaliki Hatchery has risen again. It has been fully rehabilitated, remodelled and repositioned to serve a new generation. The dilapidated buildings in the hatchery have been renovated, with production restored and jobs created for the thousands of the unemployed.
Governor Francis Nwifuru, in his address to the people of the state during the second anniveary celebration of his administration, said the revived hatchery would provide 2,000 jobs. He said his administration was constructing a feed mill to produce poultry, piggery and fish feeds aimed at serving the Ebonyi integrated farm and the South-East, South-South and other parts of the country.
Geoffrey John Ovuoba, said the revival of the hatchery could have implications beyond the restoration of physical structures. He said, if sustained and effectively managed, the facility has the potential to support poultry production, create employment, stimulate activities across the agricultural value chain and provide opportunities for farmers and other private-sector participants.
“For Ebonyi, whose economic development strategy places considerable emphasis on agriculture and food production, restoring an established production facility such as Nkaliki Hatchery could provide an additional platform for strengthening the sector.
“The facility’s history also gives the rehabilitation broader significance. What was once a major centre of poultry production and commerce experienced years of decline, but is now being rebuilt with the prospect of serving a new generation.
“The immediate task, however, extends beyond rehabilitation. Sustaining production, maintaining the infrastructure, ensuring professional management and translating the renewed investment into jobs and measurable economic output will ultimately determine the long-term success of the revival.
“For now, Nkaliki Hatchery is emerging from years of neglect with a renewed physical outlook. From a once-thriving agricultural giant to a facility that fell into disrepair, and now to a complex undergoing rehabilitation, its story reflects an attempt to restore not only an old infrastructure but also its potential role in Ebonyi’s agricultural and economic future,” he said.
Another resident, Emeka Okoro, expressed happiness over the revival of the hatchery.
“Hearing that the Ebonyi hatchery, located in Abakaliki, is back to life is something I am genuinely excited about.
“During the Sam Egwu era, we all knew how this hatchery was booming. It was producing eggs in large quantity, making eggs cheaper and more accessible to people in Abakaliki and beyond.
“During festive periods, many of us would head to the hatchery to buy chickens and eggs. In fact, it was always fun back then. But the hatchery wasn’t just important because of its production.
“It employed a lot people and helped lift many families out of poverty. It created jobs, supported livelihoods, and contributed meaningfully to the state’s economy. At some point, it even became a place of attraction where people visited to see the scale of poultry production and experience the environment for themselves.
“Sadly, like many government-owned enterprises in Nigeria, it lost its glory over the years and gradually faded into the background. Today, I am hearing that the hatchery has been revived by the current administration under Governor Francis Nwifuru.
“For this, I must commend him and his team. I have always maintained that governance should not be viewed through the lens of blind support or blind opposition. When a government gets it wrong, I will criticize it. When a government gets it right, I will commend it.
“If the Ebonyi Hatchery is truly back and functioning again, then it is a welcome development for the state. It has the potential to create jobs, boost agricultural production, support food security and bring back some of the economic benefits that many Ebonyians enjoyed in the past.
“Kudos to Governor Nwifuru and everyone who contributed to making this happen. The challenge now is not just reviving the hatchery but sustaining it so that it does not become another abandoned government project a few years from now”, he said.
Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Nkechinyere Iyioku, said the hatchery was moribund for over 15 years before the revival by the current administration in the state. She said the hatchery has been producing poultry and eggs in large quantities since it was revived in 2024.
Iyioku disclosed that the state government has commenced construction of a feed mill inside the hatchery for livestock production and all the necessary equipment for the company has been procured and will be installed immediately the feed mill is ready.
“When His Excellency was campaigning during the 2023 governorship election, he promised that he would revive the hatchery and immediately he came on board we started working. He approved money because of the deplorable nature of buildings there; we had to start renovation of the structures.
“The first day I went to that place, I didn’t even know that place would work because of how bad the place was but we started with four pens and, from there, that was how we started.
“In the first week of December 2024, we started selling our eggs and our birds. And we later increased it. We are working with 12 pens now. That is our story. Apart from that, we cannot be doing livestock and we’ll be buying feed from outside. So, we want to start producing and selling feed.
“Inside the hatchery, you’ll see the feed mill. It’s only the construction that remains. The equipment is ready. We bought equipment since last year from China. We packed it there. Immediately we finish the construction. We will install them because they’ll be working day and night”, the commissioner stated.
The state government has also revived a 60-year-old abandoned veterinary facility, Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project (L-PRES), Izhiangbo, in Ohaukwu LGA of the state.
Governor Nwifuru, while inspecting the revived facility, said it was reconstructed to address contemporary veterinary education, health and agricultural needs of the state in particular and the nation in general. He announced his administration’s intention to create jobs and expand the growth in the economy, stressing that the facility will provide 2,000 jobs when completed.
He explained that the facility is a 295-acre structure hosting the veterinary college, modern abattoirs, hospital, grazing reserves with 2,000-herd capacity, farming enclaves for piggery, grass cutters and other ruminants.
He said the contracts for the constructions of 27 out of the proposed 86 buildings for administrative purposes, hostels for students, staff quarters and lecture theatres have all been awarded and construction in progress.
He further noted that some sections of the project, especially the access roads, are stalled, given the rainy season, but will commence in a few months.
“We have agreed that full construction should commence in November this year”, he said said.
He urged indigenes of the area to exhibit ownership as its construction is being undertaken.
“We are looking at an employment level of about 2,000 workforce here. I thank you for your cooperation as I have not received any news of stealing and social violations. No contractor has complained of any disruptions by way of theft.
“I can assure you that, by December this year, many buildings here will be completed”.
Conducting the governor round the facility, the Ebonyi State Government L-PRES consultant, Dr. Usman Ali Lawan, stated that the project was billed to ensure livestock production meets global standards while also providing jobs for the people.
He commended the governor for his proactivity and foresight in initiating people-centric projects.
