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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
The committee set up to revive the moribund Nigeria Cement Plc (NIGERCEM) in Ebonyi State has backed the state government’s plan to establish a new cement factory in the state.
NIGERCEM, an eastern cement factory with over 5,000 workers, has been moribund for over 20 years.
Efforts have been made by previous administrations in the state to revive the company to no avail.
Governor Francis Nwifuru set up a 15‑man committee last year to revive the factory.
The governor disclosed that the state would have to establish its own cement plant and would borrow the sum of N150bn for the establishment of the factory.
But the host community of NIGERCEM kicked against Nwifuru’s decision, alleging that the raw materials in the moribund factory would be used to establish the new company.
The NIGERCEM revival committee said it was in full support of the state government to establish a new cement factory.
The committee alleged that the major shareholder in NIGERCEM, who promised to revitalise the company, has refused to do so, while the state government has been spending heavily to buy cement in some states, including Ogun and Cross River, for infrastructural development.
Chairman of the committee, Chief Ben Okah, while speaking with journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital, said the state was blessed with limestone scattered across the state.
“I saw a letter addressed to the governor by a lawyer who was briefed by somebody in the UK. I saw the letter and the letter is filled with lack of information and, if I may call it, a total mischief. There is no iota of truth in that letter because the person is very highly uninformed and he lacks knowledge of activities around NIGERCEM.
“Ibeto has about 30% commodity shares in NIGERCEM and others have different sources of shares in NIGERCEM. Since Ibeto acquired the controlling shares in NIGERCEM, which is over 20 years, nothing has happened there, and the agreement then was that within three years, NIGERCEM will be fully rebuilt.
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“It is now 20 years plus and the assets of NIGERCEM have been stripped to the bare; cables have been dug up, equipment have been removed. NIGERCEM is like a forest now. So, NIGERCEM is worth nothing in terms of equipment.
“You can only see old buildings inhabited by rats, snakes and a few individuals who may be homeless, some of them old staff who have not been paid for 20 years – no compensation, no pension, no nothing. Some people are suffering whereas NIGERCEM is a bedrock of wealth.
“If well harnessed for the state, it will certainly give us a lot of employment and revenue. So, for 20 years plus, the owners of the land that we called the landlord association, the public, the government, even the investor have not got anything from NIGERCEM. So, it is a hopeless situation.
“The state government is very desirous to assist Ibeto to start off NIGERCEM anywhere he wants it. The state government is very willing and ready to assist Ibeto and we have been in dialogue with him since seven months. We visited his office in Port Harcourt and had communication with him.
“We are not seeing any sign that there is anything going on in NIGERCEM. This is the actual situation. In the event that Ibeto will restart NIGERCEM, it will be good for everybody, including himself, Ibeto, the state and the community.
“Now, the state government wants to establish a cement factory and Ebonyi State has quality limestone. The young man who wrote the letter to the governor said that the limestone in other parts of the state will not be the same quality as NIGERCEM.
“This is pure ignorance and lack of knowledge. He is not well‑informed. The state has large deposits of high‑quality limestone that is good for making cement.
“So, the state government is desirous of establishing its own cement factory because the state needs cement. All the roads built are built on cement base and a lot of infrastructure coming up are going to be built with cement.
“The state government is buying cement as far away as Calabar, Ogun State and other places and that increases the cost of cement.
“So, whether NIGERCEM is working or not, the state wants to build its own cement factory and I can assure you that nobody is going to infringe on NIGERCEM deposits to build another cement factory,” he said.
