Donald Ude – Abakaliki
The executive Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru has unveiled plans to build a new cement factory in Ebonyi State.
The executive Governor stated this while conducting some Chinese contractors and engineers around NIGERCEM, Nkalagu, Ishielu LGA explained that the reason for the plans to establish a new cement factory is due largely to the bottle necks surrounding the revitalization of the already existing NIGERCEM.
The Governor stated that another reason behind his plans to establish a new cement factory was as a result of a large deposit of limestone , which is no doubt an essential raw material for the production of cement .
He stressed that preliminary findings indicate that large deposits of limestone that will sustain the company for more than 3 decades is available in the state
According to Governor Nwifuru ” We have 50 million tons of limestone in Nkalagu and 23 million tones at Effium and if put together will sustain the factory for a minimum of 30 years.”
He further explained that the proposed new Ebonyi cement factory was not politically motivated but to serve the industrial needs of the people as it will create jobs, crash the price of cement not only in Ebonyi State but in the entire country.
In his words “the establishment of the new cement factory was not politically motivated neither was driven on opaque interests but because it informs the industrialization components of people’s charter of needs agenda”
About transparency and speedy completion of the process of building the new cement factory, the Ebonyi Chief Executive vehemently stressed that no government official including himself will have shares in the new company.
According to him, “We came with manufacturers, designers, builders and contractors, they will see the limestone. We have been assured of them of timely completion of this project” adding that “no one will have shares here including my humble self”
It will be recalled that in a bid to revitalize the old existing NIGERCEM, Nkalagu, Governor Nwifuru had sent a high powered Government delegation to Chief Cletus Ibeto who as a renowned industrialist is in charge of the management of NIGERCEM and also put in a large amount of money into the moribund cement factory.
The former Governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency Chief David Nwaze Umahi had also withdrawn all legal suits instituted against the IBETO group by the former Governor Elechi, yet, NIGERCEM couldn’t get operational.
It will also be recalled that Ebonyi State Government had voted a whooping #150 billion for the construction of the proposed Ebonyi cement factory as Governor Nwifuru insist that ” this is part of the project we believe we must execute”
And while lauding the efforts of some industrial minded Ebonyi friends, Governor Nwifuru eulogized the efforts of the Executive Governor of Anambra state, His Excellency, Professor, Chukwuma Charles Soludo for his continued interest towards the rehabilitation and revitalization of the hitherto moribund NIGERCEM which was a vibrant and indeed one of the foremost cement factory in the Nigerian federation.
