The Ebonyi State Government has accused Cletus Ibeto, the major shareholder of the defunct Nigercem Cement Co, of obstructing efforts to revive the factory, amid growing tensions over the future of the long-idle plant.
State Commissioner for Solid Minerals Development Chidi Onyia said successive administrations had struggled to restart Nigercem due to its ownership structure and what he described as a lack of cooperation from the core investor. He rejected claims by host communities that the government was abandoning the revival plan in favour of building a new cement plant elsewhere in the state.
Onyia said potential partners had expressed interest in reviving Nigercem but were discouraged by conditions imposed by the majority shareholder. He added that much of the site’s infrastructure had been vandalised or lost, making revitalisation “almost the same as starting afresh”.
The commissioner also dismissed claims that viable limestone deposits exist only around Nkalagu, saying Ebonyi has bankable limestone resources in several locations that meet international standards. He stressed that any future cement project would comply with federal mining laws and environmental regulations.
In response, Ibeto denied frustrating the process and said he has concrete plans to revive Nigercem this year. He said he refused to release financial documents to a government committee, describing them as business secrets, and insisted he holds valid mining leases until 2045 to restore the company’s operations.
