A move by the Ebonyi State government to set up a new cement plant is now being threatened as communities hosting the moribund Nigerian Cement Company (Nigercem) are expressing concerns about the development.

They stated that the action of the state government would negate their land rights and the lawful future of the company when implemented. The communities have therefore addressed a letter to the government of Ebonyi State, asking for the suspension of any actions that could alter ownership of mineral rights in the area pending broad consultation.

In the letter dated January 7, 2026, addressed to Governor Francis Nwifuru, the communities, through their solicitors, Gamzaki Law Chambers, accused certain political actors of attempting to undermine existing legal agreements and court judgments relating to Nigercem.

The letter recalled that in 2010, Ibeto Group lawfully acquired majority shares in Nigercem Plc and became its core investor. It noted that the subsequent revocation of Ibeto Group’s mining lease by the Ebonyi State Government under a previous administration was challenged in court, with judgments delivered between 2010 and 2013 in favour of Ibeto Group and the host communities.

According to the communities, assurances were given by the present administration during the election campaign to collaborate with Ibeto Group to revive Nigercem. They acknowledged that a 15-man committee was constituted in August 2025 to engage relevant stakeholders, but lamented that no report or recommendations from the committee have been made public.

Tension heightened following the governor’s announcement during the 2026 budget presentation of plans to borrow N150 billion to construct a new state-owned cement plant. The communities also raised the alarm over a meeting held on December 31, 2025, where certain individuals allegedly issued a fresh “consent letter” purporting to revoke earlier agreements granted to Ibeto Group.

The landlord communities insist that the proposed location for the new cement plant lacks commercially viable limestone deposits and that the project would depend entirely on limestone found within Nigercem host communities. They rejected the authority of what they described as an “unauthorised and self-appointed committee” claiming to speak on their behalf.