Benue residents have called on Governor Hyacinth Alia to construct a cement factory at Mbatiav in Gboko and revive the long-abandoned Igumale Cement Plant in Ado LGA.

They made their feelings known in separate interviews on Friday in Makurdi.

A development economist, Terna Iorhemba, said that cement production was one of the fastest routes to industrial self-reliance for Benue.

Mr Iorhemba said that Benue was richly endowed with limestone, yet it did not own any cement factory.

The development economist regretted that successive administrations in the state failed to give attention to establishing even a cottage cement plant for the state.

“If the government establishes a functional cement factory at Mbatiav and revives the Igumale plant, the multiplier effect will be massive.

“These range from employment, reduced construction costs, and improved internally generated revenue,” Mr Iorhemba said.

According to him, the current administration’s emphasis on infrastructure development will yield better results if raw materials are processed locally.

“You cannot develop infrastructure cheaply when cement is coming from hundreds of kilometres away. If the governor will heed the call and make a move, such will be a strategic economic game changer for the state,” he said.

James Aondodue, a community mobiliser from Mbatiav, expressed optimism that the area could become an industrial hub if the government directed its attention there.

“Our land has the limestone; our youths are unemployed; our people are ready to cooperate. What we need is government commitment; a cement factory here will change the story of Mbatiav in particular and Benue in general forever,” he said.

He appealed to Mr Alia to personally visit the site and assess its potential, stressing that if he saw it, he would understand that the project was long overdue.

Sadiq Musa, an engineer, said that reviving the Igumale Cement Plant should be treated as an urgent priority.

“Igumale already has existing structures; reviving it will not cost much. It is economically wiser to rehabilitate what we already have while expanding to Mbatiav.

“Having functional cement plants will drastically reduce the cost of housing and public projects in the state,” he said.

Eunice Oche, who works for Youth Advocate Initiative, said that the employment potential of the cement industry, especially for young people, cannot be overemphasised.

“Our youths do not just need empowerment programmes; they need real industries. A working cement plant in Igumale and a new one in Mbatiav will absorb thousands of youths directly and indirectly,” she said.

She urged the governor to see the project as part of his legacy, emphasising that the administration had the opportunity to be remembered as the one that industrialised the state.

The Benue Investment and Property Company hinted in December that it had plans to establish a cement factory.

BIPC group managing director Raymond Asemakaha said the plan was part of the company’s efforts to deepen industrialisation and economic growth in Benue.

Mr Asemakaha said all necessary arrangements have been concluded to raise an initial ₦10 billion bond for the project, noting that the proposed cement plant would further drive the industrial revolution of the current administration.

(NAN)