Lifestyle
Nigercem: Nigeria’s First Indigenous Cement Company (PHOTOS)
The Nigerian Cement Company Limited (Nigercem), established in 1954, was the first indigenous cement manufacturing plant in Nigeria. Founded by the Eastern Regional Government under the leadership of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, it represented a bold step in the drive toward industrialisation and economic self-reliance.
Located in Nkalagu (present-day Ebonyi State), the site was chosen for its rich deposits of high-quality limestone, the essential raw material for cement production. The project was developed in partnership with the Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers of England, which provided technical expertise.
Nigercem became a symbol of post-colonial pride and development. Its cement supplied landmark projects such as parts of the Niger Bridge at Onitsha, roads, housing estates, and public buildings across Eastern and Mid-Western Nigeria. At its peak in the 1960s and 1970s, the company employed thousands, while transforming Nkalagu into a bustling industrial township with housing, schools, electricity, and a hospital provided for workers.
The Nigerian Civil War (1967–1970) severely disrupted operations, but production was revived in the early 1970s by the East Central State government. For a time, Nigercem once again stood as a cornerstone of the regional economy, though it later declined due to mismanagement and lack of modernization.
Source: Umezurike, G. M. Industrialization in Eastern Nigeria: The Case of Nigercem, Nkalagu (University of Nigeria Press, 1982).
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