The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, visited Zeberced Limited Quarry, the largest quarry in West Africa, located in the Kubwa District of Abuja on Saturday, August 14, 2024.
Wike explained that the visit was made at the invitation of Zeberced Group’s Managing Director, Ayden Adil Kurt, to observe the activities at the quarry firsthand.
Impressed by the scale of industrial operations, which include the production of gravel, stone dust, and asphalt, Barr. Wike praised the company for its dedication to the project. He expressed surprise at the high costs contractors often quote for construction in the FCT, given the readily available raw materials at the quarry.
He said, “The Managing Director has always invited me to come to see what they are doing at the factory which is the biggest quarry in West Africa. I’ve taken the opportunity to look at the environment and see what they are doing.
“That shows that ordinarily, the cost of construction ought not to be very expensive, particularly in the FCT. Apart from the equipment that are being imported that are used for this quarry, the raw material is available here and I wonder why contractors will be talking about cost of aggregate as if these are imported. They are not imported. They are made here.
“So, I really want to encourage this company. It’s really amazing that we have this type of manufacturing going on here and from what the MD said, they have over 800 residents who are working directly here.”
The Minister also raised concerns about the environmental impact of the quarry but said the Managing Director had reassured him that the environmental impact assessment demonstrated compliance with approved standards.
Barr. Wike also expressed gratitude to Zeberced Group for its commitment to expanding the access road from the largest quarry site to the Abuja Industrial Park, a project the company is undertaking in the Idu Industrial District. He assured the company of the government’s continued support.
He said, “This is the same company that is trying to carry out an Industrial Park at Idu and which we are going to give all the necessary support.
“As of yesterday, I’ve sent out a letter to the Ministry of Finance on the tax credit to enable them to carry out the other one-way carriage to make it a double carriage, which is being done by Salini Construction Company.”
Earlier, Zeberced Group’s Managing Director, Ayden Adil Kurt, highlighted the quarry’s production capacity, stating it can produce 3,000 tons per hour.
