Ashaka Cement Works is located at the North Eastern corner of Funakaye LGA of present day Gombe State. It is bounded by notable villages which includes; Bage, Gongilla, Badabdi, Bungum, Feshingo, Maza, Ashaka-Gari and the nearest to the Ashaka Cement Site, Jalingo.

It is worthwhile to mention a few notable figures who made Ashaka Cement works (Star of the North) a dream come true. Notable among them are; Alhaji Abubakar Alhaji KBE (Sardauna of Sokoto/High Commissioner, Nigeria High Commission, London as at then), Brig. Musa Usman (without him there would be no Ashaka Cement Works). Sir, John Milne and Alhaji Bello Kirfi (Wazirin Bauchi) just to mention a few.

Brigadier, Musa Usman determined that the North Eastern State should have its own Cement Company and swings into full production and went into negotiation with European manufacturers before finally settling on Blue circle to build and run the plant. The Blue circle or, Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (APCM) as it was called in those days, was the obvious choice of partner as they have already proved themselves to be reliable and efficient in the building and managing of the works at Ewekoro for the Company WAPCO.

The story of building and operation of Ashaka is one of the greatest triumphs of Nigeria since Independence. The technological wonder which it is our privilege to behold today has not been achieved without toil, determination, effort and singleness of purpose by all concerned. The human qualities, which have done more than anything to bring it about are; faith in the future, guts and tenacity. The whole achievement of course, depended on the initial contribution of geological research workers who continued their efforts despite apparently unfavourable raw material results. A camp of frugal, indeed almost of Spartan, conditions was set up at Ashaka. However, these problems were later made much easy to endure by the helpfulness and hospitality of the traditional rulers, some of whom may be here today.

One early major problem was that of location, as accurate maps were not available. Despite this, drilling went on and quite fortuitously, a senior geologist, Norman Brindle came across for the first time, the limestone outcrop of the now major reserves and realized that the deposit was more substancial in size than anybody could have hoped at that time.

As God will have it, on Thursday 19th, July 1979 the Ashaka Cement Works was officially opened by the then Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters, Major – General Shehu Musa Yar’ Adua. Also present were, senior delegates from the Federal and State Governments as well as representatives from private industry, financial institutions and the company’s technical partners. The Shehu of Borno and the Emir of Gombe were also there as well as the yet unknown Brigadier, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (Later military Head of State Federal Republic of Nigeria).