By Etuka Sunday
Major cement manufacturers in the country have agreed to follow the directives of the House of Representatives with regards to the production of 42.5mpa cement grade as the minimum standard of quality that should be produced in the country.
They therefore advocated that all expired ones be withdrawn forthwith from the market.
Already, cement manufacturing companies like Bua, Ibeto and Dangote said long before the quality review by the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) which pegged the 42.5 grade as being for general purpose use, have been producing the quality grade and nursed no intention to produce lower quality cement. It would be recalled that Hon Dogara’s ad-hoc Committee on Cement Composition and pigmentation had after a public hearing from stakeholders submitted its report to the House of Representatives, in which it asked the SON to commence implementation of its cement standardization and that manufacturers should retool their machineries for the production of the higher grade of cement. Its recommendation according to the report was based on the fact that if offered the chance of choosing between 32.5 and 42.5 grades of cement, consumers would choose the 42.5 higher grade and that because those employed for building structures are mostly non-professionals it would be in the national interest to adopt a cement grade that is less susceptible to wrong application. Chairman of Bua Cement, Abdulsamad Rabiu said after a meeting in Lagos that what the House of Reps has done was a patriotic one that should be supported by all manufacturers with the safety and well-being of the people at heart.
According to him, Bua which operates the oldest cement plant in Nigeria, Cement Company of Northern Nigeria (CCNN) has been producing the higher grade of cement right from the time of importation till the era of local production and that his company sees nothing wrong with the Reps decision. He explained that what cement manufacturers and indeed other stakeholders should do is to cooperate with the SON as the regulating authority so that the menace of structure failures could abate. Rabiu stated; the BUA Cement brand is different from others because it is of 42.5 and 52.5 texture grade. This is the highest quality texture which mixes and dries easily. Most companies import lower quality. Our prices are also competitive within the industry and our delivery process is excellent. In its own reaction, the management of Dangote Cement said it was poised to giving all necessary support to government and its agencies to succeed in the bid to stem the spate of building collapse through production of quality cement that can stand the test of time.
Its Group Managing Director, Devakumar Edwin explained that Dangote Cement has never produced a lower grade of cement and that the quality review by SON, which was also affirmed by the federal lawmakers who investigated the disturbing menace of structure failures, only confirmed its long held view that Nigerians deserve the best quality of cement.
