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| Dangote |
Towards a better and quality driven industry, leading cement manufacturers have pledged their
commitment to align with the House Representatives position that the 42.5mpa
cement grade should be the minimum standard of quality to be produced
in the country, while all expired ones be withdrawn forthwith from the market.
Already, cement manufacturing companies such
as Bua, Ibeto and Dangote said long before the quality review by the Standard
Organization of Nigeria (SON) which pegged the 42.5 grade for general purpose
use, they had been producing the quality grade and nursed no intention to
produce lower quality cement.
A statement sent to SHOWBIZPLUSng stated that the 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 SON to commence implementation of its cement standardization
and that manufacturers should retool their machinery 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.
Also the Committee submitted that any cement
manufacturer or distributor implicated in the sale of expired cement must be
maximally sanctioned to ensure that sanity prevails in the nation’s cement
manufacturing and construction industry.
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 outset and his company
sees nothing wrong with the Reps decision.
“As a responsible corporate entity, with the
interest of the nation and its people at heart, we value the lives of our
people more than profit, and therefore support our lawmakers”
He explained that what cement manufacturers
and indeed other stakeholders should do is to cooperate with SON as the
regulating authority so that the menace of structure failures could abate.
Rabiu stated that 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.
Corroborating the lawmakers, Edwin added that
the 42.5 grade of cement as the minimum standard to be produced is the best for
the country, given that most builders are non-professionals who know little or
nothing about the right application of cement as a key component of
construction.
Said he: “I say this because, with the
strength of the 42.5, it will be less susceptible to wrong application and
therefore saves the people the hassles of how best to apply cement. Anything
contrary to promotion of 42.5 as the better grade by any manufacturer could
only be motivated by profit.
“As for us in Dangote Cement, we have the
understanding that the new standard which prescribes the production and use of
the 52.5 grade of cement for the construction of bridges; the 42.5 grade for
the casting of columns, slabs and moulding of blocks and other construction
works is in line with the current prevailing international standards to which
we pledge our full support.
“As a responsible and patriotic corporate
citizen with the interest of Nigerians as our primary concern, we state our
unreserved support for the new cement standards, especially as this will help
to further improve safety in the Nigerian building and construction industry.”
A major cement distributor and leader of
cement distributors in Lagos, Kingsley Jaja, commended the House
Representatives for its intervention in the unsavory situation in the
construction industry, saying his members were particularly happy with the
stand of the lawmakers especially on the need for withdrawal of expired cement
and punishment for any manufacturer implicated in the unwholesome practice.
“In Nigeria, consumers enjoy no protection
and the position of the federal lawmakers is a form of protection for the
consumers in the building industry against unscrupulous manufacturers of
cement. All over the world, defective products are withdrawn from the market,
just as we see automobile manufacturers recalling defective vehicles no matter
the number of them already in the market”, he stated.
Reacting in the same vein, the Ibeto Cement
said it saw no reason for the controversies trailing the SON’s grading because
it is the duty of the regulatory organization to constantly review standards to
meet prevailing needs which is what happened in the case of cement.
The company in a statement signed by its
management as advertorial said its cement conforms to internationally specified
standard, OPC-42.5N type 1.
The Ibeto management added in the statement:
“Cement grade issues have raised intense debate in the couple of weeks. We are
hereby compelled as a matter of strongly held principles to establish and
re-emphasize that the bulk cement supplied, bagged and sold by Ibeto Cement
Company Ltd plant terminals conform to internationally specified standards.
“Ibeto Cement is ordinary Portland Cement
which hardens quickly, preferred by first class and highly rated construction
companies, net worth individuals and the general public who desire quality.
Ibeto Cement is strongly recommended and used for construction of residential
complexes, pre-stressed concrete bridges flyovers, dams etc, which is hard
truth well known by cement users in the country.
“These facts are further solidified by the
quality specifications of Ibeto Cement as OPC-42.5N type 1 which conforms to
Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) Mandatory Conformity Assessment
Programme (MANCAP) certification.”
The company then assured all its customers
that concrete steps are being taken to ensure that Ibeto Cement is in full
compliance with all quality and safety specifications in the cement value
chain.
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