The nation\u2019s foremost cement manufacturer, Dangote Cement weekend at the
\nstated that all the products rolling out from its three cement plants are
\ncertified 42.5 grade in line with international standard and quality
\nbenchmark.<\/p>\n
Reacting to the threat of coalition of civil society groups and
\nprofessional bodies in the construction industry to lead protests against
\nmanufacturers and importers of 32.5 grade cement, the company\u2019s Chief
\nExecutive Officer, Mr DVG. Edwin said Dangote Cement\u2019s adherence to global
\nbest practices informed the production of 42.5 grade cement in all its
\nfactories.<\/p>\n
Addressing a cross section of the media weekend in Lagos, he said that
\nDangote Cement chose to produce 42.5 cement grade as it is stronger and
\nhas better qualities. According to him, the cement grade possesses higher
\nstrength capability and is rapid setting making it the preferred grade
\namong blockmakers, builders and construction workers.<\/p>\n
Explaining why Dangote Cement is laying emphasis on the production of 42.5
\ngrade cement, Mr Edwin said that prior to the nation attaining
\nself-sufficiency in cement production, the Standard Organisation of
\nNigeria (SON) stipulated the 42.5 grade as the grade accepted one to be
\nimported into the country and all importers complied.<\/p>\n
Dangote Cement as a responsible market leader has continued to produce
\n42.5 grade in its three plants in strict adherence to the stipulations of
\nthe SON. He wondered why SON should insist on 42.5 grade as the standard
\nfor import and then allow a lower grade in terms of local production.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow come during the import era, we are all compelled by the regulatory
\nauthorities to bring in 42.5 grades and now since 2012 when import was
\nbanned, the same regulatory authorities condoned the production of 32.5
\ngrades\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reacting to claims by a cross section of cement manufacturers that the
\nroot cause of building collapse is not cement quality but poor use of
\nmaterials especially 32.5 grade by builders, Mr Edwin advocated that the
\nbest way to ensure safety in the construction industry is to insist on
\n42.5 as the grade to be produced and used in Nigeria. He explained that
\nafter seminars and training to educate builders on how to use 32.5 grade
\nin building, the unscrupulous ones among them still cut corners to cheat
\non quality. This incidence of building collapse will be greatly reduced
\nif we adhere to a common quality specification leaving no opportunity for
\nmanipulations, he contended.<\/p>\n
On the claims that switching over to 42.5 grades would impact negatively
\non their profit margins by some cement manufacturers, he debunked the
\nclaims adding that producing the grade will lead to a marginal cost
\nincrease and it should be seen as a patriotic gesture to stem the tide of
\nbuilding collapse. \u201cWe place a high premium on human lives and not cost.
\nNothing on earth can be substituted for human lives. Those arguing that
\nmigrating from 32.5 to 42.5 will erode their profit margin are insincere
\nand selfish as human lives are more important than profit taking.\u201d He
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
As part of promoting best practices in the building industry, Mr Edwin
\nsaid that Dangote Cement in the past two years has held several trainings
\nand demonstrations with blockmakers across the nation to educate them on
\nhow to achieve premium results using the 42.5 cement grade. This has
\nbecome a permanent feature in our operations.<\/p>\n
Giving a breakdown of the different grades of cement available, he noted
\nthat 92 per cent of Portland cement produced in the United States (US),
\nare in 52.5 and 42.5 Grades, while other imported cement from China,
\nJapan, Denmark and Paris are all 42.5 Grade.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cOver 90 per cent of consumers are not aware of the different
\ntypes of cement available in Nigeria. Their expectations in respect to the
\nperformance of cement are the same regardless of the type. The grade
\n(quality) of concrete to be used may allow 32.5 grade cement for certain
\nconstruction work such as pavements, rendering (plastering) and culverts
\nbut would demand 42.5 grade cement for structures, columns, bridges and
\nmulti storeyed buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n
A coalition of civil society groups and professional bodies in the
\nconstruction industry are set to launch a major campaign for the
\nstandardization of the manufacturing and importation of the product. The
\ncoalitions, according to media reports, have called on the relevant
\nauthorities to initiate actions to make 42.5 grade of cement the standard
\nproduct in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
The stakeholders\u2019 argument is that nearly all the cement manufacturers and
\nimporters in the country are in the habit of taking advantage of the lax
\nregulation and lack of enforcement to vary their pigmentation in favour of
\nthe lower grade cement (32.5) which in most cases is used in building and
\nseen to be partly responsible for the collapse of houses. They believe
\nthat the practice, which is quite prevalent, is usually overlooked by the
\nStandards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The nation\u2019s foremost cement manufacturer, Dangote Cement weekend at the stated that all the products rolling out from its three cement plants are certified 42.5 grade in line with international…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22620,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22619","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n