Dangote Cement Plc has said it manufactures only 42.5 grade cement in all its three plants, which are located in Obajana, Kogi State; Ibese, Ogun State; and Gboko, Benue State.
It said it is not a party to the firms accused of shortchanging Nigerians by civil society group and professionals.
Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr DVG Edwin, spoke at a briefing at the weekend in Lagos.
He said: “In all our three plants, we produce 42.5 grade cement. We believe that Nigerians deserve the best and we remain steadfast in meeting the needs of Nigerians for quality, cost effective cement. We want to align with the civil society group that there is need for standards in cement manufacturing; we need to comply to set standard so that Nigerians can get the best.”
Edwin said Dangote Cement’s adherence to global best practices informed the production of 42.5 grade cement in all its factories, adding that it is stronger and has better qualities.
According to him, the cement grade possesses higher strength capability and its rapid setting quality makes it the preferred grade among block makers, builders and construction workers, and add that with quick setting, blocks come out stronger and reduces the number of breakages.
He said as part of efforts to drive quality, the firm has in the past two years, been training blockmakers on how to mould quality blocks using the 42.5 grade Dangote Cement.
He said seminars and demonstrations with block makers is a continuous exercise, which has become a vital part of the company’s corporate social responsibility initiative aimed at preventing building collapse.
Explaining why Dangote Cement is emphasising the production of 42.5 grade cement, Edwin said prior to the country’s attainment of self-sufficiency in cement production, the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) had specified the 42.5 grade as the acceptable grade for importers of cement.
He said: “Dangote Cement, as a responsible market leader, has continued to produce 42.5 grade in its three plants in strict adherence to the stipulations of SON.”
He wondered why SON should insist on 42.5 grade as the standard for import and allow a lower grade for local production.
He asked: “How come that during the import era, we were all compelled by the regulatory authorities to bring in 42.5 grades and now since 2012 when import was banned, the same regulatory authorities condone the production of 32.5 grades?”
He noted that 92 per cent of Portland cement produced in the United States are in 52.5 and 42.5 grades, while other imported cement from China, Japan, Denmark and Paris are all 42.5 grade. He said: “Over 90 per cent of consumers are not aware of the different types of cement available in Nigeria. Their expectations in respect to the performance of cement are the same regardless of the type. The grade (quality) of concrete to be used may allow 32.5 grade cement for certain construction work such as pavements, rendering (plastering) and culverts but would demand 42.5 grade cement for structures, columns, bridges and multi storey buildings.”
Reacting to claims by some cement manufacturers that the cause of building collapse is not cement quality, but poor use of materials, especially 32.5 grade, he advocated that the best way to ensure safety in the construction industry is to insist on 42.5 as the grade to be produced and used in Nigeria.
He said despite training builders on how to use 32.5 grade of cement, some of them still cut corners.
“Incidence of building collapse will be greatly reduced if we adhere to a common quality specification, leaving no opportunity for manipulations,” he added.
On claims by some cement manufacturers that switching over to 42.5 grade would erode their profit margins, Ekanem said producing the grade though would lead to a marginal cost increase, it should be seen as a patriotic gesture to stem the tide of building collapse.
“We place a high premium on human lives and not cost. Nothing on earth can be substituted for human lives. Those arguing that migrating from 32.5 to 42.5 will erode their profit margin are insincere and selfish as human lives are more important than profit taking,” he said.
The sales/marketing director of Dangote Cement also said that in the last five years, the price of cement from Dangote has remained constant despite the high inflationary rate, high cost of fuel, and infrastructure deficit, and other operational challenges. “Even though, we have consistently been producing 4.2 grade cement the price is the same for 32.5 grade,” he pointed out, noting that the company invested so much in logistics hence, the company’s cost of moving cement products is the lowest in the industry.
A coalition of civil society groups and professional bodies in the construction industry are set to launch a major campaign for the standardisation of the manufacturing and importation of the product. The coalitions, according to media reports, have called on the relevant authorities to initiate actions to make 42.5 grade of cement the standard product in Nigeria.
The stakeholders’ argument is that nearly all the cement manufacturers and importers in the country are in the habit of taking advantage of the lax regulation and lack of enforcement to vary their pigmentation in favour of the lower grade cement (32.5) which in most cases is used in building and seen to be partly responsible for the collapse of houses. They believe that the practice, which is quite prevalent, is usually overlooked by SON.
