Lawmakers back new cement policy

The House of Representatives yesterday endorsed the new cement policy and the usage of 42.5mpa grade cement for standard construction works in Nigeria.

The resolution was passed following the adoption of the two-page report of the Ad-hoc committee on ‘composition and pigmentation of cement’ which investigated the incidence of collapsed buildings in the country.’

While presenting the report, Yakubu Dogara (APC, Bauchi) noted that the 42.5mpa cement is less susceptible to misapplication as most stakeholders will prefer it to 32.5mpa.

Dogara who urged the House to expedite action on the passage of the National Building Code, stressed the need for strict implementation of the National Building Code when passed into law to check quackery, use of substandard building materials and also to serve as a tool for the regulation of the informal downstream sector of the construction industry.

The lawmakers also urged the Governing Council of Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) to ensure that all cement manufacturers in Nigeria retool and upgrade their production lines to start producing the 42.5mpa grade within a reasonable time considering the cost of social dislocation.

The Committee further urged Federal Government to create a cement fund from contributions of N10 per 50kg bag of cement produced in Nigeria and N20 only per 50kg of cement imported into Nigeria for the establishment of state-of-the-art laboratories in all the geo-political zones within the period of three years.

He noted that the fund should be jointly managed by a Task Force to be set up by SON, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) and Nigerian Institute of Building
(NIOB).

The Committee further proposed that “all cement packages must clearly and boldly indicate their grades, uses and expiry dates with tamper proofing on the packages to guard against repackaging by middlemen; SON should ensure that all
cement distributions withdraw expired cement from their warehouses and markets and destroy them.”

 

KEHINDE  AKINTOLA