If the verdict of Nigerian builders, Quantity Surveyors and civil engineers is anything to go by, then the emergence of the recently launched Dangote BlocMaster Cement is a long-awaited development; like a breath of fresh air.
Nigerian apex builders had given a unanimous approval after thorough due diligence and laboratory experiments to a product they now dub ‘The King of Cement’.
While not resting on its oars, Dangote Cement Plc has hit another landmark achievement in its research-based venture by rolling out a mouth-watering 42.5R brand that has left block-makers scrambling to place their orders, to showcase their immense satisfaction with the new product.
That the launch came barely a week after the unveiling of the All Purpose Flour by the Dangote Flour Mills, speaks volume of Dangote Group’s new research based trajectory, pundits say.
“This is a new era. This is a new quality. This is a product of research,” the Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement Plc, Joseph Makoju assured different stakeholders in the construction industry. According to him, the new product is affordable and strong because of its rapid setting qualities, especially during raining season.
Perhaps the most unique characteristic of the innovative cement product is its capacity to attain 50 per cent strength after just 24 hours.
Adding a scholarly flavour to the discourse, a renowned academic in the Bayero University Kano, Alhassan Dahiru, has also recommended the cement to Nigerians.
Dahiru, who is the Chairman of Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Kano State Chapter and Head of Quantity Surveying Department, Bayero University Kano, said the new BlocMaster Cement can be used to construct bridges and bigger concrete structures requiring strong cement.
The innovative cement product had been adjudged outstanding, due to its rapid setting of about an hour, strength and top quality, by the country’s engineers, builders and block makers before it was rolled out recently in Kano.
Speaking at the official unveiling of the product, Kano State Governor Abdullahi UGanduje called on all Nigerians to patronise the new cement to help minimise the menace of building collapse in the country.
The Governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Usman Alhaji, also commended the Dangote Group, adding that it has always been supportive in all sectors of the economy.
Speaking, Group Chief Marketing Officer, Dangote Cement Plc, Oare Ojeikere said the new cement product is multipurpose and very strong, urging Nigerians to adopt it for all construction purposes. He expressed happiness that hundreds of builders in Kano had used it before the launch.
The immediate past chairman, Nigeria Institute of Building and Director Consultancy Services, Science and Technical Schools Board, Kano State, Abdullahi Alhassan SanSan, also said he was elated because the new cement block will help address the issue of building collapse in the country.
Nura Yahayah, manager Magina Blocks Industries Kano said he has used the cement block and can therefore recommend it to Nigerians.
Umar Faruk Musa, chairman Kano State Concrete Block Makers and Allied Products Association said the cement innovation will translate into more income for block makers immediately and in the long run for Nigeria. He commended Aliko Dangote for yet another giant stride; coming barely a week after a flour brand was unveiled by the same Group.
In his own submission, Chairman Trustee Committee for Association of Block workers in Kano, Alhaji Aliyu said lives will be saved and wastages will be prevented with the emergence of the BlocMaster, adding that the product is a welcome innovation.
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of the Block Makers Association in Kano, Engr. Abdullahi Usman has called on Nigerians from all walks of life to switch to the new cement product. He thanked Dangote Group, and indeed its President for the innovation, and asked God to continue to protect him, with sound health and long life.
Muhammad Mustapha, Dangote Cement’s area sales manager, said the new cement is a response to calls by builders, adding that it sets rapidly and it is affordable. Dangote Cement Plc is Africa’s top cement producer with presence in about 18 African countries.
While the Dangote Group receives accolades and commendations from various quarters over the new product, construction engineers are upbeat that with Dangote’s ‘King of Cement’ the era of building collapse will soon be over in the country; hitherto a sore point in the nation’s quest for rapid development and adequate provision of infrastructure.
