The apex regula¬tory agency of the Federal Govern¬ment, the Stand¬ard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has finally waded into and eventually ended the fuss surrounding cement grades and quality, by outlining new technical guidelines for all manufac¬turers in the country.
“All manufacturers will now indicate the cement type and its applications on their bags. The label¬ling will have to be legible and provide the right in¬formation and guide to the consumers. We must also embark on enlightenment of artisans and block makers on cement applications,’’ said Lanre Opakunle, general manager, industrial perfor¬mance, Lafarge WAPCO, while briefing BusinessDay on the outcome of the meet¬ing organised by SON for all cement manufacturers in Lagos on Monday.
“We have been mandated to educate the consumer that 32.5 grade is a multi-purpose type, generally used for block making, concrete works, plastering and for low heat applications, whereas 42.5 and 52.5 are used for heavy concrete works such as high rise structures. It was also stressed that there is the need to engage professionals for all construction work,’’ he stated.
“For instance, it was em¬phasised that in the North¬ern part of the country, where there is high tem¬perature, anybody who uses anything below 42.5 is only laying a foundation for dis¬aster,’’ he added.
For over two months, ce¬ment manufacturers have been accused of producing substandard grade and low quality product. A coalition of civil society groups had raised an alarm that manufacturers were producing 32.5 grade, which, according to them, were only suitable for plas¬tering, culvert and other low level construction work.
They attributed the trend to lax regulation by SON, adding that 32.5 grade was partly responsible for build¬ing collapses in the country, and calling for 42.5 grade across the industry.
Dangote Cement (Dan¬gcem), the largest manufac¬turer in the country, released a statement saying that it produced 42.5 high grade cement, adding that it was the responsibility of SON to fish out those producing 32.5 grade. But other manu¬facturers such as Lafarge WAPCO, Ashaka, United Cement Company of Nigeria (UNICEM) disagreed, stating that each cement type had specific applications. They also contended that 32.5 grade had been in the Nigerian mar¬ket for 54 years and could not have been responsible for the collapse of buildings.
Just recently, Dangcem launched the 52.5, a grade found in many countries of the world. This has been hailed across the industry, though professionals say it is necessary to educate contrac¬tors and block makers that the grade has a specific applica¬tion just like 32.5 and 42.5.
