Nigeria’s House of Representatives has recommended 42.5MPa cement for standard construction works against the currently used 32.5 MPa grade.
They urged SON’s governing council to ensure that all cement manufacturers in Nigeria retool and upgrade their production lines to start producing the 42.5 MPa grade within a reasonable time, considering the cost of social dislocation.
Dangote Cement had defended the 42.5 MPa cement grade, while other companies insisted that the 32.5 MPa grade was not responsible for building collapses.
The House Committee recommended that government create a cement fund from N10 per 50-kg bag of cement produced in Nigeria, and N20 per 50-kg of cement imported into the country to establish state-of-the-art laboratories in all geo-political zones within three years.
The lawmakers said the fund should be 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 the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB).
