ONE-DAY ROUNDTABLE WITH STAKEHOLDERS AND SENSITIZATION ON STANDARDS, GRADES AND USAGE OF CEMENT IN NIGERIA ORGANIZED BY NGO NETWORK IN COLLABORATION WITH STANDARDS AWARENESS GROUP HELD ON THURSDAY 5TH JUNE, 2014 AT ALEXIS HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTER JABI, ABUJA
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- INTRODUCTION
NGO Network, a national not-for-profit entity working with the three sectors of the economy to deliver pro-people programmes at the grassroots, a member of the National Technical Committee on Standards, in collaboration with the Standards Awareness Group, organized a one-day roundtable with the stakeholders and sensitization on standards, grades and usage of cements in Nigeria on Thursday, June 05, 2014 at Alexis Hotel and Conference Centre, Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
2. STAKEHOLDERS IN ATTENDANCE
The Roundtable was attended by the following stakeholders from different sectors of the country: The Director General, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), the Director General, Consumer protection Council (CPC), the Director General, Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), President, Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), President, Nigeria Institute of Builders, Nigeria Society of Engineers, President, Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply management of Nigeria (CIPSMN), Dean, School of Post-Graduate Studies, Nigeria Defense Academy, several civil society organizations (CSOs), cement manufacturers, the media and artisans, including block makers association, contractors and many others.
The Roundtable which attracted over 100 participants had the following aims and objectives:
(a) To re-examine the grades and standards of cement and its applications.
(b) To address the possibility of reviewing the price of cement to make it affordable to
consumers.
(c) To commence a massive awareness campaign on the types and usage of cement in
Nigeria.
(d) To complement the efforts of the governments in maintaining standards in the cement
manufacturing industry and the need to reduce the incidence of building collapse.
3. FINDINGS
After comprehensive discussions, evaluations and paper presentations of the subject matter, the participants observed the following:
(a) That there are incidents of building collapse in Nigeria due to use of sub-standard building materials.
(b) That some stakeholders are ignorant of the grades of cement in Nigeria.
(c) That there is low level of awareness creation by the manufacturers, policy makers, regulators and other key stakeholders on the use of the different types of cement and their applications.
(d) That there is deliberate attempt by some manufacturers of cement to monopolize and politicize the market, thereby replacing patriotism with business.
(e) That there is competitive paid adverts by unknown faces to confuse and complicate the main issues surrounding cement and building collapse.
(f) That there is unhealthy rivalry among the manufacturers of cement and between the manufacturers and their regulators, which is adversely affecting the co-ordination of the entire system.
(g) That as a result of the confusion set in by cement manufacturers in Nigeria and due to inadequate monitoring by the regulators, there is continuous and persistent high cost of cement in Nigeria.
(h) That insufficient infrastructural development especially in the power sector is another
factor that leads to the high price of cement
- 3. RESOLUTIONS
In view of above findings, the participants resolved as follows:
(a) That there are established scientific facts and findings that we have no sub-standard cements produced in Nigeria.
(b) That the causes of building collapse in Nigeria are attributed to wrong applications of cement, low level manpower, lack of professionalism, faulty designs, among others.
(c) That it is a known fact that there are three grades of cement used globally including Nigeria; viz: 32.5m, 42.5m and 52.5m and that each grade of cement is used for specific purpose as identified by experts in the industry.
(d) That the manufacturers of cement in Nigeria should label their products by grades as well as their applications to avoid mis-applications by end users.
(e) That the current spates of paid adverts and sponsored articles in the national media are worrisome, trivial and unnecessary since facts about cement and their applications are scientific.
(f) That the regulators, that is, Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and others should be encouraged to perform their duties by ensuring that manufacturers of cement strictly adhere to the new policy guidelines.
(g) That stakeholder including manufacturers, regulators and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) should commence massive awareness campaign on the types, grades and usage of cement in Nigeria.
(h) That there is need to strengthen the existing framework of the regulators in order to meet up with best practices around the world.
(i) That there is need as a follow up to this roundtable to organize a closed door roundtable with all the heads of the regulatory agencies, and with the relevant stakeholders to be facilitated by Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Consumer Protection Council (CPC) and the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) to come up with viable resolutions that will assist in ending the crises of cement, building collapse and high cost of cement in Nigeria.
(j) That there is need to train and retrain the artisans and craftsmen in the building sector for performance improvement.
(k) That procurement of building materials need to be professionally done by procurement experts to ensure use of the right materials for building construction.
(l) That there is urgent need for the government to address insufficient power generation, technology and corruption in the country.
(m) That the National Assembly should as matter of urgency pass the proposed SON Act amended Bill before them to enable the Agency function effectively and to its fullest capacity.
- 4. CONCLUSION
The participants commended the organizers for the timely roundtable which has addressed a lot of vital issues concerning cement manufacturing and building collapse in Nigeria. They called for more of such programmes in future to educate Nigerians on not only cement but also on other segments of the society which affect their lives. It was concluded that the sensitisation about grades and standards requires consistence and persistence by the cement manufacturers to synergise with the CSOs and the regulators and take the engagement beyond a particular geographical location.
Signed
Mohammed Bougei Attah
Project Coordinator, NGO Network
Member, National Technical Committee on Standards
