Its shameful we are still importing cement despite large deposits of limestone in Nigeria

An operator in the cement industry has said that Nigeria does not need to import the product because the plants in the country have enough capacity to satisfy its needs.

The Technical Services Engineer, United Nigeria Cement Company Limited, producers of the UNICEM brand of cement, Mr. Bukola Adebisi, said this on Tuesday at a trade forum for cement users in Anambra and Delta states.

“We have enough capacity to produce what Nigeria needs. And the cement companies are adding capacity every day,” Adebisi said.

He said UNICEM, which produces at Mfamosing in Cross River State, as the third largest producer of cement in the country, was presently making 2.5 million metric tonnes of the product or equivalent of 50 million bags every year.

Adebisi added that UNICEM would soon add another 2.5 million metric tonnes to its production capacity, adding that the inauguration of that line was coming up soon.

On the controversy surrounding the quality of cement produced in the country, Adebisi said the 32.5R and 42.5N quality, which UNICEMM was producing, were of standard quality and were designed to serve a diverse range of customers from block moulders to construction companies.

The UNICEM official said contrary to the impression in certain quarters, it was not cement and blocks that caused building collapse.

But he said a good number of materials used for building construction could not stand pressure for long.

While assuring that cement made in Nigeria is of high quality, he said care should be taken to ensure that other materials were properly mixed with cement to achieve the desired result.

Giving an insight into the strength of building blocks, Adebisi said the nature of sand used in moulding blocks differed from place to place, and that it would be unwise to use the same kind of measurement mix to mould blocks everywhere.

“Sand differs from place to place and can affect the quality of bocks when mixed with cement. The brittle stone found in the Onitsha area is not strong and should not be used in concrete, especially reinforced concrete,” he said.

Adebis also called attention to the amount and quality of water used in moulding blocks and forming concretes, saying, “Use the water that you drink to make blocks. Salt water is not good for concrete; it will make the iron rods to rust.

“Keep block wet for as long as possible. The water in the block reacts to the cement over time. It takes 28 days for cement to get its final strength.”