The House of Representatives, on Wednesday, approved the recommendation of its ad hoc committee on composition and pigmentation of cement that 42.5mpa grade cement should be the minimum standard for construction works.
While approving the 42.5mpa grade cement for standard construction works in the country, the lawmakers said “it is less susceptible to misapplication and most stakeholders will prefer it, if given the chance to choose between 32.5mpa and 42.5mpa.”
The House at the Committee of the whole, chaired by the deputy speaker, Honourable Emeka Ihedioha, considered the report of the ad hoc committee, headed by Honourable Yakubu Dogara.
The committee had investigated the incidence of collapsed buildings in the country, with a view to checking the trend.
Among the recommendations of the panel, which was approved by the House, included application to Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) governing council to ensure that all cement manufacturers in Nigeria retool and upgrade their production lines to start producing the 42.5mpa grade within a reasonable time, considering the cost of social dislocation.
The House also approved the recommendation that the government should create a cement fund from contributions of N10 per 50kg bag of cement produced in Nigeria and N20 only per 50kg of cement imported into Nigeria, for the establishment of state-of-the-art laboratories in all the geopolitical zones within the period of three years.
The laboratories are to be managed by special task force comprising SON, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) and the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB).
