Cement standardisation won’t lead to job losses – Dangote

Alhaji Aliko Dangote
| credits: File copy

Dangote Cement Plc has said claims that the review of cement standards in the country would lead to job losses were unfounded. Rather, the cement manufacturer said the move would create more jobs for Nigerians.

The company’s comments follow complaints by some stakeholders in the cement industry about the reclassification of cement and its uses by the Standard Organisation of Nigeria.

Only last week, the National Union of Chemical, Footwear, Rubber, Leather and Non-Metallic Products Employees had been quoted as saying in Lagos that the plan by SON to “phase out” 32.5 grade cement would place millions of jobs under threat.

But the Group Managing Director, Dangote Cement, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, dismissed the claims, saying the standardisation of cement uses by SON “gives room for the engagement of more hands,” a statement by the company on Sunday said.

The statement stated that Edwin made the comments in Lagos when a group of businessmen paid him a visit.

He was quoted as saying, “The cement quality review and trading would only create more jobs, guarantee confidence as the exercise properly positions the different types of cement we have and their uses.

“When you produce a quality product, you would need more hands than when you are churning low quality and substandard products that requires little or no effort.”

As a result of these benefits, he urged stakeholders to resist attempts to distort the truth regarding the impact the move by SON would have.

He said, “Let no one deceives you, all over the world, only quality cement is acceptable, Nigeria is no longer a dumping ground.

“SON has graded cement, all your building works should be done with 42.5 grade, 32.5 according to SON is meant for plastering only, while 52.5 is for specialised construction like bridges, high rise building etc.”

According to the statement, Edwin’s comments also followed the disbursement of scholarships by the company to students from the host community of its Ibese plant in Ogun State.

The statement added that the Dangote Cement GMD promised that it would continue to collaborate with the communities and add value to the indigenes.

Edwin, who was represented by the company’s Director of Operation, Jagat Rathee, explained that the scholarship was only one of the many ways the company had been improving on the lives of the people of its host communities.

The Deputy General Manager, External Relations, Mr. Joseph Alabi, was quoted as saying during the award of the scholarship that Dangote Cement was planning a major recruitment of residents of the group’s host communities for its packaging company, Agro Sack, which would soon be completed.