Builders under the umbrella of the Nigeria Institution of Building (NIOB)
have commended President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua on the proposal to lift the ban
on the importation of cement. But they also warned that caution should be
applied so that it would not be abused when it commenced.

According to the chairman, NIOB, Lagos State chapter, Mr Jacob Dada, the
proposed lifting of the ban on the importation of cement would help to bring
down the high cost of cement. However, he said that the men of the Standard
Organisation of Nigeria (SON) should be on the alert to checkmate the
importation of substandard cement which would have disastrous consequences.
According to him, since local cement manufacturers have not been able to
meet the market demand, the right thing to do is to throw open the
floodgates so that other entrepreneurs would enter the industry to
complement local production.


Managing Director, Reo Habilis Construction Limited, Mr Kunle Awobodu, said
that the proposal is a welcome development, adding that it would help to
reduce the cost of cement. According to him, the importation should not be
on all-comers’ affair. He said that it is only people with proven integrity
should be given the licence to import cement. He also called on the SON to
set up quality control for building materials in order to avert the
incidence of building collapses due to substandard materials.