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Lafarge, block moulders parley over safer construction industry

By Emmanuel Badejo
22 June 2015   |   5:41 am
POISED to attain zero building failure in the Nigerian construction industry, a leading cement manufacturer in the country, Lafarge Africa Plc, has again taken members of the National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria (NABMON) through an intensive training to ensure a safer built environment.

Lafarge WAPCOPOISED to attain zero building failure in the Nigerian construction industry, a leading cement manufacturer in the country, Lafarge Africa Plc, has again taken members of the National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria (NABMON) through an intensive training to ensure a safer built environment.

The training, held recently at Sango-Otta, Ogun State, was among others meant to appraise quality procedure for production of concrete blocks, identify functional requirements for block moulding and to discuss the importance of quality control as it relates to the production of sandcrete blocks.

The parley, which came through a training, was meant to among others appraise quality procedure for production of concrete blocks, identify functional requirements for block moulding and to discuss the importance of quality control as it relates to the production of sandcrete blocks

At a well-attended seminar with the group, Lafarge’s Relationship Manager, Precast and Block-Making Segment, Mr. Adesoji Okesina, said the parley was borne out of the company’s passion to ensure standard quality blocks in construction and to enlighten discuss best practices in the use of cement for block moulding.

According to him, the importance of cement in the construction of buildings cannot be over-emphasised, as cement constitutes a large percentage in the materials needed in the construction and block moulding businesses.

Okesina said that the company carried out a research and discovered that there was a need to be met in the industry, it launched a product, called Elephant Supaset in December 2010, which among other uses, meets the specific needs of block moulders, having been attested to as the best for block moulding.

Lafarge chief said, going by Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), three items have been identified as essentials in block moulding including sand, cement and water.

While insisting that, the sand must be sharp sand, free of lumps, for assured quality, the cement must be a Lafarge Elephant Supaset as the water should be fit for drinking, free from impurities and polluted materials, adding that, the mixing process was also important to bring out the strength of blocks moulded. Calling on the association to keep strictly to rules of production, Okesina said: “Your body is very key to the building industry.

The association consumes 40per cent of its product. Members must uphold strict adherence to standard as prescribed by SON for durability, and quality. Reacting, members of the association implored the company to address the issue of scarcity of their product, which is one of the reasons they seldom use their products.

They also advised the company to reduce or review its prices in other to encourage more patronage; as the group advocated for special consideration for their members who cannot afford to buy trailer loads. Also, NABMON wanted Lafarge to make available credit facilities’, as this will encourage them to buy more of their products.

While appreciating the efforts of Lafarge Cement for the seminar/training, members the National President of NABMON, Alhaji Rasheed Adebowale, who has been in the business for more than 35 years, requested that the company work out modalities for credit facilities so as to enhance the productivity capacity of their members.

He commended the company training, adding, it would go a long way in creating awareness especially for new members, reaffirming Lafarge’s claim that, the Elephant Supaset cement is 100per cent good.

Responding, Lafarge cement promised to attend to all the comments, advice and demands of the association especially in the area of availability of products and credit facility, urging the group to continue to patronise it, while pledging to always deliver good product into the market.

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