By Providence Obuh

The Minister of State for Industry and Investment, Dr. Samuel Ortom, has called on professionals in building industry to ensure strict adherence to certified standard of building materials.

He made the call in Lagos at the unveiling of new cement bag labeling and Zonal Stakeholders’ Forum on Sandcrete Blocks and Allied Cement Products with the theme: “Safeguarding Lives through Compliance with Standards”

Ortom also stressed the need to comply with the mandatory certification of all Sandcrete blocks moulded in the country.

SAMUEL ORTOM

His words: “I implore all professionals in the building and construction sector in Nigeria including artisans and sandcrete block moulders to ensure the use of only certified materials and engage only those with requisite knowledge and skills in order to correctly interpret and apply the approved specification in the standard.

“I wish to call on all Nigerians to endeavour to demand for quality as a right, take steps to seek redress when dissatisfied with product quality, provides classified information to regulatory agencies on suspected substandard base which the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) officials have to offer you and your business through their officers nationwide.”

He directed SON to commence full implementation of the Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme, MANCAP, for all locally manufactured products, reiterating Federal Government’s determination to continually provide the needed support and encouragement to its agencies including the SON, to ensure effective implementation of their mandates.

Also speaking, Minster of Lands Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, said that standardisation all over the world, is a continuous process of improvement of quality aimed at customers’ satisfaction and obtained through steady implementation of specifications for products and services as prescribed in the relevant approved standards.

“Government is resolved to bring sanity to bear in the construction sector. We can no longer watch by and see precious lives go down the drain because of failed buildings. One place to start from is the building materials makers, mainly the cement and sand users and end product manufacturers.

“We must also ensure that permits to construct are scrutinised and the builders are professionals. The mandatory certification of sandcrete blocks produced in Nigeria as well as the new packaging of cement bags are meant to safeguard lives and property of Nigerians,” she said.