Nigeria: The controversy among cement manufacturers and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) over the application of various cement grades for building and construction may have waned as block makers in the northern part of Nigeria have started to comply with the SON directive on the classification of cement grades and their uses.

Northern Nigerian block-makers have announced that they have complied with the SON directive as most of them now use 42.5R grade cement to produce concrete blocks. Hamza Gambo, chairman of Kaduna State Blocks and Concrete Makers Association, said that all of his members have complied with the SON directive, adding that the directive was in the national interest. He stated that most block-makers in the north now use Dangote 3X cement, which is the only 42.5R grade cement that meets the SON specification.

"We've been using the new improved cement for the past two months," said Gambo, who owns concrete block plants across Nigeria. He added that the Kaduna State Blocks and Concrete Makers Association would deal with members who refuse to comply with the SON cement grade standards according to the association's constitution.