Cement for road construction ‘a choice, Nigeria must make’

The Minister of Science and Technology,  Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has  disclosed that  research is ongoing to produce cement for road construction in the country. Onu who  dropped the hint at the Forum of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja  noted that, production of indigenous cement for road becomes necessary due to the way some […]

The Minister of Science and Technology,  Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has  disclosed that  research is ongoing to produce cement for road construction in the country.
Onu who  dropped the hint at the Forum of News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja  noted that, production of indigenous cement for road becomes necessary due to the way some asphalt built roads get damaged, causing hardship to road users.
The minister said, “We’ve asked Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NIBRRI), to commence research in concrete because we have seen that using asphalt on our roads has not been much enduring.”
The  minister’s  remarks  is coming at the heels of  the debate on the need to look towards concrete road as an alternative asphalt which started gaining prominence  five years ago.
Nigerian business mogul and cement producer, Alhaji Aliko Dangote in several fora, has posited that for Nigeria to achieve its long-desired infrastructural development goals, the country must embrace the use of concrete for road- and other construction works.
Dangote stressed that the use of cement for road construction is a choice that Nigeria must make, adding that concrete roads make more economic sense for a country like Nigeria, as the construction of concrete road is faster and can last for half a century compared to asphalt.
He argued that concrete roads are 25 per cent cheaper to build because cement raw materials are readily available while asphalt is imported into the country, adding that the maintenance cost of cement roads is  near zero.
According to Dangote, Nigeria  economic losses due to poor condition of our roads is estimated at about $1 billion annually.
“I believe that the introduction of concrete road will enable the government find a lasting solution to the poor road network in the country,” he said.