CEMENT DEFICIT: President Buhari commends BUA Group bridging gap

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday applauded the BUA Group for its strides in narrowing the gap between demand and supply of cement in the country.

The President spoke at State House, Abuja, while receiving a top delegation from BUA Group, led by the Chairman, Abdul Samad Rabiu, which was on a thank you visit.

President Buhari had last month visited Sokoto to commission the Line 4 of BUA Cement, which would ensure further availability of cement, of which Nigeria suffers about three million tonnes deficit.

“I want to congratulate you on your success,” the President told the BUA Group Chairman. “And I thank you for mobilizing senior members of your Group to come and say thank you to me. It is remarkable. What you have done in bridging the gap of cement supply in the country is quite commendable. You have proven that the productive capacity of a country is very important.”

Alhaji Rabiu said BUA Group was currently building more factories in two different parts of the country, which will contribute about six million additional tonnes to cement supply.

He added: “Your presence at the commissioning of our Line 4 sends a strong message of commitment to industrialization of our country. Like you often say, we need to add value to what we produce with locally sourced raw materials, and we remain committed to it. We are ready to work with the Federal Government, and all other relevant stakeholders. The consistent effort of the Government in supporting local capacity has helped us a great deal.”

The BUA Group Chairman said the support of President Buhari for Nigerian enterprise was unflinching, “and we are encouraged to add more value.”

He further thanked the President for what he called his “forthrightness, vision, and passion for Nigeria.”