President Muhammadu Buhari has applauded the BUA Group for narrowing the gap between demand and supply of cement in the country.
The President spoke, yesterday, while receiving the firm’s delegation led by the Chairman, Abdul Rabiu, on a courtesy visit at the State House.
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 and thank you for mobilizing senior members of your group to say thank you. It is remarkable,” the President told the BUA Group Chairman. “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.”
According to Rabiu, BUA Group is building more factories in 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 other relevant stakeholders. The consistent effort of the government in supporting local capacity has helped us a great deal.”
The chairman said Buhari’s support for Nigerian enterprises was unflinching, “and we are encouraged to add more value.”