President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, officially commissioned the 3 million metric tonnes Sokoto Line 4 cement factory, owned by BUA Cement Plc. The event which was held in Sokoto, Northwest Nigeria, had in attendance, Governors, top Government functionaries, royal fathers and an array of top Nigerian businessmen. The Chairman of the BUA Group, Abdul Samad Rabiu, took the opening address, where he acknowledged the presence of the President and other dignitaries. He went ahead to state that, since the commission of the company’s first greenfield cement complex over four years ago, BUA Cement Plc has “…continued our audacious yet structured expansion program to meet the ever-growing demand for cement in Nigeria, with regional exports also in focus.” In his speech, he mentioned that, in a bid to support the government’s infrastructure agenda, the company has resorted to using locally available raw materials to produce cement in Nigeria. Furthermore, the chairman stated that in six (6) years, four (4) plants, have been commissioned, two (2) in Obu, Edo State and two (2) in Sokoto, taking the company’s total production capacity to 17 million metric tonnes. “In the past 6 years, we have completed 4 plants – two in Obu, Edo State and two in Sokoto (of which this Sokoto Line 4 is the fourth,) with BUA’s total production capacity now standing at 11 million tonnes with the completion of this plant,” he said. In addition to this, Mr. Rabiu stated that in 2023, the group will continue to invest more in the cement industry until Nigeria is self-sufficient and cement is made available, accessible and affordable for all Nigerians. Speaking on future projections, he explained that ‘’the company intends to complete the construction of two new plants in Edo and Sokoto, both of which have a production capacity of 3 million metric tonnes each, and are currently under construction. We expect these plants to be completed next year, which will bring our total production capacity to 17 million metric tonnes.’’ Conclusively, the chairman said, “I would like to restate that BUA Cement remains fully committed in making cement more available, affordable, and accessible using raw materials available locally. This is important for housing and infrastructure development as well as national development and we will keep doing our own part to actualize this goal.”
Speaking at the commissioning, President Buhari described the BUA Group as the largest private sector employer of labour in the North-Western part of Nigeria, and pledged that his administration would continue to support serious investors to set up businesses that will take advantage of huge reserves of resources in different parts of the country. The President recounted that in 1985, as the then Head of State, he was at the same location to commission the 2nd line of the facility. ‘’Today, almost thirty-seven years later, to commission the fourth line is a very special day for me personally. As you all know, one of the key economic pillars of our administration has been to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive. This is necessary for job creation and indeed, for our economy and national security. In the past few weeks, I visited Ogun and Kaduna States where I observed many private sector investments in action. And today, I am here in Sokoto to commission this multi-billion Naira project. It is therefore very clear for all to see that our policies are working. Progress is gradually being made in all parts of the country,'' he said. The President thanked the Founder of BUA Cement, Abdul Samad Rabiu, and the entire team for the great work they are doing in supporting the government’s economic diversification and job creation agenda. He noted that the company, which has completed four new cement plants of similar capacity in the last five years in different parts of the country, and is set to complete two more plants soon, had shown through these investments that they believe in Nigeria and its potential. Commending BUA and other entrepreneurs for making Nigeria self-sufficient in cement and a net exporter of the strategic product, the President said: ''I am pleased that through these investments, BUA Cement has created employment opportunities for our citizens. Today, BUA is the largest employer of labour in the North-West region. 'I always remind Nigerians that every region, indeed every State, in Nigeria sits on huge reserves of resources. For example, in this area, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara can boast of rice production, gold and other precious metals development and of course, heavy industries like cement manufacturing.’’
