With the launch of Royal Engineered Stones popularly called Royal Marble by Royal Engineered Stones Ltd, Nigeria might have ended the journey of importing marble, thereby saving huge foreign exchange.
Viewpoint Housing News reports that Royal Engineered Stones Ltd, a subsidiary of the West African Ceramics Limited (WACL) with factories in Ajaokuta, Kogi State has been producing with locally sourced materials.
Minister of State, Mines and Steel Development Mr Abubakar Bawa Bwari who unveiled the new product in a ceremony on Thursday in Abuja thanked the company for keying into the Federal Government’s backward integration policy.
He said by this, Nigeria is becoming a powerhouse of marble production.
“Anywhere there’s opportunity to encourage ventures like this, we make sure we’re there.
“Today, Nigeria is self-sufficient in cement production. With this, we’re exporting cement.
“We can do that with other minerals. We can do that with phosphate, marble, tiles, granite…So we have so many minerals in Nigeria that we don’t need to be importing some of the things we’re importing today.
“We can use our coal to address the issue of power. Nigeria is a mineral nation,” the minister emphasised.
He described WACL as a pacesetter, promising that government will render it the best of support.
Similarly, the president of Nigerian Institute of Building (NIoB), Mr Kenneth Nnabuife Nduka noted that despite the prevailing difficult socio-economic environment, WACL is producing locally, thereby enabling mass employment.
He urged Nigerians to be committed to “achieving successful and collapse-free building project deliveries by engaging qualified builders to manage the building production process of their projects using the code specified production process of their projects.”
Nduka advised WACL to have as priority immediate setting up of vocational training centres to train artisans and craftsmen in block works, masonry works, marble works, tilling, scaffolding and installation of sanitary wares.
The NIoB president called on developers to adopt Royal Marble and other WACL’s products in building projects.
Mr Lawal Idrisu who is chairman of Royal Engineered Stones Ltd said his company always strives to set standards, stressing that products are manufactured by Nigerians, in Nigeria, for Nigerians.
He assured of products quality, adding that they are affordable.
Mr Shakti Mohanty, Marketing Manager of WACL who did graphic presentation of Royal Marble dwelt on the importance of the product saying since the Greek civilization, the marble has been in use.
According to Mohanty, his company’s composite plant in Ajaokuta is the only one in West Africa.
On why developers should use Royal Marble, the Marketing Manager said the product is made of high grade locally sourced materials.
He said the product is harder, abrasion resistant, comes in all sizes, can be customised to a customer’s taste and is available in 13-clolour variants.
The product, he maintained is more durable, with less porosity, consistent in colour patterns for uniformity, with less lead time and ready to buy and lay.
It is also easier to maintain than the natural marble.
Though Royal Marble is applicable in living-rooms, bedrooms, stairs, hotels, religious centres, Mohanty warned that it should not be laid in bathrooms and exterior areas where there is sunlight.
Dignitaries including the President of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Adetokunbo Kayode; the Director General, National Council for Arts and Culture, Mr Olusegun Runsewe; former Minister of State for Health Mr Gabriel Adikwu; and the President of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Mr Ugochukwu Chime graced the occasion.
