BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
IN view of the high price of cement in Nigeria, which has hindered the pace of building constructions, experts at the Nigeria Institute of Building Technology have advocated the use of rice husks to complement cement in building construction.
The immediate past Chairman of the Ebonyi State chapter of the institute, Chinasa Nweke, disclosed the procedure while speaking with our Correspondent in Abakaliki.
He observed that complementing cement with rice husks would go a along way in reducing the cost of building construction in the country.
Explaining how rice husks could be used to replace cement, he said, “For instance, if I am to use 600 bags of cement for a particular element of structure, I can now use 500 bags and replace 100 with rice husks, then mix them together.
“Rice husks have the same silk and other chemical properties that bind them together using certain procedure.”
The builder said there was abundance of rice husks in Abakaliki, noting that adopting such practice would inadvertently boost green house effects of recycling and create job opportunities.
The building expert further disclosed that the institute was particularly concerned about the persistent building collapse in the country and would not fail to sanction any professional builder found culpable in any incident of building collapse.
He said a survey had already been done and no single professional builder had been found to have a hand in any building collapse in Nigeria.
“The issue of building collapse is persisting because quacks have refused to give way in the process of building construction,” he said.
He called on members of the public to always engage professional builders to ensure their buildings stand the test of time.
The current price of a bag of cement, irrespective of brand, in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, as of the time of filing this report, is N4,000.00 as against the N2,500 in 2020.
