…Finds coal in commercial quantity in Sokoto
Cement Company of Northern Nigeria Plc (CCNN) says its new 1.5million metric tonnes per annum cement plant would be completed before the third quarter of 2017.
The new plant being constructed at the cost of $300 million is the first expansion of the plant since 1986. BUA group took over majority shareholding in the company, which has undergone various stages of privatisation and ownership change since inception. BUA Group acquired majority stake in the company in 2010
Speaking on Monday in Sokoto during a working tour of the plant by the Minister for Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Founder/Executive Chairman of BUA Group and Chairman of CCNN, Abdulsamad Rabiu, said construction of the new plant began a few years ago.
He said the group has discovered coal in commercial quantity to fuel a 40MW power plant under construction as part of the project.
This new cement factory, which can use both coal and LPFO, according to a statement by BUA Group on Tuesday, for its power needs with the excess power generated to fed to the National grid.
According to Rabiu, BUA’s $300 million investment in the new plant is the single largest private sector led investment in the entire North West Nigeria.
He also highlighted the plant’s export potential, being 100 kilometres to the border with Niger Republic and 200km to the border with Benin Republic.
This, according to him, will help the country earn much needed foreign exchange and diversify the economy further.
Responding, Dr. Fayemi commended BUA Group and Sokoto Cement for their contributions to various areas of National Development, adding that CCNN is the second-largest employer of labour in Sokoto State – second only to the state government.
He commended the company for successfully exploring for coal in the Sokoto area and reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to support sustainable investments in the solid minerals sector which will in turn have immense positive impact on Nigeria and Nigerians.
CCNN, also known as Sokoto Cement, was founded by the Premier of the then Northern Region, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto and incorporated in 1962. It commenced production in 1967, with a capacity of 100,000 tons per annum at that time. In 1985, a new production line of 500,000 tons was added and commissioned by the then Head of State, Major General Muhammadu Buhari.
Thereafter, in 1986, the first line was shut down due to its uneconomic mode of operation, leaving the plant with a rated output of 500,000 tons per annum.
Pix Caption:
L – R: Abubakar Bawa Bwari, Hon. Minister of State for Solid Minerals Development; Ibrahim Aminu, Managing Director, CCNN Plc; Kabiru Rabiu, Group Executive Director, BUA Group; Abdulsamad Rabiu, Executive Chairman, BUA Group & Chairman CCNN PLC; Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Hon. Minister for Solid Minerals Development during a high-level working visit to BUA Group’s Cement Subsidiary, CCNN Sokoto Cement plant on December 19, 2016.
