Abuja – January 8, 2024 – Viewpoint Housing News.
The Federal Government has been asked to halt unregulated increases in cement prices throughout the nation.
The request was made by professionals operating under the auspices of the Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG).
According to the guild, there are rumours that cement producers want to raise cement prices in early January 2024. The plan, according to BCPG, would result in higher ready-mix concrete prices as well as higher in-situ concrete production costs. The company cautioned that if these increases are permitted, the country’s economic status will deteriorate.
Cement is a necessary component in the construction of buildings. Experience has shown that high cement prices tend to induce a decline in the quality of building output, which has had a detrimental influence on the housing industry in the country in recent years due to recurrent price increases.
According to BCPG, this has the effect of causing weak buildings to develop, which increases the likelihood of building collapses. Speaking about the development, Guild President Sulaimon Yusuf stated: “The BCPG strongly urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invite cement manufacturers for an urgent discussion to forestall the impending increase in cement price, with a focus on safety in Nigeria’s built environment and the public interest.”
BCPG said the consequence of this is the emergence of weak buildings that intensifies the occurrence of building collapse. President of Guild, Sulaimon Yusuf, while speaking on the development said: “Prioritising safety in the Nigerian built environment and in the general interest of the public, the BCPG passionately appeals to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invite cement manufacturers for an urgent discussion to forestall the impending increase in the price of cement.
The president ought to investigate as to why a 50 kg bag of cement is currently selling for N5,700 on the market while one of the cement producers just offered to sell the product for N3,500.
He asserts that the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Programme would be directly threatened by any additional rise in cement prices.
The projected increase in cement prices might potentially threaten the completion of ongoing building projects. Abandoned buildings during construction increase the likelihood of a structure collapsing. Because new buildings have a high rental value and may not attract tenants given the declining spending power of the population, he stated.
Yusuf said efforts made by President Tinubu while he was Governor of Lagos State at mitigating building collapse syndrome were well documented in the BCPG records, noting that at the time he rounded up as the Governor of Lagos State in 2007, the market price of cement was N1,300.
He, therefore, challenged the president not to relent in his past efforts at tackling the incessant collapse of buildings.”His wealth of experience gained from Lagos on solution to building collapse should be brought to bear on the national level to save Nigeria from the unenviable position of a nation that records frequent incidence of building collapse in the whole world.
“It is high time our president paid serious attention to resolving the challenges of building collapse. Frequent increase in the price of cement is one of these challenges,” BCPG said.
