Government urged to reduce price of cement

Government urged to reduce price of cement

The National Union of Civil Engineering, Construction, Furniture and Wood Workers, has urged the Nigerian government to allow the importation of cement, to force down its price.

The union’s secretary, Mr Babatunde Liadi, told reporters in Lagos on Wednesday, that the high cost of cement was negatively affecting construction workers.

Necessary intervention

A bag of cement currently sells for 2,300 Naira, up from the 1,500 Naira it was sold in December 2010, representing an increase of about 44 percent.

Liadi said that the major cement manufacturers had blamed the situation on the rising cost of diesel.

He said that the price of cement might not reduce unless measures were taken to address it.

“We have been crying out over the high cost of building materials, especially cement and it is affecting the activities of developers.

“We are calling on the government to intervene because developers are abandoning projects and many workers are being affected. This is not good for the economy,’’ Liadi said.

Economic implications

The union scribe said that if construction workers were not being used, it would further compound the level of poverty in the country.

He noted that the industry was already groaning over the non-payment of about 60 billion Naira owed construction companies by government agencies.

He said it was regrettable that the few construction workers, who managed to secure jobs, were being negatively affected by the increasing cost of cement.

NAN/Williams