Dangiwa also argued that since the raw materials used in manufacturing building materials are sourced locally, it ought not to be out of reach
By Kehinde Okeowo
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa has frowned at the rising prices of building materials across the nation, insisting it cannot be blamed on ‘dollar’.
He made this known when a delegation of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja recently.
Speaking during the parley, the minister noted that since the raw materials used in manufacturing building materials are locally sourced, it ought not to be out of reach of Nigerians.
He went on to say he intends to have a meeting with cement manufacturers and other providers of building materials across the country to address the issue.
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Dangiwa said: “It is disheartening to see how much Nigerians have to pay for essential building commodities like cement, with the prices rising almost on a daily basis.
“I don’t understand the reason for this increase, and it is not acceptable.
“I am going to be meeting with these manufacturers soon, so that they can explain to Nigerians their reasons for such incessant hikes. I know that the cement producers source their raw materials in Nigeria.
“The limestone, clay, silica sand, gypsum, iron ore, and the rest. These minerals abound in Nigeria and these manufacturers get them here, so there is no justification to try and blame it all on the rise of dollar.”
TheNiche learnt a bag of 50kg cement which used to be sold for N5,000 some weeks back currently costs between N8,000 and N10,000 depending on where it is purchased in Nigeria.