Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) has strongly kicked against the recent hike in the price of cement, a major material in building industry.
HDAN believes that the increase in retail price of 50kg bag of cement from N2,700 early this year to N4,000 is absurd, as it is not intandem with government programme of providing decent and affordable housing for the masses.
Consequently, HDAN president, Barr. Festus Adebayo said the hike in price of cement remains a threat to affordable housing delivery, especially in a country with about 22 million housing deficit and he therefore called on the Federal Government as a matter of urgency to look into the issue.
Mr. Adebayo in a statement issued in Abuja stated that it is incubent on the part of the Federal Government to address the situation, so as not to deprive low income earners the opportunity of affordable and decent housing.
HDAN president also stated that “the hike in the price of cement will only derail government’s promise of providing 300, 000 low cost housing. For houses to be very cheap and affordable, the components in building must also be cheap.
“But with the current increase in the price of cement in Nigeria, where lies the hope of the low income earners?”
He further explained that cement remains a very important component in the building and construction industry.
Adebayo stressed that unless the government arrest the trend, the entire contruction industry will be negatively impacted.
“It must be known that the building and construction industry remains the best hope to jump start an economy which has been negatively impacted by Covid-19 pandemic.”
He also noted that what the government should address is the issue of monopoly; stressing that unless there are many players in the cement production, the country will continue to face incessant increase in price of the commodity.
Given the housing gap in the country, it is therefore incubent on the government to do the needful by intervening directly by meeting with cement manufacturers in the country, with the aim of bringing down the price of the commodity.
In a country where many Nigerians cannot boast of adequate housing and so many cannot afford the high cost of housing been sold, hike in the price of cement will only compound the plight of the masses and so what is the hope of the common man to own a house.
“We call on FG to do the needful by meeting with the cement manufacturers
“We also call on professionals in the housing industry to begin to think out of the box to seek for alternative to cement,” he added.
