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The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has lamented the skyrocketing price of cement, stating that it has had a significant negative effect on ongoing infrastructure projects across the country.
The minister also appealed to cement manufacturers to reduce the price from N9,500 to N7,000, urging that such a decrease would facilitate the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s roads.
He emphasised that with the recent stabilisation of the foreign exchange rate, this price adjustment would be crucial in advancing necessary infrastructure repairs across the country.
He also directed the contractor handling the Enugu-Onitsha dual carriageway to complete the rehabilitation of the road on or before May 10, 2026.
Umahi said these in a meeting with the project contractor and financier handling the Enugu-Onitsha dual carriageway construction under the Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment (Tax Credit) Scheme in Abuja, on Wednesday.
He called on the manufacturers of cement, which is a key element in the construction industry, especially on the use of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement, to please reduce the cost of cement to N7,000 as the price of dollars has drastically reduced.
A statement by the minister’s spokesperson, Uchenna Orji, quoting the minister read, “The cost of petrol is coming down, and efforts are being made by Mr President to fix the road. I am happy that the policies of Mr President are working. Today, a dollar is about N1,400. And let me use the opportunity to express dissatisfaction with the cost of cement.
“Our contractors have called and complained that they wanted to move back to asphalt. We are using this medium to tell the cement manufacturers that, at the time, the dollar was almost N2,000; they increased cement from N7,500. Why should today, when the President has brought the dollar to stability to about N1,400 and is still going down, cement be selling for N9,500?
“We are requesting cement manufacturers to bring down the cost of cement to N7,000. If after one week they don’t do that, I have to complain officially to Mr. President.”
Umahi also warned that going forward there will be no variation on the project and must be by the procedure contained in the Conditions of Contract and not at the whims and caprices of the contractor.
Umahi reiterated that the Federal Ministry of Works is unwavering in its commitment towards ensuring that the contractor handling the project under the Tax Credit Scheme is made to ensure quality and speedy delivery of the project.
“We have to put the records straight that this ministry has the responsibility to ensure quality delivery of work by contractors,” Umahi said.
He recounted the several inspection visits he made to contractors’ project sites and how it had caused them to brace up and ensure quality and speed in project delivery.
He gave conditions to include, “The construction of Enugu-Onisha dual-carriageway must be completed by 10th May 2025. The financier shall be held responsible should the road fail after construction on account of a shady job by the contractor.
“There will be no variation or VOP on the project and RCC must note that going forward, the operation of VOP in their projects must be by the procedure contained in the Conditions of Contract and not at the whims and caprices of the contractor.
“The company must not sacrifice the responsibility of funding the project at the altar of MTN’s business profit as this will wittingly or unwittingly inhibit speedy delivery of the project and input on the public perception of the will of the government to ensure logical completion of the project.
“There must be a commitment in writing between MTN and the Federal Ministry of Works that this offer is predicated on these conditions herein set out. There must be a commitment because the more the job delays, the more there is variation.”
