LAGOS - Following the high cost of cement, a major building material component, Nigerians have been assured that they will start buying cement cheap by the end of November this year.
The Minister of Commerce and Industry, Engineer Charles Ugwuh disclosed this while receiving executives of the Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria (CICAN) who were on a courtesy visit to him in Abuja.
He revealed that importation of cement would end by December this year, pointing that by then local production would have increased.
He disclosed that government each week had been monitoring the price of the product across the country, adding that government will not fold its arms and allow the people to be exploited by greedy local producers.
The minister admitted that the first set of licenses given to five local firms early this year to import the product did not produce the desired result, adding that the firms have promised government that the price will fall this time around.
He debunked the notion that the current level of importation will discourage local production, noting that local firms who are into production got the license to import.
According to him, “we are surprised when we read in the newspapers that Dangote and other local cement producers were angry about our plan. The truth of the story is that Dangote and others got their own share of license to import, so why should they be angry?”
Ugwuh revealed that he paid a visit to Dangote Cement where he had over two hours of frank talk with the President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, adding that the Chairman of another major producer, Lafarge, also visited him and expressed his support for government’s action.
He stated that local cement producers lacked the capacity to produce enough cement for local consumption, stressing that government will from time to time analyse the situation in order to do what is best for the country.
The Minister also took the opportunity to refute reports that the N10 billion government voted for rice development recently was meant for the importation of the grain. According to him, “it is to assist local rice farmers”.
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