….High Costs of Cement, Building Materials Strain Residents Economy”
From Abel Leonard, Lafia
In the heart of Nasarawa State, a cloud of disillusionment looms as residents grapple with the persistent high cost of cement, despite a recent move by manufacturers to slash prices.
The situation has left homeowners, builders, and workers in the construction industry facing an arduous uphill battle in realizing their housing dreams.
BUA Cement, a prominent player in the cement production arena, garnered attention when it announced recently a substantial reduction in its ex-factory price, plummeting from N5,500 to N3,500 per bag. The announcement was coupled with promises from influential figures like Alhaji Abdulsamad Rabiu, the company’s chairman, who assured a further reevaluation of prices.
However, our correspondent delve into the sentiment on the ground, it becomes evident that the high cost of cement and building materials continues to strain both residents and the local economy, making homeownership an increasingly elusive dream.
Nonetheless, our correspondent on Friday visited a cross-section of Nasarawa residents who are marketers and users of cement during separate interviews in Lafia, voiced their concerns and frustrations over the prevailing high cost of cement, which remains a substantial barrier to construction projects.
Illiyasu Audu, a civil servant striving to build his home in Lafia, expressed his dilemma. He revealed that the exorbitant cost of cement and other building materials had forced him to halt his construction project.
He further noted that the economic challenges are taking a toll on families, as prices of food items, transportation, school fees, medical services, and more continue to surge.
“It would take the grace of God for a civil servant to meet his responsibility at the family and still build his own house before he retires from service,” he added.
He emphasized the necessity for the government to intervene and ensure a reduction in cement and building material prices, so that even those with limited means can realize their dream of homeownership.
Another respondent, Ombugadu Ovye, a bricklayer in the region, lamented how high cement prices had led to altered construction plans. Many people, faced with unaffordable building materials, have either downsized their projects or put them on hold.
He said the financial strain on construction workers, especially bricklayers, has left them unemployed and struggling to provide for their families. Adding that the situation has even led some block industries to compromise the quality of their blocks in pursuit of greater profit margins.
“Most bricklayers including myself are redundant without work and find it difficult to feed our families,” he said.
Adding to the complexity of this issue, some cement dealers, who opted to remain anonymous, attributed the high prices to the costs of transportation, loading, and offloading.
They suggested that the N3,500 announced by BUA Cement is the price at which they purchase the product from the company. However, when visiting cement retail shops in Lafia, it was evident that cement was being sold to consumers at rates ranging from N4,600 to N4,800 per bag.
Almost all the marketers visited noted that BUA had reduced their selling price from Deport to the cost of 3,500 but stated that it is almost impossible to sale at that same price considering other expenses. He noted.
In these challenging times, it’s evident that the call for government intervention to ensure the affordability of building materials is not a mere whim but a pressing necessity. Nasarawa’s residents long for an equitable opportunity to own their homes, unburdened by the relentless surge in costs.
It is a call to action, imploring all stakeholders to come together to provide a tangible path for Nasarawa’s residents to achieve the dream of calling a place their own. The high cost of cement may be a challenge, but with concerted efforts, it can be overcome, and a more promising future for homeowners and builders can be realized.