Reduce cement prices now, Umahi tells manufacturers

From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki

The Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has called on cement manufacturers across the country to immediately reduce the price of cement.

Umahi said the current cost of cement was placing pressure on ongoing federal government infrastructure projects and increasing demands for contract variations.

He stated this while delivering a keynote address at the official unveiling of the new corporate identity of Lafarge, now rebranded as HBM, a member of the HUAXIN Group, at the Lagos Continental Hotel at the weekend.

He revealed that the federal government would engage cement manufacturers from July 1 to address the issue of cement prices.

“I want to insist that Lafarge now HBM and other manufacturers of cement should reduce their prices,” Umahi declared.

“We shall be engaging on this from the 1st of July. Manufacturers of cement must reduce their prices because the contractors are choking me to review their contracts. But nobody is reviewing anybody’s contract. It is the manufacturers of cement that should review their costs.”

The minister noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration was investing heavily in critical infrastructure across the country, creating unprecedented opportunities for manufacturers and investors. He urged HBM and other industry players to expand their capacity to meet the growing demands of the nation’s infrastructure drive.

Commending the company on its transition and renewed commitment to the Nigerian market, Umahi assured the management of government support and partnership.

“I commend you very highly, and I say welcome on board, and we are going to work together. The market is smaller than what the president is doing. So, enlarge your coast,” he said.

The minister used the occasion to highlight the progress being recorded under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly in infrastructure development. He pointed to the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway as evidence of the administration’s vision and commitment to national transformation.

According to him, the quality and scale of the project have continued to attract global attention and admiration.

“When the Dudge Bank came to evaluate our project, they said it was undervalued and that the project is of topmost quality. Today, our neighbouring nations are coming to steal the technology of the coastal highway,” he said.

Umahi, a former governor of Ebonyi State, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for providing the leadership and political will driving the country’s infrastructure renewal, assuring Nigerians that the administration remains firmly on course to restore national prosperity.

“I want to use this opportunity to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and I commit that Mr President is committed to retaking this country. The president knows what he is doing. The vision and mission are achievable, and we are on course, and this country will be taken back for the good of Nigerians,” he said.