Cement price hike contributing to building collapse incidents – Reps, COREN

The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Prof. Sadiq Abubakar, has blamed the arbitrary hike in cement price for the increasing cases of building collapse in the country.

He stated this at the investigative hearing by the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Solid Minerals, Industry, Commerce and Special Duties probin the price increase on Monday

According to him, the price increase led to lowering of standards of building infrastructure in the country.

He said, “You will agree with me, that is one of the key culprits of building collapse. I am trying to connect the hike of price of cement with the standardization in our building and the direct connection of building collapse. Clearly, there is a connection with that and I think this something we must interrogate.”

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Speaking, Chairman of the Joint Committee, Rep. Jonathan Gaza Gbwefi Gbewfi, agreed with the COREN President on his assertion that the cost of cement is a direct relation with building collapse and direct relation to increase in tenancy rates.

The chairman of the committee accused the Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria of using a court injunction to undermine the probe on the arbitrary hike in the price of cement in the country.

This followed the failure of the chairman of the association to appear before the committee after two invitations.

The committee, therefore, warned the association to stop using frivolous court injunction to interfere or stop the ongoing investigation by the House.

Rep. Gbewfi said the failure of the cement manufacturers to appear before the committee was an affront to the powers of the National Assembly.

He threatened sanctions in accordance with the law if he failed to show up at the next hearing.

The joint committee also lambasted  representatives of the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NIBRID) and the Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Council (FCCPC) on the arbitrary price increase in Cement price.

He told the representative of the Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC Ms Boladale Adeyinka that the agency had not done enough to protect the consumers of cement in line with the provisions of its establishment Act.