The House of Representatives has urged the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to interface with Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (CMAN) over escalating price of cement in the country.
The call was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Abubakar Yunusa (Gombe-APC) at the plenary on Tuesday, drawing the attention of the Federal Government to the development.
In the motion, Yunusa said that the rising prices of different brands of cement were without consideration of the negative implications it would have on the building industry.
According to him, the immediate consequences of the sharp increase in price will be for contractors to either apply for variations in contract terms or abandonment of projects.
Yunusa said that if nothing was done to cause a reduction in the price of the commodity, it could lead to more cases of collapse of buildings that would result in loss of lives and property.
He said that dishonest builders and contractors could resort to using less quantity of cement for construction in order to reduce cost.
The lawmaker said that it would also make it extremely difficult for an average Nigerian to build his own home and reduce the capacity of government to provide mass housing for the citizens.
After contributions by other members, the motion was unanimously adopted.
In his ruling, the Speaker of the house, Mr Yakubu Dogara, mandated the Committee on Industry to ensure that the resolution was implemented and report back in four weeks.
