We Will Open Borders If Cement Prices Do Not Come Down – Federal Government threatened to open the borders to enable cement importation

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, who issued the threat on Tuesday, said key input materials for cement production such as limestone, clay, silica sand, and gypsum, sourced within the nation’s borders, should not be dollar-rated.

Dangiwa spoke in Abuja at an emergency meeting held with cement and building materials manufacturers.

He said; that the excuse of an increase in mining equipment should not come up because equipment bought by the manufacturers have been used for decades and not purchased every day.

The minister said the border was closed to the importation of cement to help local manufacturers.

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However, he noted that if the government decides to open the border for mass importation, prices of cement would crash and local manufacturers would be gravely affected.

The minister, who called on the manufacturers to be more patriotic, said BUA Cement, for instance, has been willing and is still willing as at the last time he spoke with them, to crash the price of their cement, lower than the N7000, N8000 agreed by the manufacturers and he sees no reason why the others should not do same.

BONA NAIJA REPORTS