The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Prof Sadiq Abubakar, on Monday, pointed out that the arbitrary hike in cement prices in the country was directly responsible for the increasing cases of building collapse in the country.
Professor Abubakar stated this at an investigative hearing by the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Solid Minerals, Industry, Commerce and Special Duties, mandated to probe the price increase .
This came just as the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Hon Gaza Gbwefi, summoned the Chairman of the Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria over the arbitrary hike in the price of cement in the country.
The Chairman of the association who did appear at the sitting was issued with fresh summon having failed to appear after two invitations, according to the Committee.
The Committee also charged the association to desist from using frivolous court injunction to interfere or halt the ongoing investigation by the House of Representatives.
Gbewfi said the failure of the cement manufacturers to appear before the committee was an affront to the powers of the National Assembly.
Gbewfi threatened that there would be sanctions in accordance with the law if he failed to show up at the next hearing.
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The COREN President said the increase was responsible for lowering the standards of infrastructure in the country.
According to him, “You will agree with me it is 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,” Prof Abubakar
Hon Gbewfi, who agreed with the COREN President that the cost of cement is directly related with building collapse, added it is in direct relation to increase in tenancy rates.
“Anything that has to do with livelihood should be treated as an emergency’” the Committee Chairman said.
At the investigative hearing, the joint committee also queried representatives of the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NIBRID) and the Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Council (FCCPC) on the arbitrary price increase.
Gbewfi lambasted the representative of the Chief Executive Officer of the FCCPC Ms Boladale Adeyinka for not doing enough to protect the consumers of cement in line with Act establishing the agency.
“You are a mother that has forgotten your children,” Gbewfi told the FCCPC.
