₦airaland Forum

Why are these manufacturers disobeying our Commander in Chief direct order that the price be crashed?

What will Oga Jonathan do now?

[size=13pt]Price of cement hits all-time high[/size]

There were indications on Friday that the current hike in the price of cement in Lagos was being dictated by the forces of demand and supply.


Last week, SATURDAY PUNCH had exclusively reported the astronomical rise in the price of cement to around N2,200 per 50kg bag.


The situation, according to a market survey, might yet assume an alarming dimension unless something is urgently done to check it.


SATURDAY PUNCH investigations showed that the increase had been fuelled by a scarcity that has had spiral effects on the distribution and sale of cement, as well as on the construction industry.


In some parts of Lagos and Ogun states, notably Ikeja, Ogba, Iyana Ipaja, Sango-Ota and Akute, the price of one bag of cement rose within one week from N2,000 to N2,500.


The current price is between N2,500 and N2,800, and it is expected to rise even higher in the days ahead.


Some dealers and building engineers, blamed the hike principally on a significant drop in the supply of cement, which they claimed was remotely triggered off by the expiration of the licences issued to manufacturers to import cement to the country.


Others claimed that the shortfall in supply was due to the delay on the part of Customs to clear large shiploads of imported cement belonging to Dangote Cement at the ports.


A dealer and building engineer, Mr. Azeez Adewuyi, told Saturday Punch that since most of other manufacturers of the cement lacked the capacity to fill the resulting gap in supply, they were unable to cope with the demand from distributors and end users.


Azeez said the development had led to the existence of long queues and longer time spent by distributors and dealers alike in securing supplies at cement factories.


He said, “If you visit any cement factory around, you will find customers who have been waiting for a long time to buy cement. These days, the queues are always very long. Sometimes you have to wait for more than two months before they attend to you.”


Most block makers in parts of Lagos and Ogun states, SATURDAY PUNCH gathered, had been seriously affected by the current increase in the price of cement.


Some of them have been compelled by the hike to either stop production entirely or cut down drastically on the quantity of blocks produced in order to meet with rising costs.


Tajudeen Awosanya, a worker in one of the block-making factories in Sango-Ota, waved at an idle moulding machine lying disused, and at scores of blocks waiting to be sold to customers willing to buy at astronomic prices, and said to our correspondent, “You can see that business is down at the moment. We have not been making or selling blocks for some time now because of the cost of cement.”


The price of a six-inch block now sells for between N130 and N140, while a nine-inch block, which is preferred by most builders, sells for N170.


An elderly building engineer in Akute, who earns his living by moulding concrete electric poles, told SATURDAY PUNCH that he had decided to halt production due to the rise in the price of cement.


“I cannot afford to buy cement at N2,700 per bag. So, I have decided to stop production for now,” he said.


Many artisans, masons, carpenters, and others connected with the construction industry, have been out of job for a while as a result of the hike.


A few of them were observed by our correspondent waiting to be engaged by clients in Oregun, Lagos, on Thursday morning.


For construction companies that get their supplies of cement directly from cement manufacturers, the delays at the factories have been a serious challenge.


Yet, reacting to the situation, the Special Adviser on Media and Logistics to the Minister of Trade and Investment, Mrs. Yemi Kolapo, said that the hike in the price of cement would soon be a thing of the past.


In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Kolapo hinted that any time from August 22, 2011, Nigerians would no longer have cause to lament the difficulty in purchasing cement at an affordable cost.


Describing the current hike in the price of cement as artificial, she explained that contrary to what Nigerians thought, the Federal Government had been holding a series of meetings with manufacturers of cement and other market players on how to raise the existing capacity for local production.


Kolapo blamed the current hike on issues surrounding the renewal of the quarterly allocations for importation of cement, which the government had granted the manufacturers of cement.


Apart from that, she added that the change of guard in the ministry of trade and investment had temporarily stalled the process of renewal of the allocations.


She said, “But that issue has been settled now. I am sure that by Monday, Nigerians will be smiling again.”


Several attempts to get the reaction of the Executive Secretary of the Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Salako James, to comment on the subject were unsuccessful.


He neither picked phone calls from the newspaper nor replied to an SMS sent to him.


In Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, the price of cement ranges between N1,650 and N1,700.


Cement is readily available in the state and is sourced from the Obajana Cement Company in the State.


A cement seller in the city, who identified himself as Alhaji Oseni Ishola, said the problem of fluctuation in prices affected the sellers. He stated that traders might buy the commodity at a higher price and all of a sudden, the price would crash and vice versa.


He added that in most cases, a seller might buy a trailer-load of cement and if care was not taken, he might not be able to buy another trailer-load at the same amount and the trader might be sent out of business.


According to him, in such a situation, it is better for one to sell at the new market price than to hoard it and lose the whole money.


He said, “Imagine that you bought a trailer-load at the selling cost of N1,750, but by the time the price crashed you would sell at a loss and you may likely not be able to recover your money, not to talk of making gain.”


He stated that one of the problems the sellers faced was that sometimes, the stocks they ordered might not all come in good condition.


He added that whenever they ordered for a trailer-load of cement, which contains about 600 bags, sometimes about 10 bags of the cement might come as solid cement, which cannot be used.


This, he stated, would lead to losses on the part of the sellers as no buyer would buy such congealed bags of cement.


The Assistant Secretary of Cement Dealers Association of Nigeria, Kwara State branch, Alhaji Abdul-Kareem Ayo, attributed the rise in the price of cement to the rise in the price of diesel and black oil that are mostly used for producing cement.


He identified power problem as another constraint. He stated that there was largely no supply of electricity to the manufacturing companies in the country, making them to depend on self-power generation.


He said in 2010, the transport cost of cement from Lagos to Ilorin was N60,000 but it had gone up to between N130,000 and N150,00 per trailer-load.


He said the only solution to the problem of rise in the price of cement was for the government to ensure the constant electricity supply in the country.


He added that the government should make fuel price, particularly that of diesel and black oil, stable so that those using them would be able to buy at cheaper and stable prices.


Also, the hike in the price of cement has slightly affected the building industry in Benin, the Edo State capital.


An investigation by our correspondent showed that there was a sharp increase in the price of the essential building product in less than a week.


A bag of (Dangote brand) cement sold for N1,750 on Thursday. A bag sold for N1,600 the previous week.


A visit to the Ekhenwan area in the state capital, the hub of cement marketers, also showed that supplies only recently picked up.


One of the marketers, who gave his name as Okwudifo, told our correspondent that the product was scarce.


Okwudifo, who responded in Pidgin English, said the manufacturers did not produce, hence the paucity in supply.


He said, “I sell for N1,750 now. Last week it was N1,600, but Dangote (cement) refused to produce. It was only on Monday that we got our supplies.”


Further investigations showed that the development had been having an adverse effect on the activities of block makers, as the price increase was sudden for some of them.


Bemoaning the development, an exasperated block manufacturer, Uyi Blocks, on Aerodrome Close, told our correspondent that he was “tired of the jumping price of cement.”


In Kano State, the commodity is readily available, but out of the reach of builders.


In some shops where the product is stocked, the owners wait endlessly for buyers to show up.


A shop owner told SATURDAY PUNCH that the process of securing the product was tedious to him. The product now costs N1,700 against its former price of N2,000, but this has not positively affected sales.


“And now that I have the product, they have been starring me in the face over the past weeks with no buyers in sight. Since the price went up, it has impoverished a lot of people namely; retailers, sales persons and masons,” the trader said.


He said that he was optimistic that things would look up in the few weeks ahead.


He, however, pleaded with President Goodluck Jonathan not to rest on his oars to ensure the stabilisation of the product price at N1,000.


But to Ishaq Garba, who runs his family cement business on Zoo Road in the Kano metropolis, it is gratitude to the Federal Government for the reduction in the price of cement.


He said cement price had been stable at N1,700 for some time. He pointed out that in spite of the stability of price, business had not peaked.


Ishaq said that some factors other than the high price had contributed immensely to the lull in business.


He said, “Now, we do not have the right circumstance or atmosphere to determine whether the reduction in cost from N2,000 to N1,700 has affected our market positively or not. So, the low sales can be determined by certain factors.


“For instance, it is the rainy season and the rain has come down heavily in Kano and you know ordinarily, construction work reduces during rainy season. Second, we the Muslims are in the month of Ramadan.


“You know this society is predominantly Islamic in nature; so, we are observing the mandatory Ramadan and ordinarily, everything grinds to a halt here due to this purpose and this includes the business of building.”


Garba explained that most of the regular buyers of cement were all out of the country to observe the lesser hajj (Umrah) in line with Islamic dictates for those who could afford it.


A mason, Bashir Musa said, “Although the price of cement has crashed from N2,000 to N1,700, President (Goodluck) Jonathan needs to further reduce the price.”


In Abeokuta, Ogun State, a bag of cement is sold for N2,200 (Lafarge and Dangote).


The dealers told our correspondent that the price was N1,700 two weeks ago.


An investigation by our correspondent showed that the product was not readily available to most of the dealers.


One of the cement dealers said sales had dropped since the sudden increase in the price of the commodity.


According to her, buyers cannot understand why they have to pay an extra N500 on a product they bought for N1,700 two weeks ago.


She said, “When customers come and they are told the new price, they will ask us why it is so. But since we have no explanation to give them, they will say it is good they suspend whatever they intend to use it for until the price drops.”


While the price of a bag of cement is increasing in some other parts of the country, an investigation by our correspondent in the Cross River State showed that the price was decreasing.


For instance, in the last one month, the price of a bag of cement has remained at between N1,400 and N1,500 as against N1,700 a few months back.


In spite of this stability, cement dealers and block moulders have lamented decreased patronage in recent times.


According to the owner of Umoren Block Moulding Industry in Ikot Ansa, Calabar, Mr. Peter Umoren, patronage is reducing because of the escalating cost of land in the metropolis and not the price of cement.


A source in the United Cement Company of Nigeria, a giant cement industry in Calabar, said the price of the product only rose in the South-West.

Source

Oh! So nice!

God bless good Mothers!

hahahhaha, i almost clicked it, but then I knew what isale is not capable of, so I didn't bother

Even though it really doesn't matter and it depends on how loving and matured the couples are, I dont really like it jor!

^Sweetheart, how could I ever conspire to deny your request when I love to do everything to encourage more females participation in political discussions?

Your thread is just not ripe for home page at this time of political dispensation, but i will take a look at the topic again and see what can be done about it.

Even though I didn't move the thread, I would have moved it all the same if i had seen it first because the thread actually belongs to money section. But your thread has already been given maximum publicity by listing ii on the home page. So relax.

[size=13pt]Salami’s suspension threatens NBA membership of NJC[/size]

Indications emerged on Thursday that the Nigerian Bar Association may pull out of the National Judicial Commission following the suspension of the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, by the council.


A member of the NJC, who craved anonymity, told our correspondent that the suspension was shocking, saying the only agenda of the meeting of the council was to consider the appointment of the new Chief Justice of Nigeria.


Our source said the body of lawyers might pass the resolution, pulling out of the council at its Annual General Meeting which is to commence on Sunday in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.


The decision to suspend Salami was made in the absence of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Aloysius Katsina-Alu and members of the NBA, our source said.


We learnt that after Justice Dahiru Musdapher was considered as the incoming CJN at the meeting, Katsina-Alu opted to leave the meeting, saying he was a party to the next issue to be discussed. The NBA president, Joseph Dauda (SAN), too also asked to be allowed to leave the meeting since the NBA could only be part of the NJC meeting when appointment was to be considered.


Our source said it was shocking to hear later that Salami was suspended.


“The problem is that there is a gang up against Salami. So when the CJN came, the main business for today (Thursday) actually, was to consider the appointment of a new CJN which we did.


Our source said, “When the meeting was over, the CJN then said he is leaving because the other aspect of the meeting he could not take part because he was a party.


“So the NBA president then said since the NBA was only part of NJC only to consider appointments they would also leave.


“So we all assumed that in order to cool things down the NJC would now adjourn and when the new CJN comes, we will find how to repair things and then.


“I was very shocked when one journalist told me that Salami was suspended. This came to me as a very big surprise.


“In fact we are considering at our annual general meeting that we start on Sunday in Port Harcourt to pass a resolution that the NBA should withdraw from the NJC.”


Meanwhile, prominent lawyers, among them Prof. Itsay Sagay (SAN) and Femi Falana, have condemned the action of the NJC, describing it as lawlessness and therefore could not stand.


Another Lagos-based constitutional lawyer, Jiti Ogunye, believed “it can erode the independence of the judiciary.”


Sagay said, “I think they are in the process of a total destruction of the judiciary by the top hierarchy of the judiciary themselves. Firstly, they are aware of the action filed by Salami. Secondly, they actually received it yesterday. They themselves who laid down the law have violated it.”


Arguing that the suspension cannot stand Falana, said the NJC acted “ultra vire,” saying the body could only recommend such punishment as the suspension of the PCA.

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201108191145453

toba:
Smdh. Even thought im a bit jealous, i wouldnt show it at all.

Pele, God go give you a good wife like he has blessed me. Say Amen!

And start learning how to treat a lady from me.

^posts deleted from thread, will pm you the copy of posts that got you banned.

Good one! I only hope there are enough willingness and commitment to follow it through. Nigeria has enough means to generate more than her needed power.

[size=13pt]Ministries sign MoU to generate power from dams[/size]

A Memorandum of Understanding for the use of the nation’s dams to generate electricity has been signed between the Ministry of Water Resources and the Ministry of Power.


The Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, said this while receiving an update on the partial commercialisation of the River Basin Development Authorities in the country from the Director-General, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Ms. Bolanle Onagoruwa.


A statement issued in Abuja on Thursday by the BPE spokesman, Mr. Chukwuma Nwokoh, noted that the minister said some of the dams were viable for power generation and that prompted the dialogue between the ministries.


She expressed the willingness of her ministry to partner agencies such as BPE for the benefit of Nigerians.


“The ministry is also partnering the Ministry of Agriculture on a pilot irrigation scheme for graduates to ease unemployment in the country,” Ochepke said.


She also disclosed that the ministry was discussing with the Urban Development Bank to fund the project for the benefit of the nation’s teeming unemployed graduates.


The minister promised to study the report with a view to implementing the recommendations and thanked the Working Group on the RBDAs and the BPE for a comprehensive report.


In recognition of the critical importance of reforming the water resources sector as a prelude to their partial commercialisation the BPE had obtained the approval of the National Council on Privatisation to constitute an inter-departmental and inter-disciplinary steering committee on the RBDAs.


The committee comprised representatives of the Federal Ministry of Water Resources, National Integrated Water Resources Management Commission, representatives of six RBDAs and other relevant stakeholders nominated by the NCP.


Onagoruwa said the Working Group, chaired by BPE’s Acting Director of National Facilities and Agricultural Resources, Dr. Vincent Akpotaire, was at the behest of the immediate past Water Resources Minister.


She said the 12 RBDAs were initially listed for partial commercialisation in order to entrench commercial principles, minimise financial dependence on the treasury and reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks in their operations.


Onagoruwa added that the objective was not achieved due to lack of commitment by the parties at fulfilling the provisions of the performance agreement.


To achieve the earlier objective, she said BPE was now adopting a two-pronged strategy of partial commercialisation and Public-Private Partnership for some viable projects of the RBDAs.


The RBDAs are Hadeija Jama’re; Sokoto-Rima; Ogun-Osun; Anambra-Imo; Lower-Niger and Upper- Niger.


The choice of the six RBDAs, she added, was determined by their great potential for PPP, geographical spread and level of development.


http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201108192331626

Who told you I want your puff puff? Am married jor and stop this indirect sexual harassment

Shattap jor! I thought you said u were fasting? No spoil me and my hajia Mukina2 fast jor. This na holy month.

i beg waka far jor You wan take style know how i take dey handle my wife abi? I dont kiss and tell.

You too dey stingy with everything, i know, but no worry, Ivynwa got some left over cake and ice cream for me

Toba you no well o. So you have to post this all over the places for my wives to see abi?

I don tell you, none of my wives will dump me for you. Ashewo oshi. Comot jor, go look for a newbie female to chase

toba:
oj simpson look at u when u were young https://fbcdn-photos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/295877_10150291365168151_715748150_7715293_883089_s.jpg Smdh. U be wicked boy Thats why u like women too much

You no well at all, at all

Some of us are well nourished jor

Happy Birthday Wendybaby! Many Happy returns!




@MissyB

Yes, we also need to talk

[quote author=isale_gan2 link=topic=590933.msg8961162#msg8961162 date=1313757803]There's always one in the group. lol.

Yes, oga OAM4J, I agree Nigerian accents deserve it's place, maybe even higher, on the list. 

I declare that I have a Nigerian/English/Continental/NONDESCRIPT accent.  What's your point?!    It's very attractive. "Sexy"? I don't know.  Is there a way to post one's voice on NL without having to go post video on YouTube first? [/quote]It wont be a bad idea, lets see your face and hear your voice. That way we will confirm that you look Nigerian and speak with naija accent. Who knows you might be from Pakistan

mukina2:
^
yes .call every member

Another good idea! At least u can call all the moderators on phone and leave your phone numbers here for all other doubting Thomas.

[size=13pt]Policemen beat driver, set his bus ablaze[/size]

The popular cliché of the Nigeria Police Force; ‘Police is your friend,’ does not seem to affect Taiwo Alabi, a 25 year-old commercial bus driver, whose newly acquired 24-seater bus was allegedly set ablaze by policemen in Lagos State.


Alabi said the bus with the number plate, LAGOS XX 255 EKV was burnt because he refused to give bribe to policemen attached to the Alapere Police Divisional Headquarters in the state. Now, Alabi is jobless with no hope of getting justice, while his creditors are on his neck to pay up because he bought the vehicle on hire purchase.


Narrating his ordeal in tears, Alabi told PUNCH METRO that on May, 25, 2011; the vehicle developed a fault on the Third Mainland Bridge and he had to tow it to his mechanic workshop. He said it was while he was on the way to his destination that he met the policemen, who ruined his life.


He said, “I was on my way to Ketu with passengers when the bus developed fault. After getting all the passengers into another bus, a good Samaritan driving a truck, who saw me pushing the bus parked on the side of the road and offered to help me to tow my bus since he was going my way.


“Due to heavy traffic on the expressway, we passed through Alapere estate which was an alternative route. As soon as we were a few metres away from the Alapere police station, a man in mufti flagged us down.


“He said he was a policeman attached to the station and demanded for our vehicle document. I gave it to him and afterwards, he demanded that we present a permit for towing the vehicle.”


Alabi said that the Good Samaritan took exception to the policeman’s latest request and accused the policeman of being mischievous.


“The policeman in response, threatened to lock us up for arguing with him. After much argument, he said that I should pay N10, 000 or he would not release the bus. In anger, the man disconnected the chains he used in towing my vehicle and drove off, leaving my conductor and me at the mercy of the cop,” he said.


Alabi said that the policeman later got angry and started beating him up.


“He then beckoned on one other policeman around the scene. They pounced on us and subsequently seized my phone as well as N15, 000 which I had in my pocket.


“While they were beating me, one woman who sells bread near the station started shouting, ‘Corporal Kola, do you want to kill him’ that was how I knew his name.”


Alabi told PUNCH METRO that during his ordeal, he saw another policeman who was in uniform and beckoned to him for help. He added that the policeman took sides with his colleagues.


He said, “The newcomer even kicked me in the stomach and said if I did not co-operate with them, he would personally lock me up.


“The policeman got into the bus and asked the other two policemen to push my bus into the police station so that I would come back the following day to pay extra money. While they were pushing the bus, I think the stub of the cigarette which he was smoking, accidentally fell on the fuel pump and the bus caught fire.”


Alabi added that immediately the bus caught fire, the three policemen ran into the station, leaving the bus to burn beyond repair.


“The next day, May 26, I went to Alapere to report the incident to the Divisional Police Officer, Mr. Odion Okosun, a Superintendent of Police. After narrating my ordeal, Okosun met with his men and was able to establish that I was telling the truth. He told me to come back later so we could discuss further and I agreed.


“Unfortunately, after that day, it was impossible for me to see him as I was always told by the policemen in the station that the DPO was not around.”


Alabi said 10 days after the meeting, he finally got to see the DPO and when he presented the case again, the DPO threatened to lock him up if he ever set foot in the Police station again.


“I bought that bus on hire purchase. I only acquired the bus three weeks before the incident. I have paid only N200, 000 and I still have about N1.3m to balance.


“In fact, the N15, 000 which was stolen from me by policemen was part of the money I had planned on depositing in the account of my creditor because the agreement was that I pay the seller back in instalments. I don’t have any other job and I have an aged mother who I’m taking care of,” Alabi told PUNCH METRO.


Reacting to the allegations, Okosun said Alabi’s vehicle was not burnt by the policemen. He said it got burnt due to overheating.


Okosun said, “In a statement dictated by Alabi and written by policemen because of his inability to read and write, Alabi actually claimed that the vehicle got burnt while he was driving the vehicle as the vehicle was overheating. I don’t know why he would be changing his statement now and making false accusations.”


He said it was not true that he threatened to arrest Alabi.


“Why would I threaten to arrest him? The first time he came to the station, I received him well. Why then would I suddenly change my attitude towards him?” he said.


The spokesman for the state Police Command, Mr. Samuel Jinadu, however, declined comment.


However when our correspondent visited Alapere, the majority of those who spoke with him on condition of anonymity, because of perceived reprisal by the policemen, said although the policemen did not plan to burn Alabi’s bus; it caught fire while it was in their hands.

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201108191554032

[size=13pt]Rep denies House support for Islamic banking[/size]

A member of the House of Representatives, Dr. Ibrahim Olaifa, has said the lower chamber has not taken a position on the proposed Islamic banking in the country.


This came as an Islamic cleric, Mallam Ibrahim Soliu, said the introduction of the Islamic banking in the country would reduce poverty and encourage economic development.


Olaifa, who spoke at the maiden Ramadan lecture organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council, said the Governor of the Central Bank, Mallam Lamido Sanusi, was invited to the House to enable the federal lawmakers to get information on the banking system.


He disagreed with the comments of some religious leaders from the North concerning the proposal.


The lawmaker said the aggrieved religious leaders should have embarked on public enlightenment to press home their points on the banking system.


Soliu told the News Agency of Nigeria in Ilorin on Thursday that the system was not a new phenomenon in the world, noting that it would complement the conventional banking system.


The cleric said, “The banking system is not coming to wipe away the conventional banks, rather, it will serve as supplement.


“The Islamic or non-interest banking system is to capture those people who are not disposed to the conventional system because of its excessive interest policy.”

http://www.punchontheweb.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201108192403067

You were not banned for defending your ethnic group or for being a "tribalist". You went completely out of line when you insulted another poster and her parent.

Erm, erm, Isale do you still have Nigerian accent? Those of us with correct sexy Niaja accent sabi ourselves o.

jennykadry:
Oam4jenny.

Sooooooo, since you became a mod you have decided to abandon our love.


mukina, make me a mod now. I need to fight for my love.

Na you abandoned me for Sagamite, denzel2009 and dayokanu jor

Cos your eye no dey stay for one place and you too like koboko

Happy belated Birthday!

Ol boy, your wife and the doc are on a long thing. Me i no go gree o.