₦airaland Forum

Free webinar https://glowserve.co.uk/webinars/data-science-career-path/

Front page pls

Coming from the BBC Website:
2 hours agoHome Secretary Theresa May announced the proposal in JunePlans for a £3,000 "security bond" for some "high risk" overseas visitors to the UK are to be abandoned, the Home Office has confirmed.The visa bond scheme was announced by Home Secretary Theresa May in June and was set to be introduced this month.A Home Office spokesman confirmed a Sunday Times report that the policy would be scrapped.The decision is thought to have been taken after deputy prime minister Nick Clegg threatened to block it.The aim of the scheme was to reduce the number of people from some "high risk" countries - including India, Pakistan, and Nigeria - staying in the UK once their short-term visas had expired.Visitors would have paid a £3,000 cash bond before arrival in the UK - forfeited if they failed make the return trip.'Outrage'The idea was first suggested by Mr Clegg in March.But Business Secretary Vince Cable later claimed the deputy prime minister's plan, which had suggested a bond of £1,000, had been deliberately misinterpreted by some of their Conservative cabinet colleagues."What Nick Clegg said was if somebody in the Indian sub-continent, for example, was turned down for a visa, they could, as an alternative, come up with a bond... But the way some of our colleagues interpreted was in a much more negative way, of saying that everybody who comes here should pay this very large bond," Mr Cable said in September.Mr Cable also criticised the level at which the bond was set and said that it had caused "outrage" in India.He said both he and Nick Clegg would be arguing in government for a "much more sensible and flexible" approach to the policy.The idea was also floated several times by the previous Labour government but never implemented.The announcement comes two weeks after a roll out of Home Office vans with posters warning illegal immigrants to "go home or face arrest" was cancelled.Mrs May told MPs she accepted they had "not been a good idea" and were too much of a "blunt instrument".

Source: http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24793092

How much are ds equipment going for. U can email delegend4@yahoo.com

pls, where is the venue for the test?

I have never seen a better description of the Nigerian state. I once told my colleagues about 3 years ago, that the Nigeria of today(3yrs ago) will be extremely much better than the Nigeria of 25 years time, I was described as a pessimist, its only 3 years now and my foretell is clear and so obvious that I regret ever saying 25 years may be if I had said 3yrs just may be, things would not have deteriorated this much, I am not surprised though if the words of the world famous Fela Anikulapo 30 years ago still describes Nigeria and her people, the only bit that has changed remarkably is the "Suffering and Smilling" element, that has now changed to Suffering and Frowning. The country is plagued by men of high caliber of destructive capacity who has found their ways into every institution that could effect any meaningful change in the society both in the Government and religious institutions, I can imagine what good can come out of evil.

Well, if one has to be told not to shit (excrete) on the table where one is about to/ looks forward to eat speaks volume about the message, of the medium and source of passage and in fact the person being addressed. I have stopped wondering anyway, but it still disturbs that signboards such as do not shit here! do not defeacate here! keep lagos clean! still need be planted at strategic places in the city to sanitise anyone on the need of general hygiene.

Well, one might be quick to point finger or to reject a label as being one of those addressed by the placards and signposts. The issue is, that there is need for any such signposts at all is troubling. Or how does one explains the fact that an undamaged brain needs be jabbed all the same to revive it "sort of".

If a people is yet to get some things as fundamental as this right, for example to understand that a sane mind would not willingly "shit" anywhere saving places designated as such, points only to one thing: TROUBLE! Indeed, no one need be told that there is more than trouble is in the air in Nigeria!

Approaching Nigeria and Nigeria palava/troubles in the light of such seemingly simple/trivial issues will probably makes for even a simpler and clearer appreciation of what is at stake in the country. One will understand so many things. The bigger troubles will even seem then surmountable and maybe even be no issues at all. The solution to a big problem lies almost all the time in the problem itself.

So probably in the light of this revelation, now trying to evaluate a tactless Jonathan who once had no shoes, but prefers to trample on those masses who eventually shoed his shoeless feet will illuminate our understanding of the fundamental failings of the Nigeria society. Or even make someone look even deeper into a Yar'dua who would rather become a president than live his last frail days in peace; I for one see in him only a totally insane mind and a deeply greedy fellow, whose quest for fame only further butressed the height of human stupidity.

There is a saying that the government is the people and the people is the government. This can't be truer than in the Nigeria context. Many will immediately "tekfiapalise"/reject any reference that they could be corrupted if brought into public service or elected into a public office (I bet Dr. Abati can tell and will us more of such tales very soon). I am often wary of such people even before they get elected or selected. There has been too many of such that we cannot really afford to bank on empty boast of integrity anymore. Besides, we are even wary of promises in the name of God, who has been ripped of any dignity or trustworthiness left in that three letter word of his.

There is no redemption or a turn around in the fortunes of Nigeria anytime soon. This perspective of permanent resignation, albeit pessimistic, makes it less torturing if one has to share news of another epic height of corruption brought to be by the everly ready Nigeria government and it allies/cronies.

In fact, so much as one would want to share a positive view from another person who is being sincerely agitated about the Nigeria state or who shows geniune concerns on the state of permanent standstill in the country, even the more difficult it becomes to be in anyway inspired to believe such innocent jibes. Well, maybe the innocent friend should not be disappointed if his views are not necessarily positively received. The truth is: too many lies have been lived through and for too long for too many times have such positive gyrations by similar fellows led only to a even more terrible ends- it brought in harvest of even more disturbing nothingness so much that one might have even been pleased if previous terrible lies were not exchanged for the charade hopes and evil positivity.

The Nigeria project as it is right now is simply a dead project. There can be no hope of revival, not even in the name of any supernatural being. Well, if someone has chosen to be positive about it, so be it. If there would be any turn around in a positive direction, the medications being applied at the moment are not working, and will not work in the next 100 years (quote this anyday). There must be a holistic review of the way and manner business is done/the government is run in that geographical location called by that name. What exactly that holistic review is, is in the people of that geographical location.

Let me end this way: A government of a country is a perfect representation of the whole people who make up that union, or at least a good sample of a whole; it extends beyond being only a perfect representation, it is in fact many things in one: and one of them is being an exact mirrored reflection of the some chosen/practised cultures and ways of these particular people-how they live and die- it is summed up in their life, in short it is their life!
written by Ahjot Naija.

still available

sent u an email

A UNIT OF MINI FLAT FOR RENT @ 200K IN ONIKE-IWAYA AREA

KINDLY CALL 08087183450 FOR FURTHER INFO

i dey follow

Dear Lawyer,

My post is not to undermine your great works on the ppty section on nairaland. It is true that u've done a lot of work on buying lands, C of O's and other important matters on the forum.

However, the idea behind this topic is to discuss or better put do a summary detailing all the relevant documents related to the topic in one piece and have people comment on it so we can all learn.

May be we should see this as an ad on.

@ all your contributions will be appreciated in the thread below;

https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-743575.0.html#msg8996762

Hello All,

I'm opening this thread so that we can be enlightened on all documents involved in both residential and commercial properties in Nigeria and how to get them. From the family receipt, agreement, survey and others.

Hence am calling on the MOD Lawyer, Brabus, Spyder880 and others to please come share there knowledge here.

Money @ work. I need to send money on errand to fence and gate my piece of land soon. Prof Spyder u r great.

Thats good news for all. We want to see ds project to end. Nice one Chief Spyder

Am Alone abeg show

E be like say the Cabal don dey pity us small small. hope say e go crash reach 900naira soon.

Seun has adviced we continue here. Spyder am i right?

if so please declare this new one opened.

@Brabus ur email add please.

@casemoney abeg ur link no be naija stuffs. lets see what is here, how we do it here.

@Collins Adua if u no take the wisdom of elders me i don snatch am from u ooooo.

ALL HAIL KING SPYDER

Na why I go commot here, when b4 b4 i no know jack for house mata. Ppl like Brabus, Spyder and the rest come open my eyes, my head and my ear for wetin i no sabi.

I neva learn finish, so i still dey gidigba. chei if u see my jotter ehn. e pass person wey dey do phd own.

Nice work guys.

I wish one day this people will have a change of heart and pity on this country.

ur mobile is not here and secondly is this a new house or a renavated building

@Brabus a new thread has been opened titled THE REAL REASONS BEHIND THE HIGH PRICE OF CEMENT as suggested.

@ all, please go to the new thread to add ur comments and lets not derail the topic here. By the way ur welcome Fidelo726

I dont know if anyone has seen this article below, I came across it and wonder whether this people pity the common man that needs shelter considering the shortfall of homes in the country. them no go kill ds country.


R[b]eal reasons cement price is high–Iweta
BY MOSES AKAIGWE
Thursday, June 23, 2011


As a well known industrialist with diverse interests both in his Delta state base and beyond, Prince David Iweta discusses the problems of local manufacturers, especially those in the cement sector, with deep passion.

Following the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan on the crisis in the cement market on May 17, with a directive to the stakeholders to bring down the high-rising price per bag in 30 days, Iweta was among the first to react, claiming that the manipulative antics of what he called “a cabal” , rather than the trumpeted pump price of diesel, was the reason behind the scary cost of cement. In an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, the cement manufacturer gives insight into how government policy changes, at the instance of the “cabal”, keep genuine investors at bay, leading to a situation where the people that are the biggest manufacturers of cement, are at the same time the biggest importers, with no opportunity for fresh entrants.

He warns that, though it is “very, very possible” to sell cement at N1000 in the country, the price cannot be maintained for too long, unless late President Musa Yar’Adua’s policy of granting licences to more players and breaking the monopoly of the “cabal”, is revisited. Excerpts:

Can you lead us through the background to the present situation in the cement industry?
I think in the cement industry today, there is absolute crisis, and the crisis is artificial; created by the deceitful effort of a cabal whose members are also using the Federal Government agencies, like the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to perpetrate evil against the country. Now, before; the commencement of our democracy of 1999, cement had a duty of five percent, and that five percent duty had remained, and there wasn’t anything like cement import licence quota that is allocated year by year or introduced by any group.
But, immediately this cabal came in, they decided to encourage the government in power which seemed to be in partnership with them, to create a policy that ushered in the era of the introduction of cement import licence. But before 1999, there was an open importation of bagged cement. You just bring it in 50-kilogram bags and then sell. So, when the government of Olusegun Obansanjo came in, in 1999, because of the orchestrated plan by the cabal that was just coming in, they said ‘let us ban importation of bagged cement in order to encourage investors to set up bagging plant here in Nigeria’ – that is encouraging people to import the bulk in powder and then bag it locally to achieve value-addition, by particularly creating jobs for people, because when you import the bulk, automatically you will need to produce the bags and people work in the factory, among other activities like bagging, loading and maritime services.

So, this was the situation. But, when the cabal came, they said ‘no, let us introduce cement import licence’.
So, when they banned the importation of bagged cement and said people should bring in equipment (to achieve local value-addition), it took about two years to two-an-half years, from December, 1999 to order for the cement equipment, clear it, install it, build the warehouses, the storage and jetty.

But, unfortunately for those of us who followed government directive for us to order for cement equipment, build the factory and private jetties where the berges can berthe, this cabal did not go building their own factories from the scratch; instead, they deceived government by claiming there was low patronage at the ports, that the ports were idol, which made government to allocate spaces to them at the ports. So, they merely brought aluminum structures to cover the places up, and that was their factory. They had no need to build concrete floors on their own which costs a lot of money.
They had no need to build private jetties; they were given government jetties at Tin Can Island port and Apapa port ( both in Lagos), Area 1 in Port Harcourt and Onne. Only one person got all these. By 2000, the cartel had gone around to influence a policy that for anybody to have a plant, they must have a concrete plan to manufacture cement locally. The period needed to bring imported equipment for bagging plant and building your own jetty had not even elapsed and some people were still investing, when the policy was changed again.

But, ahead of this latest policy summersault, the same cabal had already gone around Ogun State, had gone round the whole of Cross Rivers State, gone to Obajana, and surveyed in their name anywhere there was limestone deposits that will last for over 250 years, thus depriving other people access to the basic raw material which is lime stone quarry. And so, a lot of people stayed off, because when you go to anywhere there was limestone, they will tell you ‘this man has already surveyed the place’, and then show you a map.
A company like Burham went to Calabar and acquired another company called CALCEMCO (Calabar Cement Company). CALCEMCO was producing in Calabar over the years and had a limestone quarry site which was called Cross Rover Limestone Limited, where they were getting limestone for their factory in Calabar. But, unknown to them, the cabal chief had already surveyed everything in his name, backed by the then Federal Government with the then governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke supporting.

So, when UNICEM bought over CALCEMCO, and went to where the company they acquired used to get limestone, somebody said, ‘I have surveyed this site in my name, and therefore, you cannot have access’. And the new owners argued that they had bought the factory which was dependent on this limestone before now, ‘so where do we use?’ It was only recently that they now reached an out-of-court settlement when the cabal leader demanded and go 20 percent equity holding in the project before allowing them to operate, but after a while, UNICEM had to sell off its shares in order to be able to move the cash to another investment. That is now that cabal is.

One company in Ogun State called Gateway Mining, there own was like that; the whole place was surveyed in Ogun, and therefore, they didn’t have access to any limestone, and there was much battle until the late President Umaru Yar’adua came in and said ‘nobody should emasse so much limestone deposit that he cannot develop within two years’. He now revoked all the licences and created what he called a CADESTRA office from where they had to survey all limestone deposits from limestone to bitumen to all other minerals. It was only that Presidential intervention that opened the door for those of us to approach the office under the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, to now ask for places where there was unencumbered access to limestone.

That was how we all who had cement bagging plant before, could get licences. And from that time, most of our factories were now ready for operation by 2002. And when they said that unless you show evidence that you had plans to make cement locally, they wont give you import licence, what do you do? You have no need to go to the Ministry for licence, because you cannot even be given access to limestone.
This was the situation from 1999 to 2007 when President Yar’adua came in. but even at that, when you apply for limestone, the cabal has agents that will stop your application from being processed.
That Yar’Adua could not come and monitor, and today, some of us got in November, 2010 what we applied for since 2007. So, it is only now that we go backward to do backward integration. I am just coming from Uyo in Cross River, where I have licence for limestone deposit, to explore the possibility of setting up a cement plant on backward integration basis with an expatriate joint venture partner. Now, we all that are in the cement business do not have the plan or desire to remain cement importers and just be bagging, because it is cheaper, it is more convenient to produce from local limestone irrespective of the odds.

The issue of power does not affect a large-scale cement production project. The reason being that if you are producing a commodity of a huge size, you need heavy energy consumption. For example the energy you will consume in an average cement plant is more than what the whole of Calabar will consume. So, it becomes commercially and reasonably viable for you to build your own independent power plant, gas-fired, to run your cement production plant.

What were the specific factors that jerked cement price so high that the President had to intervene?
By 2007, When President Yar’Adua came in, the price of cement was around N2,600/N2,800 just as it is now, and he said, ‘no, this cannot continue to happen’.
He called all the companies that had cement bagging plant that had been denied access before now, and a few people he felt could help to bring down the price, and granted them cement import licences, not to bring bulk, but to even bring in bags, so that the price would crash. Government granted six of us special licences with which we were expected to bring down the price. And then we did, and what happened?

The price came down to as low as N1,200 at our factories by the time they transported it, it came to N1,400 and N1,600 maximum, and that situation remained from 2008 when the imports started coming in up to 2009, then subsisted till about 2010.
So, in 2010, the new Minister of Commerce and Industry, Jubril Matins Kuye, who now came in as part of a clique that supported the cabal further, now cancelled the unused portions of the licences that were granted by President Yar’Adua and removed some of us that got the licences from the list, and in the process allocated them to one particular company that belongs to the cabal leader.
Over 50 per cent of the quota was given to that company, and that was a company that was saying that by 2010, their plant would come on stream to meet Nigeria’s local cement need, that is Nigeria would be self-sufficient, and that by 2011, his own cement factory would now be meeting excess of the nations demand and would exporting. But the minister still gave that same company licence to import cement.
Meanwhile, he did not give licence to other people who applied.

Again, the same minister increased the duty of bulk cement from five percent to 15 percent, and introduced a compulsory Cement Technology Institute (CTI) levy of 20 percent, thereby making the total duty on imported cement to be 35 percent. He did not do that because he wanted to earn money for the nation, because Nigeria was not crying that it needed money to execute any project so they now want to increase the price of cement at the detriment of the consuming public and the country that is suffering from 17 million deficit in house delivery to its populace.

The ultimate aim was to make the cabal and the so called local cement manufacturer who want to make abnormal profit of over 100 to 200 percent, to hide under the new increase of duty of 35 percent which will now make the cost of selling imported cement to be N1,700, to also sell their locally made cement at N1,700. And because they also removed some of us from access to importation and favoured the same cabal leader which means empowering him to now regulate the inflow of cement unto the country, artificial scarcity was created that put pressure on all available facilities, including his own factories. They now used that to jerk up price and started whipping up sentiment, claiming it is the price of diesel of about N120 to N145, that is the cause of cost of cement price rising from the N1,200 that we were selling it at the factory, to N1,700.

I do not see how diesel, which is not consumed by the cement manufacturers’ factories, affects their gate price to the point that it is as high as N1,700. And by the time they sell N1,700 at their gate, and the distributor who will pay for about 20 to 50 trucks at a time because of the scarcity, will add between N200 and N300 as profit margin. The transportation from either Lagos or Obajana or Port Harcourt, to a place like Onitsha, is about N300 per bag. If you add N300 to N2,000, it is N2,300. By the time the man who buys from the distributor adds his own mark-up, and store rent and all that, he puts another N300 Naira.
That comes to N2,600. So, the cartel is deceiving the Federal Government. They deceived the Federal Government to increase duty so that they will now harp on the cost of imported cement, which is an augmenting factor, to benefit their own locally made cement. And on their own locally cement, they do not pay freight and the cost of freight from Europe to Nigeria is about N500 a bag. Add the cost of cement, say N500 per bag, and you get N1,000. By the time you add duties of 35 percent, you get about N1,350. By the time you add stevedoring and other factors, it comes to about N1,400 to N1,450.

They will now sell at N1,650 to N1,700. Mind you, the same core manufacturers are at the same time the heaviest importers. So, because they are still importers, Dangote, for example, they will say ‘we are selling this brand at Obajana or Tin-can Island, Lagos (it doesn’t make a difference) at N1,700. I am going to present my statement to shareholders. What is wrong if I sell at a high price’. Same thing happened to Lafarge, Ewekoro and Shagamu, because they are also importing in Port Harcourt. Same with Burham who bought over Northern Cement Company. They have a floating terminal. They bag on top of the ship and just bring in the imported cement.

These people don’t fool the ministry, but they fool Mr. President, because they work in collaboration with the ministry to do a report to Mr. President. The reports they had in Septemer 2010, discovered that locally produced cement was more them the imported cement, but meanwhile, limestone is available free. Your factory is close to your quarry. So why does locally manufactured cement sell for as much as N1,700 (at the gate).

All over the world where cement is produced, they do not sell more that N450 per 50 kilogramme bag, and there is no country in the world where the cost of energy is cheaper than in Nigeria. In Ghana, cement is selling for N950 at the shop. In Liberia that is just recovering from war of 15 years, their cement price is under N1,000. In Kuwait, cement is under N600, in China it is priced below N500. Nigeria is the country in the world with the highest price of cement.

Given the picture you have just painted, will the price of cement come down as directed by the President?
If the local cement manufacturers are sincere and are patriotic, and do not want to exploit Nigerians, it is very, very possible and at a profit in their favour, to sell the locally manufactured cement for N1,000 per bag, irrespective of all issues. If they doubt it, they should collect the energy cost that they claim they use. Most of them use gas, they use coal too. China does not have petroleum products like Nigeria, they import but the cost of cement in China is under N500 for cement product in that country. In Indonesia, the same thing; Vietnam, the same; Turkey is even cheaper. Therefore, the cabal are out to destroy this country, and they have been exploiting this country to the bones.[/b]

Bros Brabus,

No offence meant, i taught this was related to the topic

However, Note taken

I dont know if anyone has seen this article below, them no go kill ds country.

[b]
Real reasons cement price is high–Iweta
BY MOSES AKAIGWE
Thursday, June 23, 2011


As a well known industrialist with diverse interests both in his Delta state base and beyond, Prince David Iweta discusses the problems of local manufacturers, especially those in the cement sector, with deep passion.

Following the intervention of President Goodluck Jonathan on the crisis in the cement market on May 17, with a directive to the stakeholders to bring down the high-rising price per bag in 30 days, Iweta was among the first to react, claiming that the manipulative antics of what he called “a cabal” , rather than the trumpeted pump price of diesel, was the reason behind the scary cost of cement. In an exclusive interview with Daily Sun, the cement manufacturer gives insight into how government policy changes, at the instance of the “cabal”, keep genuine investors at bay, leading to a situation where the people that are the biggest manufacturers of cement, are at the same time the biggest importers, with no opportunity for fresh entrants.

He warns that, though it is “very, very possible” to sell cement at N1000 in the country, the price cannot be maintained for too long, unless late President Musa Yar’Adua’s policy of granting licences to more players and breaking the monopoly of the “cabal”, is revisited. Excerpts:

Can you lead us through the background to the present situation in the cement industry?
I think in the cement industry today, there is absolute crisis, and the crisis is artificial; created by the deceitful effort of a cabal whose members are also using the Federal Government agencies, like the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, to perpetrate evil against the country. Now, before; the commencement of our democracy of 1999, cement had a duty of five percent, and that five percent duty had remained, and there wasn’t anything like cement import licence quota that is allocated year by year or introduced by any group.
But, immediately this cabal came in, they decided to encourage the government in power which seemed to be in partnership with them, to create a policy that ushered in the era of the introduction of cement import licence. But before 1999, there was an open importation of bagged cement. You just bring it in 50-kilogram bags and then sell. So, when the government of Olusegun Obansanjo came in, in 1999, because of the orchestrated plan by the cabal that was just coming in, they said ‘let us ban importation of bagged cement in order to encourage investors to set up bagging plant here in Nigeria’ – that is encouraging people to import the bulk in powder and then bag it locally to achieve value-addition, by particularly creating jobs for people, because when you import the bulk, automatically you will need to produce the bags and people work in the factory, among other activities like bagging, loading and maritime services.

So, this was the situation. But, when the cabal came, they said ‘no, let us introduce cement import licence’.
So, when they banned the importation of bagged cement and said people should bring in equipment (to achieve local value-addition), it took about two years to two-an-half years, from December, 1999 to order for the cement equipment, clear it, install it, build the warehouses, the storage and jetty.

But, unfortunately for those of us who followed government directive for us to order for cement equipment, build the factory and private jetties where the berges can berthe, this cabal did not go building their own factories from the scratch; instead, they deceived government by claiming there was low patronage at the ports, that the ports were idol, which made government to allocate spaces to them at the ports. So, they merely brought aluminum structures to cover the places up, and that was their factory. They had no need to build concrete floors on their own which costs a lot of money.
They had no need to build private jetties; they were given government jetties at Tin Can Island port and Apapa port ( both in Lagos), Area 1 in Port Harcourt and Onne. Only one person got all these. By 2000, the cartel had gone around to influence a policy that for anybody to have a plant, they must have a concrete plan to manufacture cement locally. The period needed to bring imported equipment for bagging plant and building your own jetty had not even elapsed and some people were still investing, when the policy was changed again.

But, ahead of this latest policy summersault, the same cabal had already gone around Ogun State, had gone round the whole of Cross Rivers State, gone to Obajana, and surveyed in their name anywhere there was limestone deposits that will last for over 250 years, thus depriving other people access to the basic raw material which is lime stone quarry. And so, a lot of people stayed off, because when you go to anywhere there was limestone, they will tell you ‘this man has already surveyed the place’, and then show you a map.
A company like Burham went to Calabar and acquired another company called CALCEMCO (Calabar Cement Company). CALCEMCO was producing in Calabar over the years and had a limestone quarry site which was called Cross Rover Limestone Limited, where they were getting limestone for their factory in Calabar. But, unknown to them, the cabal chief had already surveyed everything in his name, backed by the then Federal Government with the then governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke supporting.

So, when UNICEM bought over CALCEMCO, and went to where the company they acquired used to get limestone, somebody said, ‘I have surveyed this site in my name, and therefore, you cannot have access’. And the new owners argued that they had bought the factory which was dependent on this limestone before now, ‘so where do we use?’ It was only recently that they now reached an out-of-court settlement when the cabal leader demanded and go 20 percent equity holding in the project before allowing them to operate, but after a while, UNICEM had to sell off its shares in order to be able to move the cash to another investment. That is now that cabal is.

One company in Ogun State called Gateway Mining, there own was like that; the whole place was surveyed in Ogun, and therefore, they didn’t have access to any limestone, and there was much battle until the late President Umaru Yar’adua came in and said ‘nobody should emasse so much limestone deposit that he cannot develop within two years’. He now revoked all the licences and created what he called a CADESTRA office from where they had to survey all limestone deposits from limestone to bitumen to all other minerals. It was only that Presidential intervention that opened the door for those of us to approach the office under the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, to now ask for places where there was unencumbered access to limestone.

That was how we all who had cement bagging plant before, could get licences. And from that time, most of our factories were now ready for operation by 2002. And when they said that unless you show evidence that you had plans to make cement locally, they wont give you import licence, what do you do? You have no need to go to the Ministry for licence, because you cannot even be given access to limestone.
This was the situation from 1999 to 2007 when President Yar’adua came in. but even at that, when you apply for limestone, the cabal has agents that will stop your application from being processed.
That Yar’Adua could not come and monitor, and today, some of us got in November, 2010 what we applied for since 2007. So, it is only now that we go backward to do backward integration. I am just coming from Uyo in Cross River, where I have licence for limestone deposit, to explore the possibility of setting up a cement plant on backward integration basis with an expatriate joint venture partner. Now, we all that are in the cement business do not have the plan or desire to remain cement importers and just be bagging, because it is cheaper, it is more convenient to produce from local limestone irrespective of the odds.

The issue of power does not affect a large-scale cement production project. The reason being that if you are producing a commodity of a huge size, you need heavy energy consumption. For example the energy you will consume in an average cement plant is more than what the whole of Calabar will consume. So, it becomes commercially and reasonably viable for you to build your own independent power plant, gas-fired, to run your cement production plant.

What were the specific factors that jerked cement price so high that the President had to intervene?
By 2007, When President Yar’Adua came in, the price of cement was around N2,600/N2,800 just as it is now, and he said, ‘no, this cannot continue to happen’.
He called all the companies that had cement bagging plant that had been denied access before now, and a few people he felt could help to bring down the price, and granted them cement import licences, not to bring bulk, but to even bring in bags, so that the price would crash. Government granted six of us special licences with which we were expected to bring down the price. And then we did, and what happened?

The price came down to as low as N1,200 at our factories by the time they transported it, it came to N1,400 and N1,600 maximum, and that situation remained from 2008 when the imports started coming in up to 2009, then subsisted till about 2010.
So, in 2010, the new Minister of Commerce and Industry, Jubril Matins Kuye, who now came in as part of a clique that supported the cabal further, now cancelled the unused portions of the licences that were granted by President Yar’Adua and removed some of us that got the licences from the list, and in the process allocated them to one particular company that belongs to the cabal leader.
Over 50 per cent of the quota was given to that company, and that was a company that was saying that by 2010, their plant would come on stream to meet Nigeria’s local cement need, that is Nigeria would be self-sufficient, and that by 2011, his own cement factory would now be meeting excess of the nations demand and would exporting. But the minister still gave that same company licence to import cement.
Meanwhile, he did not give licence to other people who applied.

Again, the same minister increased the duty of bulk cement from five percent to 15 percent, and introduced a compulsory Cement Technology Institute (CTI) levy of 20 percent, thereby making the total duty on imported cement to be 35 percent. He did not do that because he wanted to earn money for the nation, because Nigeria was not crying that it needed money to execute any project so they now want to increase the price of cement at the detriment of the consuming public and the country that is suffering from 17 million deficit in house delivery to its populace.

The ultimate aim was to make the cabal and the so called local cement manufacturer who want to make abnormal profit of over 100 to 200 percent, to hide under the new increase of duty of 35 percent which will now make the cost of selling imported cement to be N1,700, to also sell their locally made cement at N1,700. And because they also removed some of us from access to importation and favoured the same cabal leader which means empowering him to now regulate the inflow of cement unto the country, artificial scarcity was created that put pressure on all available facilities, including his own factories. They now used that to jerk up price and started whipping up sentiment, claiming it is the price of diesel of about N120 to N145, that is the cause of cost of cement price rising from the N1,200 that we were selling it at the factory, to N1,700.

I do not see how diesel, which is not consumed by the cement manufacturers’ factories, affects their gate price to the point that it is as high as N1,700. And by the time they sell N1,700 at their gate, and the distributor who will pay for about 20 to 50 trucks at a time because of the scarcity, will add between N200 and N300 as profit margin. The transportation from either Lagos or Obajana or Port Harcourt, to a place like Onitsha, is about N300 per bag. If you add N300 to N2,000, it is N2,300. By the time the man who buys from the distributor adds his own mark-up, and store rent and all that, he puts another N300 Naira.
That comes to N2,600. So, the cartel is deceiving the Federal Government. They deceived the Federal Government to increase duty so that they will now harp on the cost of imported cement, which is an augmenting factor, to benefit their own locally made cement. And on their own locally cement, they do not pay freight and the cost of freight from Europe to Nigeria is about N500 a bag. Add the cost of cement, say N500 per bag, and you get N1,000. By the time you add duties of 35 percent, you get about N1,350. By the time you add stevedoring and other factors, it comes to about N1,400 to N1,450.

They will now sell at N1,650 to N1,700. Mind you, the same core manufacturers are at the same time the heaviest importers. So, because they are still importers, Dangote, for example, they will say ‘we are selling this brand at Obajana or Tin-can Island, Lagos (it doesn’t make a difference) at N1,700. I am going to present my statement to shareholders. What is wrong if I sell at a high price’. Same thing happened to Lafarge, Ewekoro and Shagamu, because they are also importing in Port Harcourt. Same with Burham who bought over Northern Cement Company. They have a floating terminal. They bag on top of the ship and just bring in the imported cement.

These people don’t fool the ministry, but they fool Mr. President, because they work in collaboration with the ministry to do a report to Mr. President. The reports they had in Septemer 2010, discovered that locally produced cement was more them the imported cement, but meanwhile, limestone is available free. Your factory is close to your quarry. So why does locally manufactured cement sell for as much as N1,700 (at the gate).

All over the world where cement is produced, they do not sell more that N450 per 50 kilogramme bag, and there is no country in the world where the cost of energy is cheaper than in Nigeria. In Ghana, cement is selling for N950 at the shop. In Liberia that is just recovering from war of 15 years, their cement price is under N1,000. In Kuwait, cement is under N600, in China it is priced below N500. Nigeria is the country in the world with the highest price of cement.

Given the picture you have just painted, will the price of cement come down as directed by the President?
If the local cement manufacturers are sincere and are patriotic, and do not want to exploit Nigerians, it is very, very possible and at a profit in their favour, to sell the locally manufactured cement for N1,000 per bag, irrespective of all issues. If they doubt it, they should collect the energy cost that they claim they use. Most of them use gas, they use coal too. China does not have petroleum products like Nigeria, they import but the cost of cement in China is under N500 for cement product in that country. In Indonesia, the same thing; Vietnam, the same; Turkey is even cheaper. Therefore, the cabal are out to destroy this country, and they have been exploiting this country to the bones.[/b]

chief Spider, Hon Am Alone, Uncle Brabus, Mr Kuntash, Boda Casemoney, Prince onx, Sir Fhemmmy and whole house,

I have been trying not to bring this up here cos of fear of intimidation, attacks and shellings but just recently realize that i could get useful advice on how to make ds work considering my budget and not even mind any negative comments. and infact since i know d pple i mentioned up there will help me alot. i decide to bring it up and wait for their encouragement, cos that was the essence of this thread.

I've just started a 3 bedroom small bungalow, and am hoping i'll use 400k to take it upto roofing stage, please offer me any advice u think will help achieve this herculian task.

I' will upload pictures by Monday next week

The house is in ogun state, the land is table flat ,i can tell u one thing labour is cheap, materials is cheap as a double tipper of sand goes for about 10-12k. NB2 work will never be done in my absence from d experience av gattered here.

Work done so far,
1. I dont have an approved plan, but a design from my head on what i want - a foundation has been done to dt effect. Anyone with useful advice on how to get it on dt sheet should help.NB i have settled omo onile for foundatn other settlements will be done as they fall due

2. i bought 250 machine moulded block @130 = 32,500, two months ago

3. My first single tipper of sand was bought @5k, two months ago

4. Paid for the digging of the foundation and laying of the 250 blocks @20k, two months ago

5. Bought double tipper of sand @ 12k, a higher quality of sand for moulding block

6.Paid for gravel that was used during the foundation 5k

7. 4 boys were paid 6.5k for moulding 550 blocks last saturday.

8.13 bags of cement was bought @2200 = 28600, for moulding the blocks

9. 5bags of cement during foundation works @ 2300= 11500

Total=32500+5000+20000+12000+5000+6500+28600+11500=N121,100