The Federal Government has threatened to open the borders to enable cement importation if Nigeria's cement manufacturers refuse to reduce the price of the commodity in the country. 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. According to him, the price of gas that manufacturers are using as an excuse was not tenable because gas is a raw material found within the country. He added 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 manufacturer