Estate developers and building contractors in Enugu state have decried sky-rocketing prices of building materials, especially cement, which rose by over 500 per cent, in the last one week.
Blueprint reports that Dangote Cement which previously sold between N1, 500 and N1, 750 as at Monday last week now sells for between N2, 200 and N2, 500 per bag.
A developer, Mr. Peter Odoh, told our correspondent that the price hike could not be explained in terms of market factors that might have changed, saying that the price of diesel had remained stable despite the scarcity of PMS.
Odoh, who recently returned from Germany, accused the government for not taking price control seriously in critical sectors of the economy “even when those things are produced in Nigeria.”
According to him, the housing infrastructure is one of the duties of the government and wondered how a government will ignore the basic needs of Nigerians, one of which is the provision of shelter.
He added that over 70 per cent of houses built for rent was owned by politicians who charged exorbitant rents which the poor “can ill-afford.”
“A room self-contained room in Enugu, for instance, goes for between N150, 000 and N200, 000 per annum and the prospective tenant is required to pay additional N50, 000 as lawyer’s fee.”
