By Gloria Ikibah
The President of the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Prof Sadiq Abubakar, has said that the arbitrary hike in cement price is directly responsible for increasing cases of building collapse in the country.
Prof. Abubakar revealed this on Monday in Abuja at an investigative hearing organised by the House of Representatives Joint Committee on Solid Minerals, Industry, Commerce and Special Duties, on the arbitrary increase in price of cement.
According to the COREN President, the increase was responsible for lowering the standards of infrastructure in the country.
He said: “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”.
Chairman of the Joint Committee, Rep. Gaza Gbwefi, agreed with the submission of the COREN President that the cost of cement is a direct relation with building collapse , he added that 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.
The Joint Committee also 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 to show up for the investigative hearing on Monday was summoned, having failed to appear after two invitations by 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.
Rep. Gbewfi asserted that the failure of the cement manufacturers to appear before the committee was an affront to to the powers of the National Assembly.
He therefore threatened to institute appropriate sanctions in accordance with the law if he failed to show up at the next hearing.
The Joint Committee also queried the representative of the Nigeria Building and Road Research Institute (NIBRID) and Federal Competition and Consumers Protection Council (FCCPC) on the arbitrary price increase.
Gbewfi expressed displeasure to 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.