Some stakeholders in the housing/construc-tion industry have called on the Federal Government to tackle the spate of increase in the prices of cement to make sure there is reduction and control in the prices of the product in 2012.

The stakeholders who made their opinions known in Port Harcourt, Rivers Statte also urged President Goodluck Jonathan to match words with action in the quest for the availability and affordability of cement across the country.

Expressing his views on the cautious increase in the prices of cement, inspite of the President’s directive in 2011 that the prices of the product be reduced, a building materials merchant in Port Harcourt, Mr. Livingston Eze, said that the price of cement might go up to between N2,700 and N3,500 this current dry season when construction activities are at their peak, if nothing is done to tackle the styrocketting prices.

He said that the issue of cement price control should not be left to the market forces of demand and supply, pointing out that experience had shown that Nigerians play a lot of tricks to ensure that the masses are being exploited and urged government to take more drastic steps in reducing cement prices.

Also on his part, Mr. Williams Atuje, an estate developer, said that  cement prices usually increase at the beginning of every construction season; which is usually at the end of the raining season, but will come down gradually when construction activities reduce, which will cause a reduction in demand of cement.

He expressed worries that the situation was a bit different in 2011, where the prices remained high even during the raining season, and irrespective of the efforts of Mr. President in ensuring that the prices remained between N1,000 and N1,500, and expressed fear that the prices might hit the roof between now and March 2012, if no proactive measures are being taken to address it.

For Joseph Iduma, who is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyor, and Valuers (NIESV), the Federal Government had not done enough to ensure that the cement price was controlled.

He said that the public was still expecting a total compliance with the order of President Jonathan last year on cement prices and availability, and urged the President to take seriously steps he had taken in the petroleum sector, to cement production to ensure total change in the system.

It would be recalled that President Goodluck Jonathan directed the Economic Management Team at the third quarter of 2011 to crash cement prices, but in a very short period, the prices rebounded to about N3,000 per 50kg bag.

Corlins Walter