Cement Prices May Rise As Monoploy Looms

There are strong indi
cations that the prices of cement would increase by next year,  should the alleged plan by Alhaji Aliko Dangote to be the sole dealer of the product scale through.
A staff of Atlas cement,  who pleaded anonymity told The Tide last weekend in Port Harcourt that Dangote has almost concluded plans to buy the production “right” from the federal government in a bid to control the cement industry.
Our source, said the government has  planned before now to stop importation of the product but was unable to carryout the decision due to the high power play in the system.
The sources, also explained how the import lincese of a particular importer was seized by a previous administration which led to the caking of several tons of cement on the high sea.
The source noted that there was no crime in allowing competition in the market, saying that the plans may frustrate consumers hope.
He told our reporter that the arrangement would not only cause increase in the price of the product, but would encourage a monopolistic system.
But a cement dealer in Port Harcourt, Chief Chukuma Ugo, said the appearance of Dangote in the cement industry caused a lot of changes in the system pointing out that Dangote’s entry into the cement sector was a positive development.
He said without the likes of Dangote the price of the product would have risen upto N3000.00 by now.
The Federal Government has concluded plans to stop the importation of cement, inorder to encourage the growth of local industries.