Thursday, September 25, 2025 -Nigeria’s ambitious housing and infrastructure programmes risk being undermined by the relentless rise in cement and other building material prices, the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, has warned.
Speaking during an inspection tour of the Abuja–Obajana
Junction road in Kogi State over the weekend, Umahi expressed concern that
despite ongoing government reforms stabilising the naira and easing
inflationary pressures, the cost of key construction inputs has continued to
soar.
“The dollar is being stabilised, but the price of cement has
moved from ₦7,500 to ₦10,500; same with shipping,
same with sand. Inflation is coming down even though construction materials are
going up, and we don’t know why,” he said.
The minister said the President Bola Tinubu administration
has placed roads and bridges at the heart of its development agenda,
identifying them as critical drivers of economic growth. He noted that the
construction sector remains pivotal to Nigeria’s gross domestic product (GDP)
expansion, with several other industries dependent on its performance.
Describing the price surge as a paradox that defies market
logic, Umahi likened it to unusual phenomena in physics where outcomes behave
contrary to expectations.
Despite the concerns, he maintained that government reforms
are yielding encouraging signs, particularly in the food sector, where prices
are beginning to decline. “We are doing the best we can under the
circumstances. And we are happy that food prices are coming down,” he added.
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