Makurdi – Members of the Benue House of Assembly have insisted that the price of the cement produced by Dangote Cement Company, Gboko, must be affordable to its people.
“The price should be reduced to an affordable rate to boost infrastructural development in the state,” the members insisted on Wednesday in Makurdi, during an interface with the firm’s management team.
They told the team, led by the Plant Manager, Mr Jecinto Miranda, that the host community and state should “at least be able to purchase a bag of cement for N1,500 or less”.
The legislators, who had written to the firm asking the management to appear before it and explain the sudden rise in the price of the commodity from N2,000 in December 2016, to N3,000 in January 2017, also suggested that sale depots be established across the state.
The law makers also hinted that they would seek more extracting licenses as lime stones could be derived from many other local government in the state.
“We will get more investors to extract and process; by so doing, there will be competition and prices will stabilise.”
Other issues raised were the need for social responsibility projects by the company, especially the need to repair the deplorable roads leading to the plant.
They also expressed dismay over alleged use of soldiers to harass members of the host communities, hiring and firing of staff without payments, dilapidated classrooms, boreholes and electricity projects, among others.
In his response, Miranda assured the members that the prices of the commodity would come down “within a short time”.
“We shut down the plant temporary in November so as to change from the use of LPO to coal, which is affordable,” he said.
The plant manager, however, said that the company had embarked on some projects for the host community.
He refuted claims that limestone was evacuated from Gboko to other states for processing.
The lawmakers, in a motion moved by Paul Biam, and seconded by Banjamin Nungwa, urged the standing committee on commerce and industries, to carry out a vigorous oversight function at the plant to ascertain compliance to issues raised.