Speaking during the meeting held at the conference room of the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the state was very strategic and intentional about the Single Use Plastic, SUP, ban.

According to him, the meeting also discussed other issues involving both parties meeting such as the extended producer responsibilities and what FBRA is doing behind the scene to work with the government.

We commended them for their efforts and we agreed on some other things to solidify the relationship.

He said sometime in January 2014, the state government commenced the  enforcement of the ban of styrofoam with the commitment to add Single Use Plastics after 12 months.

He said the stakeholders engagement would be a monthly affair for now and would immediately be constituted with massive advocacy and public sensitization before enforcement saying that all decisions during the stakeholders engagement would help to stimulate positive results once the enforcement commences.

“We are now in February, we are involving the critical stakeholders and what we have agreed is to continue with serious engagement and advocacy with the association before the commencement of full enforcement.

“We all understand that there is no way we are going to enforce that ban that it won’t affect the FBRA members one way or the other as business owners, as manufacturers and suppliers. So, part of this our gathering  was about the enforcement and I believe before the end of this month there will be another engagement in order to work on the modalities that will lead us into full enforcement,” he said.

He said unlike styrofoam, SUP is more complicated and the government does not want to make a mistake as they are trying to do what they think is right for a sustainable environment, but thankfully the FBRA members agree  100 per cent with the government  stressing that the government was glad they spoke with one voice that they needed the ban more than even the government.

“So, that means there is unity of purpose on how we should put the ban to work. Both sides would continue to discuss in order to extensively work beyond the enforcement. We need to put the extended producer responsibilities and the funds into consideration as well as how it will be managed. Who are those that will be involved from the end of the government, who are those that will be involved from the end of the FBRA so that they work hand in hand for proper modalities and a road map,” he said.

He emphasized that the government was not banning pure water but only banning the usage of Single Use Plastics of less than 40 micron.

According to him, we say to all Lagosians that the government is not banning pure water.

“We shall buy the sachets back and we are working round the buyback.  I’m also glad that lots of interventions for recycling and reusing of this products (Pure Water Sachets) are in the works, we are planning on signing of a Memorandum Of Understanding, MOU, with LAFARGE by next week on a particular use from their own factory. These are directives we want to push and measures we are putting in place,” he emphasised.

Wahab reiterated that the government was banning SUP this year and working on the modalities to implement it with FBRA saying, thankfully the most big supermarkets and retail outlets are already implementing it by selling plastic bags at a price to their customers as a means to discourage them from disposing it but rather keep and clean when next they go shopping.

“I want to make a plea with Lagosians, let us continue to support the government with respect to ban of styrofoam and as we move to the next phase which is the ban on the usage of single use plastics. Lagosians should see it in context of an issue we are trying to address and they should support the government in respect to it. We are also going to be considerate with how we will implement it so that we can clean the system of this waste and move towards the reusing and recycling of the product and save our land fields from things that do not have to go there.”

Speaking earlier, the chairman of FBRA, Ziad Maclouf, said the banning of usage on SUPs is a welcome development and long overdue, added that the association was set to introduce new system where they can produce alternatives that will be Good for the economy and for the environment.

He said the association is in total support of the state  government initiative and is encouraging its customers to now make use of thick plastic bags saying the association is also looking at other ways to enlightenment them on how to separate their wastes and make money from it.

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The committee resolved to visit production plants of the companies after going through their books to ascertain the cost of production with a view to determine a fair price of cement for all Nigerians.

The chairman of the joint committee, Rep. Jonathan Gaza (APC-Nasarawa), made the demand on Friday at a public hearing while quizzing Dangote Cement Company and Lafarge Africa PLC in Abuja.

He said that the committee was interested in the cost of production from 2020 to date that justified the current price of cement which is over N10,000 in most parts of the country.

He said that the companies should give its average daily consumption of coal, gas, gypsum, limestone, clay, laterite and the average daily production of cement from 2020 to date.

Gaza said that the companies should provide details of all imported components for the production of cement and their prices from 2020 to date.

The lawmaker said that the companies should also provide details of local components for the production of cement and their prices in naira and dollars if any in the period under review.

He said that the companies should provide a summary of the monthly prices and quantity of cement produced from 2019 to date as well as their audited accounts of the company, bills of duties paid to customs within the period under review.

Gaza also said that the companies should provide details of tax waivers and other incentives enjoyed plus gas and explosives contract details.

Rep. Dabo Ismail (APC-Bauchi State), a member of the committee, said that Dangote Cement Company had continued to make increasing profits in the country despite being able to source most of its raw materials locally.

He said that in 2022, the company declared a profit of N524 billion, N553 billion in 2023 and had so far made N166.4 billion in 2024.

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The lawmaker said that there was no reason why the price of cement would keep rising in the market to the detriment of Nigerians while producers were smiling to the banks.

Earlier, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Dangote Cement Company, Mr Arvind Pathack, said that 95 per cent of production cost were either imported or linked to forex.

He explained that there had been between 100 to 333 per cent increase in the price of major cement input materials like gas, AGO, gypsum, imported coal, spare parts, new trucks, tyres, petrol among others.

Pathack said that company was made to pay in dollars some of its contracts to access gas and explosives saying that the provision made by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was not enough to meet demand so they engage in international sales and also sourced from the parallel market.

According to him, logistics issues such as deplorable state of key roads, created several issues including longer time to deliver, increase in truck maintenance and delivery cost.

The GMD explained that lack of sufficient forex to settle trade obligations had resulted in huge forex losses to a tune of N150 billion a per annum while paying 30 per cent interest rate on loans.

He said between May 2023 and June 2024, there had been over 220 per cent devaluation of the Naira among many other challenges like insecurity and public power supply.

Pathack said that the cost of building materials like reinforcement, granite and aluminum window had increased by 177 per cent to 283 per cent while cement had increased by 166 per cent between 2023 and 2024.

He said that cement was being sold at average cost of 7,200 saying that any price over N10,000 was the handwork of retailers which the company had no control over.

According to him, when converted to dollars, a bag of cement is sold at $7.8 dollars in Benin, $6.6 in Togo, $7.8 in Ghana, $4.4 in India while that of Nigeria is $4.43, making it one of the cheapest in Africa.

The committee admonished the companies to look into their policy and operations with a view to reducing the price of cement in the country.

In an interview with newsmen, the chairman of the committee expressed hope that the engagement would lead to a reduction in the price of cement.

He blamed high price of the commodity on the inaction of Federal Competition Consumer Protection Commission, FCCPC.

Gaza said that as an agency responsible for the protection of consumers, they failed to protect Nigerians against middlemen who sold the commodity for as high as N14,000 after purchasing it for N6,000 at the factory.

“We are extremely hopeful that this engagement will lead to a reduction in the price of cement.

“FCCPC has slept on their functions so far, their inactivity and none responsiveness to price is what has put Nigeria where we are today,” he said.

Source: NAN

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The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, issued the threat on Tuesday in Abuja at a meeting with Cement and Building Materials Manufacturers.

The meeting was summoned to address the astronomical increase in the cost of cement nationwide.

The minister expressed concern that in the past couple of months, the country had witnessed a recurring alarming increase in the prices of cement and other building materials.

“Clearly, this is a crisis for housing delivery. An increase in essential building materials means an increase in the prices of houses.

“We are not the only country facing these challenges, many countries are facing the same type of challenges that we’re facing, some even worse than that.

“But, as patriotic citizens, we have to rally round the country when there is crisis, to ensure that we do our best to save the situation,” he said.

The minister added: “Honestly speaking, we have to sit down and look at this critically and know how you should go back and think of it.

“The government stopped importation of cement in order to empower you to produce more and sell cheaper, otherwise the government can open the borders for mass importation of cement. The price will crash, but you will have no business to do.”

Dangiwa said the reasons given by cement manufacturers for the price increase – high cost of gas and manufacturing equipment – were not enough for such astronomical pricing.

He expressed his displeasure at the position of Cement Manufacturer Association of Nigeria, CEMAN, that the association “does not interfere with the pricing of cement.”

He said the association should not just fold its arms when things were going wrong.

“One person cannot be selling at N3500 per bag and another selling at N7000 per bag and you cannot call them to order.

“The association is expected to monitor price control, otherwise the association has no need to exist,” he said.

Earlier, Mr. Salako James, Executive Secretary, CEMAN, said the housing policy of the administration of President Bola Tinubu was laudable and every responsible Nigerian had to key into it.

He, however, identified some areas of concern and appealed to the government to look into them in order to tackle the issue of cement pricing.

Salako identified the challenges of gas supply to heavy users like the cement industry and urged the government to create a window whereby gas would be bought with Naira instead of dollar.

He also complained about the distribution channel, stressing that there was a great difference between the price from the manufacturers and the market price.

He, therefore, called for government intervention to help stabilise the situation and bring sanity to the economy.

NAN reports that at the end of the meeting, the minister directed that a committee should be constituted to review the situation and come out with implementable resolutions that would benefit the common Nigerian.

NAN also reports that the three major cement producers, Dangote Plc, BUA Plc and Lafarge Plc as well as other industry stakeholders were represented.

Source: NAN

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This is part of the agreement reached during a meeting between the government and the major cement manufacturers on Monday in Abuja.

Sen. David Umahi, Minister of Works and his counterpart, Minister of Trade and Investment, Mrs Doris Uzoka-Anite, and the three major cement manufacturers – Dangote Plc, BUA Plc and Lafarge Plc signed the communiqué.

According to the document, government had taken note  of the challenges enumerated by the manufacturers which include cost of gas, high import duty on spare parts, bad road network, high foreign exchange and smuggling of cement to neighbouring nations.

Therefore, the meeting concluded that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment would seek some remedies from President Bola Tinubu on the cost of gas and import duties.

READ ALSO: Prof Ben Nwabueze’s final journey home begins Thursday

The Federal Ministry of Works would give more attention to fixing of the roads, especially around the locations of the manufacturers.

On cement smuggling, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment was to deepen the engagement with the National Security Adviser on how to stop the menace.

The meeting also agreed that the current high price of cement was abnormal in some locations nationwide.

“Ideally, cement retail prices should not cost more than ₦7,000.00 to ₦8,000.00/ 50kg bag of cement,” it was said.

Therefore, the three cement manufacturers: Dangote Cement Plc, BUA Cement Plc and Larfarge Africa Plc have agreed that cement cost should not be more than between ₦7,000.00 and ₦8,000.00/50kg bag, depending on the location.

In addition, government advised cement manufacturers to set up a price monitoring mechanism to ensure compliance, and manufacturers have willingly accepted to do so and sanction any distributor or retailer found wanting.

Government expects the agreed price to drop after securing its interventions on the challenges of the manufacturers on gas, import duty, smuggling and better road network.

Furthermore, they agreed that at least six more players had to be introduced into the cement manufacturing sector to make the market more competitive and product  more available.

The BUA representative, Mr Kabiru Rabiu, Group Executive Director, disclosed that BUA was preparing to release six million tonnes of cement within the next three weeks to make the product more available nationwide.

The stakeholders agreed to reconvene in 30 days to review progress made.

Source: NAN

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The governor said reconstructing the road would have multiplier effects on the socio-economic development of the state, while companies who have their base of operations along the route stood to benefit more.

The governor spoke when the management team of Lafarge Africa Plc paid a courtesy visit to his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Prince Abiodun regretted the deplorable state of the road, even as he recalled the various palliative interventions by the Ogun State Government to lessen the pains of motorists.

The governor said that although Ogun State had secured the permission of the federal government to reconstruct the road, the cost, which was initially put at about N70 billion, would be in the region of N150 billion or more due to high cost of asphalt, diesel and cement as a result of inflation.

“It is important we sit down and identity what portion of the expanse of that road Larfarge and the likes are going to contribute because the truth is that you are one of the biggest contributors to the condition of that road.

“Your trucks are causing damages to the road. They are carrying cement and raw materials, and most of those trucks are even overcapacitating the design of the road,” the governor said.

Abiodun called on the management of Lafarge to use global best practices in disposing industrial waste in their areas of operation.

Acknowledging the company’s longstanding commitment to the local economy, Governor Abiodun emphasised the crucial role of collaboration with the private sector in addressing the challenges of sustainable economic growth and job creation.

He also commended Lafarge for its impact on industrial activities, providing valuable employment opportunities for residents and fostering skills development.

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Lafarge’s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, including investments in education, healthcare, and community infrastructure, underscore its dedication to enhancing the quality of life for Ogun State residents, the governor added.

He noted that the collaboration between Lafarge and the Ogun State government enhanced the resilience of the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Responding, Mr. Lolu Alade-Akinyemi, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO, of Lafarge, highlighted the company’s 64-year history of contributing to the economic growth of the Ewekoro axis.

The Lafarge CEO said: “Lafarge is part of the Holcim Group, one of the world’s leading building materials giants. A commitment to the sustainable development of every community and every country in which we operate is fundamental, non-negotiable principle in our business.”

According to Mr. Alade-Akinyemi, the company’s commitment to sustainable development is nested in four pillars-circular economy, climate, energy, and people.

He added that Lafarge Africa Plc had played a pivotal role in the state’s economic development, exemplifying a commitment to sustainable growth and community empowerment.

The company’s extensive operations and investments have significantly contributed to job creation and overall economic prosperity, he said.

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Governor Sanwo-Olu while receiving the team led by the Country Chief Executive Officer, CCEO Khaled El Dokani, at the Lagos House, Marina praised the organisation for its collaborative efforts towards stemming the spread of the virus after the first index case was discovered within its premises.

He described as encouraging, the openness and supportive action of Lafarge from the first day till date, saying that it had led to quick arrest of the case in Nigeria.

The governor said he was happy to welcome the team thanking the company for its contribution over the years to the construction industry through their products.

His words: “It is very unfortunate that we have it (Coronavirus) in our country but I want to thank you for the collaboration and all the efforts between our sister state, your organisation and of course the federal government and how we’ve been able to address and curtail the incident thus far.

“We can only but continue to work together in harmony, we can only continue to understand and appreciate that we are the same but we are only different sides of the coin.”

He added that “The bottom line is we want to continue to provide safety and improve the quality of life for our people: whilst you do that for your stakeholders we do that for the entire state and the nation. We’ll continue to see reasons and a means of engagement and collaboration. We’ll continue to do that.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu stated that the state government would continue to look at avenues to partner with the company in construction saying it would continue to deliver and improve on good governance to Lagosians.

On his part, Khalid praised the governor and his team for their swift response to the “unfortunate” situation and said that he was confident that it would soon be a thing of the past.

According to him: “We want to extend Our deepest appreciation for the support we received from the Governor of Lagos in managing the unfortunate situation that took place at our Ewekoro plant and we would really want to express our gratitude for all the support, the solidarity, the professionalism and the one team approach in overcoming such situation which we all hope will soon be over.”

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The information was made on Friday by the Commissioner for Health, Ogun State, Tomi Coker.

Coker spoke during a visit of her team to the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where the government appealed to religious leader to join in the sensitization on the need to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

He words:  “We all know that coronavirus is a global emergency. The index case, a 44-year-old Italian national, who was transferred from Ogun State to the Bio-Security Laboratory is responding to treatment.

“Even the people who have been quarantined are not developing any symptoms. The need to keep spreading the message of personal hygiene at different levels is very important. Hence, we want to solicit your support in fighting this disease.”

It would be recalled that the list of people suspected to have been contacted by the first coronavirus case in Nigeria quarantined in Ogun State hit 39.

The persons included the driver who picked the infected Italian from an hotel in Ikeja and those who served him food and drink.

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These contact persons included the driver who picked the infected Italian from an hotel in Ikeja and those who served him food and drink.

Contrary to reports that the production lines of Lafarge Africa PLC, Ewekoro have been closed following the visit of the Coronavirus-infected Italian to the company’s guest house, the management of Lafarge and Ogun State government have debunked the closure of the cement production lines.

The Ogun Government and Lafarge Africa confirmed this development at the Lafarge facility during an on-the-spot-assessment by the host state government, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), World Health Organisation (WHO) teams and the Industrial Director of Lafarge plc.

Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, commended Lafarge Africa for the quick and proactive measures taken so far.

She noted that it was imperative for the state and federal governments to swing into action to contain the spread of the deadly disease.

The commissioner said that the state government had activated an Emergency Operation Committee, EOC, to manage any development that might arise from the reported cases of Coronavirus.

“We are on top of the situation. There is no cause for alarm. Our health educators are busy with advocacy efforts on the field. We are sensitising our health officers too on preventive measures to adopt.

“We have all the required interventions to contain the situation. Members of the public should remain calm,” the commissioner said.

On its part, the company said that its production lines were not shut as the guest house where the Italian was lodged is 5km to the manufacturing plants in Ewekoro.

The Industrial Director, Lafarge Plc, Mr Segun Soyoye, said the Italian came to Lafarge facilities at Ewekoro to inspect some installations of machines bought from a Swedish firm.

Soyoye added that the Italian didn’t go behind Lafarge guest house at Ishofin estate before he was evacuated having developed abnormal temperatures that suggested he had been infected with Covid-19.

“The Italian came for a business visit. He was in Lagos on Monday and slept at Airport Hotel, Ikeja. Our driver took him there, and when we observed abnormal temperatures and symptoms, we quickly instituted an Emergency Response Team which is led by the Company CEO; we have to find a way of analysing and identifying not only the Italian but also the other contacts.

“The contact persons are now 39 and we have quarantined them, the house and clinic as well as the vehicles. We don’t take chances, that is why they are put there.

“Today (Saturday) is Day 3; they will be there for 14 days. We will continue to observe them, we have their database, showing their biodata and other information.

“The doctor is here and what he is doing is to check them on a regular basis. So far everybody is stable, they are not symptomatic, we are providing everything for them over there.

“The other thing that I have not said is that the clinic that was used for the infected person is closed, disinfected and we moved everybody out.

“All the guys on duty that day, they were also quarantined, so they will be there for 14 days as well,” Soyoye said.

Also, Mr Ibrahim Mamadu, the Team Leader of World Health Organisation (WHO) Nigeria, also commended the internal processes undertaken so far by Lafarge Africa to contain the deadly disease.

He however advised the company and others to acquire digital thermometers to check body temperatures instead of infrared thermometers for accurate body temperature readings.

Source: NAN

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This is as the Lafarge cement factory in Ewekoro, Ogun State, which the patient visited was shut by the state government.

Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, who made this known on Friday said the steps were taken to prevent the spread of the disease.

The patient who is said to be isolated at the bio-security facility in Yaba, Lagos, was reported to have arrived Murtala Muhammed International Airport on Monday.

He came in a Turkish Airline.

He was said to have passed the night at an undisclosed hotel close to the airport in Lagos before moving to the premises of Lafarge at Ewekoro on Tuesday.

The patient who was described as a consultant to Lafarge was said to have shown symptoms of high fever and body pains in the afternoon of Wednesday before he was taken to the medical facility of Lafarge.

The people quarantined were those suspected to have been in contact with the patient.

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The company stated this in a statement on Friday by Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, Director, Communications, Public Affairs and Sustainable Development made available to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos.

Ambrose-Medebem said that the company had equally initiated isolation, quarantine and disinfection protocol at Ewekoro plant.

“As a business, we have immediately identified the persons who had direct contact with the concerned individual.

“The individual concerned works for a vendor that provides services to Lafarge Africa Plc in Ogun State,” she stated.

Ambrose-Medebem commended the exemplary leadership of the federal ministry of health, Ogun and Lagos State Governments for swiftly providing response and testing facilities.

She noted that the company was working fully with all the local authorities.

“Lafarge Africa is also working in close partnership with International SOS, our medical service provider, a leading global health company.

“Health and safety remains a core value at Lafarge Africa and we intend to leverage this strength at this critical time,” Ambrose-Medebem added.

The Ministry of Health in Lagos State had confirmed the first case of the disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria, which incidentally is the first in West Africa since the outbreak in China in January.

“In the last 12 hours, the first case of the chronic virus has been identified in Nigeria and the individual was visiting Ogun State.

“The individual is of Italian origin and he is a consultant to the Lafarge, Ewekoro factory,” it said early on Friday.

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