FG Pressures Cement Makers to Slash Prices, Talks Begin July 1
Last update: June 22, 2026
Disclaimer: This website may contain affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you click on the link and make a purchase. We only recommend products or services that we personally use and believe will add value to our readers. Your support is appreciated!
Cement prices are getting too hot to handle, and the FG’s Works Minister David Umahi is calling out manufacturers to cool it down, starting July 1.
The Federal Government isn’t mincing words with cement manufacturers anymore. According to cbinewstv, Works Minister Senator David Umahi has told producers point-blank: bring those prices down.
Speaking on Sunday at the rebrand of Lafarge Africa to HBM, now owned by China’s HUAXIN Group, Umahi said the current cost of cement is choking infrastructure projects across Nigeria. Contractors are knocking on his door daily, demanding contract reviews because materials are just too pricey. But Umahi’s response? Not happening.
“I want to insist that Lafarge now HBM and other manufacturers of cement should reduce their prices,” Umahi said at the Lagos Continental Hotel. “We shall be engaging on this from July 1, 2026. It’s the manufacturers of cement that should review their cost.”
In his chat with industry bigwigs, investors and stakeholders, the minister didn’t hold back. He made it clear that the FG won’t keep adjusting contracts to keep up with rising cement costs. Instead, manufacturers need to take responsibility.
Why does it matter? Because cheaper cement isn’t just about big government projects. It’s about ordinary Nigerians trying to build homes, schools, and shops without breaking the bank.
Umahi also pointed out that President Tinubu’s infrastructure push, think Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and loads of other road and bridge projects, means demand for cement is about to skyrocket. So he’s urging HBM and other players to ramp up production and get ready.
“The market is smaller than what the president is doing. So, enlarge your coast,” he told HBM’s management, assuring them the government is keen to work with investors to grow industry and infrastructure together.
He wasn’t shy about hyping the administration’s wins either. Umahi said the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is turning heads internationally. “When Deutsche Bank came to evaluate our project, they said it was undervalued and that the project is of topmost quality,” he noted. “Today, our neighbouring nations are coming to steal the technology of the coastal highway.”
For Umahi, it all ties back to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He’s confident the infrastructure drive will boost jobs, grow the economy, and make Nigeria more competitive.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu… The vision and mission are achievable, and we are on course, and this country will be taken back for the good of Nigerians,” he said.
The bottom line: Contractors have been sounding the alarm for months, high cement prices mean slower housing delivery and pricier public projects. The FG’s planned July 1 sit-down with manufacturers, as reported by cbinews.tv, is set to tackle how to ease costs without killing investment or production.
#Nigeria #CementPrices #DavidUmahi #Infrastructure #ConstructionNews #LafargeAfrica #HBM #Tinubu #RenewedHope #LagosCalabarHighway #BuildingNigeria #Cbinewstv
