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FG threatens to open border for cement importation

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10 months ago

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The federal government has threatened to possibly open the borders to cement importation if Nigerian cement manufacturers refuse to reduce the price of the commodity in the country.

 

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc Ahmed Dangiwa, who made the declaration said key input materials for cement production such as limestone, clay, silica sand, and gypsum sourced within our borders, should not be dollar-rated.

 

Dangiwa made this known on Tuesday, February 20, in Abuja at an emergency meeting held with cement and building materials manufacturers. He said the price of gas that manufacturers are using as an excuse should not be because gas is a raw material found within the country and the excuse of an increase in mining equipment should not come up because equipment bought by these manufacturers has been used for decades and not just purchased every day.

 

The minister said the border was closed to the importation of cement to help local manufacturers but if the government decides to open it back for mass importation, prices of cement would crash and local manufacturers would be gravely affected.

 

Dangiwa who called on the manufacturers to be more patriotic said BUA cement for instance has been willing and is still willing as at the last time he spoke with them to crash the price of their cement, lower than the N7000, N8000 agreed by the manufacturers and he sees no reason why the others should not do same.

 

The minister in response to the manufacturers said: “The challenges you speak of, many countries are facing the same challenges and some even worse than that but as patriotic citizens, we have to rally around whenever there is a crisis to change the situation.

 

“The gas price you spoke of, we know that we produce gas in the country the only thing you can say is that maybe it is not enough. Even if you say about 50 percent of your production cost is spent on gas prices, we still produce gas in Nigeria it’s just that some of the manufacturers take advantage of the situation. As for the mining equipment that you mentioned, you buy equipment and it takes years and you are still using it.

 

“The time you bought it maybe it was at a lower price but because now the dollar is high you are using it as an excuse. Honestly, we have to sit down and look at this critically. The demand and supply should be good for you because the government stopped the importation of cement, they stopped the importation in order to empower you to produce more.

 

“Otherwise if the government opens the border for mass importation of cement, the price would crash but you would have no business to do and at the same time the employment generation would go down. So these are the kinds of things you have to look at, the efforts of government in ensuring things go well.”

 

The minister also put the blame on the Cement Manufactures of Nigeria for not regulating the price of cement in the country because earlier, the Executive Secretary of the Association, Salako James had informed the minister that the association does not discuss or determine the price of individual companies but are only made aware of prices from the market like every Nigerian.

 

Dangiwa said the ministry would be setting up a committee which would be comprised of representatives of each cement manufacturer in the country, its association, and the government to fashion out modalities to resolve the problem of high price of cement in the country.

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Business

First Bank Denies Losing N7 Billion To Fraud Incident, Says Report Is Unfounded

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December 14, 2024

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Ekwutosblog has gathered that the First Bank of Nigeria (FBN) has denied losing N7 Billion to a fraud incident in the course of the year.

This was a response to an earlier report by a news platform (not CITyNEWS) that the bank lost the aforementioned amount to a massive fraud incident that affected customers’ funds.

“First Bank, Nigeria’s oldest bank, was hit by a massive fraud incident that led to the theft of ₦7 billion from customer accounts by unknown persons, according to one person with direct knowledge of the matter. Three other persons who asked not to be named discussing sensitive company matters confirmed the incident.”

In a statement sent to this publication, First Bank described the report as unfounded as it wasn’t based on any factual event.

“Correction of Misleading Information Regarding Fraud Allegations.

“We have been made aware of a recent publication by Tech Cabal containing allegations of fraud involving our institution. We wish to categorically state that the story is entirely unfounded and not supported by any factual evidence.”

Over the years, First Bank has built a strong reputation around seamless banking, safety of customers’ funds, excellent customer service, and several others.

For six consecutive years (2011 – 2016), FirstBank was named “Most Valuable Bank Brand in Nigeria” by the globally renowned The Banker Magazine of the Financial Times Group and “Best Retail Bank in Nigeria” eight times in a row, 2011 – 2018, by the Asian Banker International Excellence in Retail Financial Services Awards.

In 2023, FirstBank received notable awards including “Best Private Bank for Sustainable Investing in Africa 2023” by Global Finance Awards; “Best Sustainable Bank in Nigeria 2023” by International Investors Awards; “Best Bespoke Banking Services in Nigeria 2023” by International Investors Awards; “Best Financial Inclusion Service Provider in Nigeria 2023” by ’ by Euromoney Awards and ‘’Most Innovative Banking Brand – Nigeria 2023’’ by Global Brands Award.

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Some foodstuff traders and consumers in Lagos state have expressed excitement over the recent drop in the price of beans.

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16 hours ago

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December 13, 2024

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Some foodstuff traders and consumers in Lagos state have expressed excitement over the recent drop in the price of beans.

The traders expressed their joy in separate interviews with NAN on Friday in Lagos.

According to the report, there has been a slight drop in the price of beans that has consistently risen in the past few months…

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Naira Gains ₦14.94 in Official Market, Improves in Parallel Trade

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December 13, 2024

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The naira appreciated against the dollar in both the official and parallel foreign exchange markets on Thursday.

According to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, the naira closed at N1,532 per dollar on Thursday, improving from N1,545 recorded on Wednesday.

Similarly, data from FMDQ showed that the naira strengthened to N1,534.35 per dollar on Thursday, compared to N1,549.29 traded the previous day. This represents an appreciation of N14.94 against the dollar.

At the parallel market, the naira also gained trading between N1,640 and N1,680 per dollar on Thursday, compared to N1,710 on Wednesday, according to Abubakar Alhassan, a Bureau de Change operator in Wuse 4, Abuja.

Akelicious reports that the naira has experienced fluctuations throughout the week.

This volatility follows the recent introduction of the Electronic Foreign Exchange Matching System, EFEMS, by the CBN, aimed at ensuring more transparent FX transactions.

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