Nigerian Architects Lament Rising Prices of Building Materials, Express Fear of Dangerous Consequences

Nigerian architects under the auspices of Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) yesterday lamented the dangerous effect of rising prices of building materials, expressing anxiety that the anomaly will lead to usage and patronage of quacks and fake materials in the construction industry thereby jeopardising the lives and property of many Nigerians.

The organisation, therefore, implored the government to intervene speedily in stabilising the market prices, by giving incentives like tax reduction to building material manufacturers, provision of dedicated electricity supply to industrial hubs as well as stemming the spate of insecurity nationwide to help reduce cost of production.

At its press conference held at the national headquarters of the NIA in Abuja, the President of the Institute, Mrs. Mobolaji A. Adeniyi, stated that despite the intervention of the government, Nigeria is currently undergoing very difficult times and most of its citizens are experiencing real hardship in their daily lives.

According to her, “We recognise that this is a global phenomenon, the challenges are everywhere ranging from high cost of transportation, which is a direct consequence of the new price of petroleum products, a galloping inflation rate which rose from 28.92 percent in December 2023, to 29.90 percent in January 2024, within a space of only one month.

“Of these challenges, the one that mostly concerns us in the construction industry is the current rapid increase in the prices of building materials, typified by the astronomical rise in the price of Portland Cement and other materials in high demand.

“Within a period of three weeks, the price of a bag of cement has risen from N4,500 to N13,000 in some locations across our country, and in some locations, even as much as N15,000.

“This notwithstanding the fact that much of the cement used in Nigeria are actually produced locally. Reinforcement has risen to above N1 million per ton. Add this to other regular inflationary rises in other building materials and we can safely predict a definite slow-down in construction activities within the next few months. This can further lead to malpractices by unscrupulous contractors and developers, leading to more incidents of building collapse if statutory and professional oversight is not beefed up.”

The NIA chief, Adeniyi, disclosed that they engaged the Minister of Steel Development, Prince Shuaibu Abubakar Audu, recently where “we emphasised the need to complete the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill in order to ensure cost reduction, availability of reinforcement and other steel products across Nigeria as well as maintaining standards. It is demoralizing to note that even nails and other accessories for building construction are not manufactured in Nigeria.

“Lives of Nigerians will face increased risk due to the increased cost of building materials. Moreover, with reduced construction activities, there may be a sharp rise in crime occasioned by an anticipated high rate of job losses across the country, especially in the unskilled labour sector.

“This is in view of the fact that the construction industry employs over 40 percent of labour. It is also worth noting that this is coming against the background of a very robust plan by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to develop over 100,000 housing units across the country this year.

The plan even includes the establishment of building materials manufacturing hubs across Nigeria, forming part of the actionable strategies to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda of the current administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

She added: “The Nigerian Institute of Architects believes that this is a perfect time for deep examination of our cultural, economic, and social lifestyles. Beyond the need for price stability and improved manufacturing, we must also look inwards for the solutions that we seek.