Despite repeated commitments by leading cement manufacturers to slash prices, Nigerians across the country are lamenting the persistent and alarming rise in the cost of cement, with prices now ranging between ₦9,500 and ₦12,000 per 50kg bag, according to findings by Hobnob News.
This development comes months after a temporary relief in March 2025, when prices dropped to ₦7,800 following a previous spike to ₦15,000 in February 2024. In May 2025, manufacturers such as Dangote Cement and BUA had publicly vowed to reduce prices further in support of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope housing initiative.
However, those promises appear unfulfilled as the price of cement has again surged by between 28% and 53% across different states, worsening Nigeria’s housing crisis and pushing rent prices beyond the reach of many citizens.
“It is painful that Dangote did not replicate his supposed fuel reduction strategy in the cement sector,” lamented Benjamin Udoka, a concerned stakeholder. “In parts of Abuja, a 50kg bag of cement now costs as much as ₦11,000. It is pathetic. The federal government needs to take action on price control in the cement industry. Nigerians can no longer bear the exorbitant rent.”
Maryam Abubakar, a resident of Dawaki, echoed similar frustrations, noting that the price hike is further deepening economic hardship.
In an exclusive interview with DAILY POST, past National President and Board of Trustees member of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Aliyu Wamakko, blamed the situation on ineffective government regulation, rising demand, and lack of sustained engagement with cement manufacturers.
“The usage of cement in Nigeria has increased, especially as government now uses it for road construction,” Wamakko explained. “Yet, about 70% of the raw materials for cement are locally sourced. There’s no reason why prices should remain this high.”
He urged the federal government to reintroduce strict price controls and resume active negotiations with manufacturers, as it did earlier in March. Wamakko further recommended the use of alternative materials for road construction, preserving cement primarily for housing to reduce pressure on demand.
Meanwhile, efforts by DAILY POST to get responses from the spokespersons of Dangote Group and the Federal Competition & Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) were unsuccessful as of press time.
Despite a report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicating that Nigeria’s headline inflation dropped to 22.97% in May, citizens say this relief has not extended to the housing sector. In Gwarimpa, Abuja, for example, the annual rent for a self-contained apartment has skyrocketed from ₦700,000 to about ₦1.5 million.
The Tinubu administration’s flagship 3,112-unit housing project, launched in February 2024 under the Housing Minister Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, remains stalled, adding to public frustration.
Calls for legislative intervention have also yielded little. The Senate’s planned probe into cement price hikes, first proposed in 2024, has yet to produce any concrete outcomes, leaving many Nigerians to bear the brunt of rising construction costs and an increasingly unaffordable rental market.
