In response to the recent hike in prices of cement bags, the President, National Association of Block Molders of Nigeria, Alhaji Rasco Adebowale announced an increase in the price of blocks as well.
This followed a 5-day strike embarked upon by the Association which was to protest the hike in prices of cement and other materials that the molders use to for their operations. Now, 6x9x18 load-bearing blocks would sell for N220 per unit instead of N160, while 9x9x18 load-bearing blocks will sell for N250 per unit, up from N220, according to reports from Punch Newspapers.
In addition, the Association banned any block molding outside the confines of the Association members saying that this step became necessary in view of the recent spate of collapsed buildings.
Other stakeholders in the building industry could not fault the decision of the block molders to increase prices, seeing it as a normal ‘reaction to market forces’.
Parts of this article originally appeared in Punch Newspaper.
