Cement price rises in Rivers as truck drivers withdraw

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

The price of cement is on the increase in Port Harcourt, the capital of Rivers State as truck drivers have refused to go to the oil city following the violence between security operatives and members of the outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.

Investigations by the correspondent of PM NEWS revealed that a bag of popular Dangote Cement brand that was selling just over N2, 500 before the crisis is now going for between N4,500 to N5,000 from dealers who still have old stocks.

But even the old stocks are fast running out in Port Harcourt and environs.

Investigation by our correspondent also indicated that trucks belonging to Dangote, the major supplier of cement to Rivers State, have been withdrawn from the roads in Port Harcourt since the #ENDSARS protest was hijacked by members of IPOB in Oyigbo, Oyigbo local government area.

For example, no truck was seen during a visit to a major Dangote Cement warehouse located off Airport Road in Rumuodomaya, the headquarters of Obio-Akpor local government area.

Though the warehouse also serves as a parking lot and depot for over 50 Dangote Cement heavy duty trucks, it was empty of vehicles on Wednesday.

But some drivers blame the withdrawal of the on attacks of trucks coming to Rivers by members of IPOB along Port Harcourt/Aba Expressway from Port Harcourt.

“Many Dangote trucks have been vandalized and some of them were burnt with cement in them. The worst happened during the mayhem by IPOB members at Oyigbo and Iriebe areas of Port Harcourt.

As a precautionary measure, the management had ceased distribution of Dangote cement because they lost so many millions of naira to mayhem,” he said.

The scarcity of cement has led to hike in prices of building blocks in Port Harcourt.

Dioha Ibe, a proprietor of block moulding company located Off SARS road in Rumuodomaya stated that a bag of cement which cost N2550 is now sold for between N3,500 to N4,000 and price is still going up.

He added that this has led to a hike in cost of production and subsequently, increase in the price of blocks.