Amid spiralling prices of cement in the country resulting in protests, the chairman, Allwell Engineering Construction Company, Mr. Aminu Musa, has advocated for the adoption of asphalt as more suitable material for road construction, saying reliance on cement for road construction in the country will be counter- productive.
Musa, a civil engineer, who made the call in a chat on the state of the nation with journalists in Lagos said asphalt was a more considerable product for road construction as opposed to cement which has seen a significant increase in prices in recent times.
He noted that if cement was used for road construction, it could further increase the demand for the product which would lead to more increase in price, thereby having a direct impact on the life of ordinary citizens.
According to him, the current trend shows a significant increase in cement prices, adding that if road surfaces were to be converted to concrete cement, the domestic demand for cement in Nigeria would rise further, leading to a further increase in cement prices.
“Currently, protests against rising costs have erupted across the country. If cement prices spiral out of control due to policy adjustments by the ministry of works, it will exacerbate social instability and pose greater challenges for the government.
“Cement is a material closely related to the daily lives of the ordinary people, and their sensitivity to cement prices is higher.
“Asphalt concrete had constantly been used in road constructions prior to now and in comparison with cement, has less relevance to the day-to-day lives of citizens, hence an increase in demand for the product will have very little or no effect on the people.
“Asphalt, on the other hand, is less relevant to the daily lives of the ordinary people, and they are less sensitive to changes in asphalt prices.
“Moreover, asphalt concrete has been used for road construction in the past, achieving a certain balance on demand and supply,” he noted.
