NEW TELEGRAPH
The country’s building industry challenges following the worsening economic condition occasioned by the devaluation of the naira.
Findings revealed that the improvement in the strength of CFA franc, the francophone currency against the naira, has led to artisans from neighbouring Republic of Benin and Togo to exit Nigeria in droves to their countries.
New Telegraph gathered from a building and construction event in Lagos that the artisans, who thronged the country, especially Lagos and Ogun states for greener pastures about 20 years ago, were leaving men-mass.
The exodus would further have devastating consequences on menial labour availability in the country’s building industry. New Telegraph correspondent gathered that aside the improvements in the strength of CFA against the naira, they also attributed their exit to the high cost of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) with the attendant galloping inflation, among other factors.
The artisans, who work mainly in the real estate industry, include masons, carpenters, plumbers, tilers and painters, among several other.
It was gathered from reliably real estate developer that between January and September, scores of the artisans have left the country, as expectations that Nigeria’s economy would show signs of recovery have proved abortive.
Speaking in an interview with New Telegraph, Pastor Gabriel Ahonu, a landlord in Bucknor road, in Ailegun, Ejigbo Local Government Area Council, explained that most of the Cotonou artisans living in his house, where he camped them, had all relocated to Benin Republic, after complaining of economic hardships and the fact that hecountry’s construction industry was no longer booming.
According to him, their exit from the country’s building industry will be felt in the short and long term because of the key roles they play. Similarly, Adebayor Munier, one of the artisans from Cotonou, who spoke to New Telegraph correspondent decried the paltry payment to labourers in the country’s building industry, saying it was nothing to write home about.
According to him, most real estate developers prefer using them as slaves because they are always complaining of bags of cement prices going up, and because of that they are being paid N4,000 daily, after working between 7am and 6pm daily.
Munier said: “The building industry is no longer paying because of rising cost of materials, especially cement. “I can no longer feed myself properly as I cannot afford three square meals daily again.
Before, we earned better pay as labourers and I even saved, send money to my family members in Cotonou, Benin Republic. But now, we are suffering, facing hardship and we are even being owed by the people like engineers we are working for.
“We now receive only N4,000 per day and it is from there you will feed, transport, buy medicine, buy clothes and even pay for rent too.” “So, many of my brothers have gone back to Cotonou since Nigeria is hard presently.
Again, our CFA is now better than Nigeria’s naira too,” he added. On his part, another artisan, a mason, who identified himself as David, said that apart from the increased price of cement and other major building materials, which brought about scarcity of jobs, it is no longer profitable working in Nigeria, especially due to the low value of the currency, which is now far below the CFA.
“I came to Nigeria sometime in 2004, as an apprentice. Even as an apprentice then, when I travel home with N5, 000, it was very big. It could buy a lot of things but it is no longer the situation now because our currency is far higher than the naira in value.
“For instance, recently I travelled home and the motorbike that would take me across charged me about 2, 000 CFA franc and when we did the conversion, it was N5, 040. Before now, I had up to nine boys working with me, now I have only three.
The others have gone back to our country because when they take Nigeria’s naira back home, it buys very little. This is also the case with other masters, whose boys have returned home.
THIS STORY FIRST APPEARED IN NEW TELEGRAPH
