Recently, a post made the rounds online, suggesting that Aliko Dangote, Africa’s wealthiest individual, was about to drastically cut cement prices. This post, gaining traction on various social media platforms, States that Aliko Dangote planned to reduce cement prices from N5,500 to N2,700 starting October 1st, 2023. If true, this announcement would have had a substantial impact on Nigeria’s cement market.
To verify this claim, The Explainer fact-checking team visited the official website of the Aliko Dangote Group of companies. However, no such news about a cement price reduction was found. Additionally, extensive searches on reputable media platforms yielded no reports or articles supporting the alleged claim. Further investigation led The Explainer fact checker to an interview with Anthony Chiejine, spokesperson for the Dangote Group.
Chiejine outrightly denied the claims of reducing cement prices to N2,700 per 50-kilogram bag, labelling them as “fake news” in response to inquiries from DAILY POST. The Explainer fact-checking team also uncovered a comment made by Bahir Ahmad, media aide to former President Muhammadu Buhari, which refuted the report as false. Ahmad’s assertion, shared on his official X handle, further discredited the circulating claim.
Based on our comprehensive fact-checking investigation, it is evident that the circulating claim about Aliko Dangote reducing cement prices to N2,700 per 50-kilogram bag from October 1st, 2023, is false and misleading.
