President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua has asked the Ministry of Commerce and Industry to come up with immediate solutions to the increase in the price of cement in the country, stressing that his government would no longer tolerate the heavy yoke of high cement prices on the citizenry.

The President also tasked local producers of the product to find a way out of the situation. There are indications from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Thursday that if the situation continues, government may be compelled to unban the importation of bagged cement which former President Olusegun Obasanjo administration announced two years ago.

At the 13th meeting of stakeholders in the cement sub-sector in Abuja, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Charles Ugwu warned that government was no longer comfortable with the situation and wants an immediate solution to the problem. He said: "Mr. President has told me that the situation must change. He wants me to ensure that the price situation in the cement industry is looked into as quickly as possible."