… Families lament, adopt austerity measures, skip meals, switch to cheaper foods

As Tinubu, Govs scramble to contain situation

 

By Desmond Mgboh (Kano), Omoniyi Salaudeen (Lagos), Timothy Olanrewaju (Maiduguri), Priscilla Ediare (Ado-Ekiti), Olanrewaju Lawal (Birnin Kebbi), Emmanuel Uzor (Awka), Okey Sampson (Umuahia), Noah Ebije (Kaduna), George Onyejiuwa (Owerri), Scholastica Hir (Makurdi), Ighomuaye Lucky (Benin)

 

 

 

Like the rumbling in the bowel of the earth that precedes the eruption of a volcano, the signs are everywhere that the string still holding back the anger of Nigerians is extremely close to snapping.

Practically, every new day sees more pressure plied on the populace through fiscal policies of the Federal Government and rapidly plummeting value of the Naira, which has been on a free fall since the Tinubu administration decided to float the country’s currency. The immediate and sustained impact of the decision is the astronomical rise in the price of foodstuff, transportation costs, medications, bread, biscuits and practically anything that the average Nigeria basically needs. Even a commonplace item like sachet water saw its price shoot up from N10 to N30.

 

As the cost of living rose like Elon Musk’s SPACEX rockets, protests broke out in Niger, Kano, Kogi, Ondo, and some other states as the residents took to the streets to demand urgent action by the federal and state governments, to tackle the developing food crisis and prevent a worse and more violent repeat of the 2020 #EndSARS riots witnessed nationwide over the high-handedness of the police, which protest erupted in the wake of the shocking discovery that COVID-19 palliatives meant for the people had been hoarded by politicians and other individuals engaged to handle the distribution of the processed food materials and items donated to the federal and state governments by CACOVID (Corporate Alliance Against COVID) and several foreign donor agencies.

Visibly rattled by the protests and wanting to douse tension, as well as prevent the situation from deteriorating and unleashing a firestorm protests across the country, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu summoned a meeting of all the 36 state governors on Friday, to discuss the thorny issues of the astronomical rise in prices of foodstuff, the general economic hardship and insecurity being experienced nationwide by the populace.

On the popular social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Nigerians who have been bemoaning the hardship in the country, described what the people are passing through as ‘Shege ProMax,’ a situation akin to the biblical account of King Rehoboam who told his subjects that he would flog them with scorpions unlike his father who used whips.

It is somewhat heart-warming that some state governors have wisely started to implement measures to cushion the effects of the hardship. Notable in this regard is the Ogun State governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, who recently announced a N5 billion intervention fund to cushion the effect of rising cost of living and inflation in the state.

Addressing a press conference held at the Olusegun Osoba Press Centre, Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, Governor Abiodun said that the fund would cover education, health, workers’ deduction and food palliative.

He said: “As our administration acknowledges the concerns raised by many of our citizens regarding the rising food prices and shortages, coupled with the depreciation of the Naira, we identify with you and are taking proactive measures to alleviate the impact of these challenges to guarantee the welfare, well-being and wellness of our citizens in this difficult time.

“In this direction and through targeted interventions, we aim to address these challenges by implementing a series of phased initiatives aimed at alleviating these burdens on all our citizens.”

He explained that 850,000 students in public primary and secondary schools would each receive five exercise books, adding that “we are providing a one-time N10,000 education support grant for at least 100,000 pupils in our public primary and secondary schools in the state. Providing all 27,600 indigent students in tertiary institutions nationwide with an education grant of N50,000 each.”

He said that his administration would provide health insurance cover for over 70,000 beneficiaries, which  include pregnant women, children, the elderly, market women and other members of the informal sector while pregnant women under the Ibidero Scheme would be provided free pre-natal care, an additional N5,000 per birth and free post-natal care in the state government’s hospitals and Primary Health Care centres.

Governor Abiodun stated that provision would be made for food palliatives to include rice and other items for about 300,000 households across the state.

“The state government will commence to offset the backlog of inherited deductions. To this end, we are immediately committing N500 million monthly payment towards outstanding deductions. It is noteworthy that we have continued to pay N10,000 transport allowance to all civil servants for the last eight months.

“This brings our total immediate interventions as a responsible state government to about N5 billion across all sectors of the state economy,” the governor said.

He noted that his administration would not be insensitive to the challenges being faced by the citizens and appreciated them for their perseverance, patience and understanding.

“Let me assure you that the present economic situation is just a transient phase that will soon pass. Whatever we experience now are just necessary sacrifices that we have to make towards ensuring a greater tomorrow.

KANO

In no less a place is the hardship in the land more evident than the rural areas of Kano State, where the residents who are worst hit have far limited opportunities to overcome the hardship as compared to the urban or city dwellers. 

In the last few weeks, there have been hikes in the prices of essential foodstuffs across the state. 

In all the popular markets such as the Abubakar Rimi (Sabon-Garri market), Singer Market, Yankaba market and Dawuna International grain market, prices of essential items, including grains, vegetables, and proteins, have hit the rooftops.

Coupled with the spiralling price hike is the insufficiency of these items leading to a situation where the demand for these everyday food items is higher than the supply.

There are two arguments to account for the market situation in Kano State as at today. The first is that traditionally, middlemen tend to hoard essential fool items ahead of the Holy month of fasting, so as to sell for higher prices and make huge profits.

Sunday Sun also gathered that with the slide in the value of the Naira to the dollar, a number of traders (Nigerians and others from neighbouring countries, like Niger and Ghana, have resorted to bulk purchasing of these essential food items at a favourable rate for export. Trucks upon trucks of basic needs leave different warehouses in Kano almost on a regular basis.

In response to the public outcry, which included two recent public demonstrations against the hardship, the state government is working on some form of price control with details yet to be announced.

Consequently, the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission recently moved into the popular markets to arrest traders alleged to be hoarding the essential items.

The special government agency on Sunday last week, sealed up 10 warehouses where essential items were hoarded. 

During an advocacy meeting with the Chairman of the Commission, Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado, the traders agreed to bring down their prices or maintain some form of stability throughout the fasting period. They also pledged to make the goods available to the public at affordable prices.

Their spokesman, Ibrahim Danyaro, however, insisted that they were not responsible for price hikes on essential commodities in the state, and passed the blame to the manufacturers of goods, who they said adjusted prices upwards. 

He urged the state government to meet with manufacturers to address the situation.

EKITI

At Ekiti State University, a senior lecturer, Prof Edward Ogunleye, in a chst with Sunday Sun attributed the cause of the food crisis to a combination of scarcity of foodstuff and sharp rise in prices.

His words: “Kidnappers have scared farmers away from their farms. That accounts for scarcity. Forces of demand and supply will normally dictate the direction of price. Prices of other commodities cannot be going up while that of food will remain stagnant. Deteriorating exchange rate is the major issue now.”

To cope with the situation, Ogunleye said that he has cut down expenses on other items. 

He, however, urged the government to provide incentives, including adequate security to encourage farmers to resume farming. 

He also advised the state governments to establish partnerships with agro-investors who are willing to set up large scale mechanised farms.

On the part of the government, Ekiti State Commissioner for Information, Hon. Taiwo Olatunbosun, explained that the government has been supporting farmers in the area of food production by providing seedlings and other agricultural requirements such as fertiliser. 

In addition, he said that the government intends to encourage cluster farming.

Under the new arrangement, communities would be requested to provide lands and forests, which would be prepared for farming and thereafter allocated to farmers.

 

AKWA IBOM

In Akwa Ibom State, the makings of what could become a major source of earning foreign exchange by farmers in the state is the love Nigerians have for Afang soup, which is the signature soup of the state. Regardless of tribe and tongue, Afang soup simply caresses the palate as it wraps itself around a bolus of pounded yam, semolina, fufu or even eba nicely sliding down the gullet into the stomach. 

It is an affinity that has continued to deepen across the country and among Nigerians in the Diaspora.

This much was put on display at The Colossus, a luxury hotel close to Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, where a Texas, US-based healthcare professional and specialist with a PhD in psychotherapy (identity concealed for security reasons) lodged in a two-bedroom suite for one week with her husband and adult son. 

On a particular day, during an interaction with a Sunday Sun reporter in the course of their stay, she asked the reporter to escort her to the restaurant where she had lunch and calmly paid N10,000 for a plate of Afang soup (filled with snail, smoked fish) and eba, which she relished to the last spoonful of the delicious soup prepared with Cameroon pepper and other condiments.

Incidentally, she and her husband are investors in a major mall that imports and sells Nigerian foodstuff in the Texas.

Afang grows luxuriantly where the rich humus soil of Akwa Ibom State provides naturally and is beautifully conducive for the cultivation of the vegetable.

Given this background and the ready market, Southern Atlantic Polytechnic (SAPOLY) has gone into the cultivation of various food crops on the vast arable land it acquired in Uyo and Mkpat Enin Local Government Area of the state, to earn extra income that will enable it fund the educational operations of the tertiary institution.

Founder of SAPOLY and the Senior Pastor of Royal House of Faith, Lekki, Lagos, Pastor Bassey James,  said that the economic downturn which has resulted in biting hardship should be seen as an opportunity to fire up agricultural production and development of alternative sources of income that will boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

Driven by the passion to see Nigeria pull itself out of the woods and get on the path of economic growth, Bassey has deployed the Southern Youth Development Forum, a non-governmental organization he founded to champion the advocacy for increased agricultural production through empowerment of youths to return to land. 

He, however, wants the Federal Government to revisit the suspended Anchor Borrowers Programme which was mismanaged under the former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele. 

His words: “We need to get support from the Federal Government. We acquired massive land, successfully went through the process of evaluation for the Anchor Borrowers Programme, to grow other crops. But then corruption, nepotism, tribalism and cronyism hampered and crippled the good initiative. So, I want President Tinubu to look into it. I’m happy that the Senate is looking into the activities of the CBN regarding the Anchor Borrowers Programme. 

Imagine that the programme had been well implemented and managed with patriotism, today rice would not be costing N75,000 to N80,000 a bag. “The story would have been different in all the states in Nigeria. The issue is not good policies, but the important thing is the implementation. We have good and arable land in all parts of the country from the North, yet somebody is talking about food importation. I trust that the Tinubu administration will tackle the issue of non-utilization of arable lands in Nigeria.

“The export of simple products is possible, but the banks and ministries must be willing to help Nigerians do it. I appeal to President Tinubu to engage Nigerians. I  am confident that the President, the Vice President Kashim Shettima, the Senate President Godswill Akpabio working together with the 36 state governors will rebuild the nation’s economy.”

KEBBI

Kebbi State Governor, Dr Nasir Idris, has risen to the challenge by taking the bull of food crisis by the horns. This is as he has shown determination to ensure that there is food sufficiency in the state. The Idris administration has distributed free bags of fertilizer to farmers to enable them boost production of food crops.

To meet the immediate food needs of the populace, the government distributed grains worth about N5.7 billion to 550,000 families across the 21 local government areas of the state.

In addition, Idris pledged to distribute free food to residents of the state during the Ramadan period, to ease the pain of people as a result of removal of fuel subsidy. 

The government has also intensified efforts to curb insecurity in southern parts of the state where farming activities were disrupted as a result of frequent attacks by the bandits.

Before the intervention by Governor Idris, prices of food stuff had risen beyond the reach of the masses.

In Birnin Kebbi, for instance, prices of maize, rice, millet, sorghum, pepper, onions and other grains kept going up without control. 

A bowl of maize formerly sold for N700 went up to N1,000, while a bag of rice rose from N48,000 to N70,000.

Similarly, pepper and onions which used to be sold at moderate prices have become commodities that a person needs big amount of money to buy the shrinking quantity of foodstuff.

While speaking with Sunday Sun, a maize seller at Central market, Birnin Kebbi, attributed the high cost to removal of fuel subsidy, insecurity at the various LGAs where farming activities were disrupted as well as the rampages by bandits that operate from Niger State communities.

He noted that due to high cost of transportation, hauling bags of maize and millet from Niger State to Birnin Kebbi or from parts of Zuru LGA of Kebbi has become prohibitive.

To cope with the situation, many Kebbi State residents have given up eating semovita (which is made from wheat flour) and switched over to tuwo, maize grinded with cassava. However, this has led to increase in the demand for maize and cassava in the markets.

A resident and civil servant, Usman Dabai, told Sunday Sun that his current salary has been reduced to almost nothing by the hyper-inflation such that he can no longer afford basic essentials needed by his family.

He said: “We cannot afford to buy one bag of rice now. What we are doing is to buy and grind dry maize with dried cassava tubers to produce flour that is like semo. The rice is not only expensive, it is not economical now to eat at home. We struggle to buy other foodstuffs too because the fall of the naira has affected everything.

“Just imagine pepper we used to buy at N500 now costs N1,500. Fasting is approaching, how are we going to cope? You cannot go to the farm, salary has not increased and prices of goods are not stable. If care is not taken, hunger will start killing the citizens.”

BORNO

As in other parts of the county, residents of Borno State are contending with the high cost of foodstuff rather than the scarcity of the consumables. Most staple foods like rice, beans, maize, millet and flour are available in the markets, but the high prices of these food commodities have put them beyond the reach of the people.

Bamidele Saliu, a resident of Maiduguri, who works with a private organization, said that the high cost of foodstuff remains the biggest challenge affecting lives of the people in the state.

“Foodstuff are not actually scarce. They are available in the markets. The problem here is that our earnings can no longer buy foodstuff in the quantities we used to buy before now. Our salaries are no longer enough to buy foodstuff because prices keep rising. Many families are in want of foodstuff,” he told Sunday Sun.

Abubakar Ibrahim, a trader in Maiduguri, agreed with Saliu. 

He said that prices of foodstuf have doubled since November last year.

“A big measure of maize sold for N800 in November is now N2,000 and one needs up to five measures of maize flour to last a family of five people for two weeks. Things are very difficult,” he lamented.

He commended Governor Babagana Zulum for his regular distributions of foodstuff to those displaced by Boko Haram attacks, but resettled at various internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in their local governments. 

He,  however, appealed to the governor to extend similar gesture to residents in the capital and towns as response to the current food crisis and economic hardship.

In Biu Local Government, Borno’s southern region, with more rainfall and massive annual farming, the cost of foods are high according to Mohammed Aliyu, a civil servant and farmer.

He said that food production last year dropped due to poor rainfall and insecurity.

“We don’t have much foodstuff available unlike before. The price would have been stable a bit if there had been massive food production last year,” he said.

He appealed to the Federal Government to invest in agriculture by creating farm centres across the six geopolitical zones in the country in collaboration with states, to create employment and increased cultivation of food crops peculiar to each of the geopolitical zones.

He also urged the state government to procure tons of foodstuff, to sell to citizens at subsidized rates to cushion the current hardship.

KADUNA

Sunday Sun investigation has revealed that there is no food scarcity in Kaduna, but artificial rise in prices of commodities.

Visits to major markets in Kaduna city showed that the sharp rise in prices of foodstuff was caused by high cost of transportation of such commodities to the city centre.

Nevertheless, the Kaduna State government has given agriculture a boost by empowering farmers through subsidising the purchase of fertilizers to aid food production.

A community leader, Elder John Fwah, accused get-rich-quick individuals of being responsible for the increase in prices of foodstuff and other commodities.

Elder Fwah, however, faulted President Bola Tinubu on releasing various types of grains into the market to force down price increase by shylock marketers.

“It’s cheery news that the Federal Government has directed that 102,000 metric tons of various types of grains be released from the strategic reserve. This would hopefully ensure a respite in the next two months. The ultimate intention of the government is to flood the market, to force down prices of foodstuff. Past governments also toed that path of releasing various grains, but such move never  achieved the purpose intended.

“The practice of releasing grains has always failed because of the activities of middlemen and economic saboteurs who always wait in the wings to thwart the good efforts. The high prices are artificial and created by profiteers who are out to exploit the vulnerable masses. Moreover, farmers have abandoned their farms due to attacks by bandits and other armed herders terrorising and kidnapping people in farming communities for ransom.”

Meanwhile, the Kaduna State government has declared its intention to spend N1 billion to subsidise the purchase of fertilisers by farmers. 

ANAMBRA

Residents of Awka and it’s environs in Anambra State have identified food scarcity as being responsible for the rise in price of food. 

Agatha Nwoye, a trader at Amaenyi Awka, who spoke with Sunday Sun, said that the scarcity has been occasioned by inability of traders to bring in foodstuff from the North as they used to do.

“For instance, since this year, we used to have about seven trailer loads of beans and melon on weekly basis in our own part of the market, but since this year, I am not sure we have taken delivery of two trailers.

“I think there is a plot to make foodstuff scarce in this part of the country by some unseen hands because when we see the few trailers of food, the price will be seven times high,” she said.

Also, a dealer in beans at Eke Awka, Charles Anowayi, attributed the hike in price of foodstuff to insecurity in the North which he said had been the hub of food supply.

He said that due to insecurity in the northern parts of the country, farmers output has largely dropped, resulting in shortage of food supply.

“The problem is not the fault of the people, I blame it largely on insecurity especially in the Northeast and lately Northwest. We used to buy a bag of beans for N60,000, but now for you to get a bag of iron beans, you will be looking at N120,000, which is double the previous price.

“Another problem we have is due to poor farming activities in the North as a result of insecurity, the supply has dropped and that is why those of us that brave the odd and dare the consequences add both our risk and other expenses to the price we sell the foodstuff.

“It took us approximately three days to get to Maiduguri and other places in the far North where we used to buy the foodstuffs, but with the rise in insecurity especially in the North, one week is not enough to complete your business trip and that’s why we sell the foodstuff very high considering the risk inherent,” he said. 

Anowayi disclosed that they used to sell a paint can of iron beans for N2,400, but as at today, the same measure is sold at N4,500 while Aloke beans is sold at N6,000 per measure.

A lorry driver, Nzewi Amechi, said that the major cause of the hike in food price should be traced to high cost of diesel for drivers plying highways to the North.

He said that since the removal of petroleum subsidy, cost of travelling to the North has tripled, resulting in high cost of transporting foodstuffs from the North to the Southeast.

“As a driver, I can tell you that traders dealing in foodstuff are suffering. You can’t blame them because when we bill them for the cost for bringing their consignment of foodstuff from Maiduguri, Kafanchan and even Sokoto, you will discover that the price has doubled if not tripled,” he said.

He called for emergency action by the Southeast governments to boost agriculture. 

Amechi added with the new trending policy by some Northern governors to checkmate large scale purchase of foodstuff by non-Northerners, only home-grown food crops can assuage the hunger that is looming in the country.

“The only way this thing can be arrested is for Southeast governments to declare state of emergency on agriculture and encourage people to go into farming so that our people can grow their own food.

“We have over the years depended on food supply from the North, while allowing our arable lands to lie waste. If our people can use this coming rainy season to go into massive food production, by this time next year, the cost of food would reduce to the barest minimum,” he believes.

The majority of the people believe that governments at all levels must make bold steps in encouraging agriculture as the mainstay of the economy and  a sure way to defeating hunger and food shortage.

“Government should encourage farmers by providing them with all needed farm implements and inputs that will encourage mass production of food to alleviate the level of hunger in the country.”

BENUE

Benue State was once celebrated as the food basket of the nation. The state’s slogan boldly states so on the number plates of vehicles registered there. But today, it is witnessing a sharp reduction in food production.

Most of the residents lamented the huge hike in the prices of foodstuff, saying that the majority of the people have no money and are unable to purchase as much food as they needed for their families.

They blamed insecurity for the reduction in food production in the state occasioned by the onslaught of herdsmen attacks in farming communities, which has reduced farmers’ access to their farmlands.

In the view of a resident, Mr Amos Aar, there is no scarcity of foodstuff in the state because farmers recently harvested their crops.

He said: “What we are experiencing in the state is increase in prices of foodstuff and high cost of living occasioned by skyrocket in fuel price.

“There is no better measure than stabilizing the cost of fuel. Once fuel price is normalized, the cost of other commodities will take shape automatically.”

He noted that the money being spent to provide palliative now to cushion the harsh effects of subsidy removal should have been used to pay fuel subsidy pending when refineries would be made operational.

The Chairman of All Farmers Association of Nigeria, (AFAN), Benue State chapter, Mr Aondongu Saaku, affirmed that generally, food scarcity is real.

“Food scarcity is real and is resulting in price increases. Food prices are driven by what is obtainable in the markets. There’s real scarcity in Benue,” he said.

Saaku also blamed insecurity as a major cause of the food situation, saying that farmers are producing minimally in crisis free local governments while little or nothing is happening in areas prone to attacks.

Saaku urged the government to address issues of insecurity promptly and totally so that farmers can go back to their ancestral lands and resume their normal lives.

A trader who deals in foodstuff at the Wurukum market, Mrs Mary Odeh, said that they were spending more money to purchase their stock of foodstuff which they stay with it for weeks and months unlike in the past.

“We have foodstuff, but it is expensive and people do not have money. When they come to your table and you tell them the price, they just walk away. Some even get angry with you. We need the government to do something so that people can have money to buy what they want,” she said.

On her part, Mrs Ruth Ugbah, said that she and some of her friends have developed some coping strategies to beat the high prices of food. 

“We no longer go to the market to buy foodstuff one by one. We gather ourselves, say between 10 or 15 women, we find out the price of bag of beans, crayfish, basket of fish, tomatoes or pepper, we pull resources together, buy what we want and share. That way we reduce expenses, get more value for our money and reduce stress. Things are really hard and you must find how to survive,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Benue State government said that they are doing everything humanly possible to cushion the effects of the hardship especially as it concerns scarcity of naira.

Speaking to the Sunday Sun, the state Commissioner for Agriculture and  Food Security, Prof Moses Ogbaji, said that the state governor, Rev Fr. Hyacinth Alia, is doing a lot to alleviate the problem of money scarcity in that state.

He stated that since the governor assumed office in May 2023, he has been consistent in paying salaries of workers before or on 25th of every month, saying for that reason, state workers now call him Mr 25.

The commissioner said: “When I heard about this shortage of food, I personally went to some popular markets in Makurdi: High Level Market, Wurukum market and I discovered that there is surplus food. When I asked the women what the problem was, they said there is surplus food, but people are not buying because most people do not have money to buy.”

He, however, blamed the huge arrears left behind by the immediate past administration as one of the reasons for cash crunch in the state, saying, “the havoc that was done, especially by the last administration, was massive.

“We had a situation where some people were not paid for over 50 months, so anything you pay them now, they are paying the whole past debts.

“I know that the Benue people are recovering gradually, but the healing is not complete. The only appeal the people are making now is that the governor should try and pay the arrears of salaries and pensions which he inherited from the past regime and I tell you the governor is already looking into it.”

On insecurity bedevilling the state, Prof Ogbaji said: “The insecurity has reduced compared to what was happening in the past,” adding that because of the large quantity of fertilizers and inputs provided by the governor, “our people were able to farm and they are having bumper harvest.”

Ogbaji, who noted that the state is not yet out of the woods concerning insecurity, said that the situation has improved just as the state government is doing everything possible to nip it in the bud.

IMO

In Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma is still ruminating on the process of establishing the Imo State Marketing and Commodity Board which he promised to set up.

The governor disclosed this during a meeting he held on July 15, 2023 with stakeholders in the state, to checkmate escalating prices of food items and the impact of it on cost of living among residents of the state.

Meanwhile, the prices of food items have continued to soar due to the rapid fall in the exchange rate of the naira against the dollar.

Visits to markets in Owerri revealed that there is no scarcity of staple food items in the state, rather  the prices have become astronomically high. 

At both the Ekeonunwa  and Relief markets, a 50kg bag of rice now sales between  N65,000band N75,000, depending on the brand. 

Even the local rice popularly called “Abakaliki or Ebonyi ‘’ stone-free rice is sold for N61,000. A plastic paint can of beans which used to be sold for N800/900, especially the brown variety, is now sold for N1,600/1,700. The price of 25 litres vegetable oil which used to be N34.000 has jumped to N57,000 with a crate of eggs rising from N2,500 to N3,700. A sizable tuber of yam is N3,000, a paint measure of garri goes for N1,800 or N1,900.

A trader, Mrs Tonia Adibe, who deals in garri told Sunday Sun: “The price of everything has gone up. Ordinary sachet of salt which used to be N100 is now N250. I spent about N1,000 to transport one 50-Kg bag of garri from Umuagwo community to the Relief Market. After adding the cost of transportation, we have to sell at a price that will enable us to restock our shops and also buy food items to feed our families.”

Similarly, Bruno, who sells eggs said that the price of one crate of eggs rose from N1,100/1,200 (depending on the size) to N3,500/N3,700 after poultry farmers increased their prices to N3,200 per crate, citing the high cost of inputs, especially feed and poultry supplements, anti-biotics and other drugs used in rearing the birds as cause.

As would be expected, the cost of living has gone through the roof, eliciting lamentation by the citizenry. 

A carpenter, Mr Stanley Nwolise, said that many people are having high blood pressure as the economic hardship worsens by the day. 

“As a carpenter, I depend on whatever I earn on that day to feed my family. But sometimes what I earn is not even enough to buy ordinary garri, not to talk of soup items like meat or fish. So, the government should come to our rescue by reducing the prices for poor people like us,” he said.

Also, Onwuka Ibe, an electrician, said that the government should intervene to reduce the high cost of living. 

“My brother, the way things are going many people will go into armed robbery. In fact, we are already experiencing it as no day passes without traders’ stores not broken into in Owerri. So, the government needs to do something about the rising prices of food items,” he said. 

EDO

Residents of Benin city like Comrade Osazee Edigin are contending with prohibitive prices of basic foodstuffs. 

As Edigin told Sunday Sun, armed killer herdsmen lurking in farmlands have kept farmers away from harvesting their crops leading to severe inadequacy in the quantity of foodstuff in the markets for sale.

He is disturbed that the state government has no intention to intervene, to ameliorate the hardship.

 

ABIA

Like citizens in other states, residents of “God’s Own State” are groaning daily over the very high cost of foodstuffs.   

A trader in Umuahia, the Abia State capital, Peter Ndubuisi, told Sunday Sun: “Prior to the inauguration of President Tinubu’s administration things were not this bad. But from the day the president removed the fuel subsidy, things have become so difficult that most families cannot afford three square meals in a day.”

A Federal Government worker in the state who wouldn’t want his name on print chipped in that the frequent increment in Customs import duty has adversely affected the prices of practically every item in the country, adding that there appears to be no end in sight to the people’s sufferings.