By Dada Ahmed in lokoja
Many families in lokoja, the Kogi state capital, particularly the low income earners, have expressed disgust over the exorbitant prices of consumable and non omsumable items in the area.
In a separate interview with the correspondent of The Reporters an online media outfit in lokoja on Sunday, the people regretted that the prohibitive prices of food had boxed them groaning corner as prices of food items continued to hit the roof.
Mrs Hajarat Mohammed and Mrs Amina Suleiman among other house wives who spoke our correspondent on the issue, described the development as frightening.
” No amount of money our husbands give us to go market and buy food items, now a days that is enough to take our family for a week without having to deep hands into the pocket again before the week runs out.
“The rate at which prices of foods go up in lokoja in recent time is beyond the understanding of even professors of economics not to talk of the common man on the street.
” You buy one food item today,by the next day you go back to the same market to purchase the same item, it has attracted alarming increase in price. It is so bad for us to feed now in lokoja, “Mrs Mohammed.
Our correspondent who visited the local and international markets in lokoja on Sunday to carry out Market survey,reports that the assertions of our interviewees rhyme with the reality of prices of food stuffs in the two markets.
A yellow rubber measure of garri, regarded as the most staple food for the masses, sold between N600 and N700 two months ago, has skyrocketed to N1,200, a mudu of local rice pushed from N400.00 to N900.00 within the same period under review.
Five sizeable tubers of yam which went for N800.00 few days ago now attract the price tag of N1,500 or N2,000, depending on the quality and power of bargaining between the seller and buyer.
Other grains such maize genuine corn among others have also added alarming prices ranging from half to 100 per cent increase.
Soup ingredients; starting from meat, chicken, pomp, tomato pepper,salt, Maggie, onion, red and ground but oil now chase buyers away due to the alarming increase in their price tags.
Our correspondent reports that the development is coming against the backdrop of the fact that lokoja is more or less a civil service environment where by the major source of income is salary.
The online recalls that only last week, the leadership of the state branch of the Nigeria Labour Congress(NLC) had to call on the state government to return to negotiating table, with a view to fashioning out the implementation of the new minimum wage for its members.
Some of food sellers interviewed, identified the increase in the pumb price of fuel and the deplorable condition of roads as some of the major factors that triggered prices of consumable and non consumable items in lokoja
Hajia Aisha Yakubu, who comes from Okene to Lokoja to sell yam at the lokoja international market every five days, said transport fare had been taking much of her money invested in her business.
” I hardly make profit now a days in my business as transport fare is
been takingg larger proportion of of capital invested in the business. Some of us are just managing to break even in this business, not that we make tangible profit again,” she lamented.
Contributing, an agricultural expert, Mr Moses Alani, said lasting solution to arrest high price of food items lied in government investing heavily in agricultural mechanisation.
“With a robust policy and programme on agricultural mechanisation, implemented among the three tiers of government, coupled with effective synergy with the serious members of the private sector, Nigeria will surely break the jinx of exorbitant prices of food items.
“Sincere efforts by those in charge of agro allied products such as fertilizer, meant for the real farmers to boost food production, will go along in bringing down prices of food stuffs.
” There must be strong legislation put in place to punish those who divert agricultural input meant for the rural farmers to serve as deterrent to others.
“By this, rural farmers, who are the back bone of food production in the country will be in a better vantage to produce enough for internal consumption and export,”he urged.
