Easter: Nigerians lament high cost of foodstuffs – What Nigeria Must Do

It is regrettably true that the country has found itself in serious food uptight condition and this has been a great concern for everyone, especially the poor and vulnerable.

Nigerians have expressed concern over the continuous hike in prices of foodstuffs and other items in the country.

The citizens who spoke in a survey conducted by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Kpirikpiri and Margaret Umahi International Markets, revealed that prices of food items are skyrocketing, a situation which is making life unbearable for the citizens.

Mrs Akunna Nnachi, a housewife, pleaded with the government to urgently address the situation as it was taking a toll on her family.

She said that a kilogram of Cow and Goat meat now sells for as high as N3,200 against N2,500 it sold previously.

“Prices of food items and transportation have continued to increase, and addressing factors that cause the hike will stop the increase.

“I was told by a meat seller that a live goat now costs between N50,000 and N70,000 because of expenses done when transporting them to Abakaliki,” Nnachi said.

Mr Ejike Egbo, a Consumer, also appealed to the government to look into the matter as the situation has become so intense that an average family now requires double the amount used previously to cook a pot of meal, to cook these days.

She said, “a life bird was sold for N3,500 and N8,500 depending on the sizes”.

Egbo lamented that after she expended such an amount of money on just a food item, it would be difficult for her to purchase other food items that would be needed for her to prepare her meal.

Ada Madu, another housewife, revealed that a basket of tomatoes sells for between N20,000 to N22,000, depending on the freshness and the specie.

“Before now, I bought it between N6,000 and N8,500; this is really on the high side and to top it all, about four pieces are sold for N200,” Madu said.

Chineye Egbo, another consumer, also said she bought a custard bucket of Garri between N1,000 and N1,300 depending on the brand, a situation which she described as “not good”.

However, Mrs Ogonna Eze, a trader at Kpirikpiri market who reacted to the consumers’ complaints, sympathized with them and said that they were not responsible for the hike in food prices.

With the current spate of inflationary rates of food prices in the markets, the government at all levels should work on modalities to control the prices of foods and other products in the market.

There should be an urgent need to consider measures that would ensure a steady flow of foods to the market and have the recent price increment reversed.
Through the federal government, a competent task force should be set up to actualize the control. The Task force should be able to scissors down some of the cost – raising factors that affects the availability and cost of products. Thereby, a good relationship will be made between the farmers and marketers and therefore, a relief to the people.

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