Abuja Residents Lament High Cost of Food stuff, Commodities in the Market

 

ODUNITAN AYENI, Abuja.

According to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently revealed that Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 20.52 per cent in August 2022.

 

In its report titled, ‘CPI and Inflation Report August 2022’, the Bureau stated that, “In August 2022, on a year–on–year basis, the headline inflation rate was 20.52%”.

 

Also, rise in food Inflation, according to the NBS, was caused by increased in prices of food products such as; Potatoes, Yam and other tubers, grains like, Rice, Millet, Maize, Wheat amongst other staple foods.Other items include; meat, fish, oil, package foods and fat.

 

Even bread seems not to be within the reach of a common man as a loaf now costs N1000.

 

The report added that, “closely watched indicator of food inflation rose to its highest level in 15 months, standing at 22.02% in August 2022, representing a 1.75% – point increase compared to 19.64% recorded in the previous month. On a monthly basis, the food inflation rate in August stood at 2.15%, this is 0.02% lower than 2.05% recorded in the previous months.

 

“This implies that the consumer price index has increased by 12.15% between January and August 2022”.

 

“Which also means that the purchasing power of Nigerians has been eroded. In basic term, keeping income at such a fixed level indicats that Nigerians are not able to purchase as much as they want”, NBS Data stated.

 

Meanwhile, Many Nigerians have reduced their consumption due to the high prices of foods and commodities in the market, and macroeconomic studies have shown that consumption expenditure is one of the major drivers of economic growth which means that a reduction in private consumption in the country may affect the GDP growth.

 

Champion newspaper in this market survey garthered that high cost of Food stuff is biting hard seriously in some parts of Satellite towns populated with low income earners.

 

Particularly, in some Area Councils such as Gwagwalada, Kwali and Kuje markets where the Survey was conducted, traders lamented high cost of farm produce from peasant farmers.

 

Manager of Kuje Market, Mr. Baba Aduga Mukailu said that the high rate of Inflation is a Global challenge and not limited to FCT alone.

 

In his words, “if you go to other States, you will discover that high cost of foods and commodities is relatively the same everywhere”.

 

Aduga continued that, “Marketers need intervention from Government, if they can provide food at a subsidised rate policy, I mean, if Government can peraventure produce food at subsidised rate, I believe that every other commodity in the Market price will come down”, he said.

 

“Government need to strength price control, we can not imbibe price control without any alternative means so, they have to sit up on their responsibility and ensure that price of foods and commodities are brought down”, Aduga maintained.

 

He added, that Government need to re – initiate possible price control policy and ensure that they enforce such policy accordingly, behold, this price control we are talking about, if you look around there is a lot of insecurity challenges that made it uneasy for people to go to farm and making production of food in larger quantity.

 

“All these insecurity in our country, Nigeria made food availability so scanty thereby escalating the high cost of food and commodities in the Market”, he noted.

 

A trader in Kuje market, who simply gave her name as Mama Blessing and a yam seller lamented that, “high cost of foods is not funny at all, and things are very expensive in the Market now”.

 

She said that, the money she used to buy like five hundred piece of Yam before can no longer buy one hundred piece now, adding that, “farmers are producing but not up to what we need in the society due to insecurity in Nigeria, that is why everything is costly”, she said.

 

“Because of insecurity some farmers are now practicing home farming because of kidnapper which can not sustain the society, this caused high cost of price of Yam”, she said.

 

Mama Blessing said that, five piece of big Yam that were sold before at N3,000, currently selling at N5,500. She added that five piece of small Yam of the same specie which was sold between N1,800 – #2,000 before but now selling at N4,000,” she said.

 

Another Mr. Akpan, a food stuff seller in Kuje Market angrily narrated how high cost of food stuff in the Market has affected his finances and economic plans in the family.

 

He said, “as you can see, we do buy a bag of crayfish between the rate of N65,000 – N70,000 before, but presently we buy a bag at the rate of N150,000, even as at last two months it was sold at the rate of N200,000 per bag.

 

“A cup of crayfish is sold at N400 now, whereas it was sold for N150 previous years and tomato cup of crayfish is currently sold at N200. A mudu of Mellon was sold at N600 before, but now at N1,200 and mudu of Ogbono was sold at N4,000 before and it is N6,500 presently while a cup was sold before at N300, presently we sell it at N600”, he said

 

Kabiru Kebbi, Tomato and Onion seller in Kuje Market also lamented how costly Onions are in the Market, “we bought a bag of Onions at N15,000 before, but we buy at N45,000 presently,”

 

He continued, “a basket of fresh Tomato is selling at N5,000 presently, while rubber of Tomato being sold at N2,000 before is now sold between N800 – N1,000 now because of it surplus (glut) in the Market, that is the only vegetable that is cheap now, maybe because it is seasonal,” he explained

 

In Gwagwalada International Main Market, the Manager of Finamedia Global Services Ltd and the Manager of the Market, Mr. Babatunde Akintade said the issue of increase in price of foods stuff and household commodities in the Market is a Global thing, maintaining that economic situation of the World as a whole which narrowed down to our country Nigeria.

 

“the economic situation of this country is nothing to write home about so, of course high cost of food and commodities are within the parameter of the Market which has equally accounted for high cost of everything”, Akintade observed.

 

He also lamented that, the road to Gwagwalada International Main Market is unaccessible which according to him had been a major problem in the area.

 

Akintade said that, “I got to realise that the road is actually a State road, meaning, only Minister of FCT that has has the power of course to do the road.

 

 

“The high increase in price of foods and commodities is solely attached to the fact that economic situation of our country Nigeria has been bastardised and it is an issue that Government need to quickly looking to”, he added.

 

“Marketers have no option, they can’t fly but to just ply the road and in most cases you realise that takes toll on the marketers who usually suffer the damages because ordinarily we are supposed to generate money from toll gate, but most people don’t coming in to the Market anymore in view of the fact that road network is very bad”, Gwagwalada Market Manager said.

 

He therefore urged Federal Government to look into hardship that  Nigerians are facing now with a view to providing basic things they need in the Market.

 

Similarly, a provision seller in Gwagwalada International Main Market, Mrs. Bolatito, said,”one Kilogramme, (Kg) of Semovita was sold at N600 around March this year, and is selling at N750 now in September which is 10% increase. Also, 25 litters of grandnut oil which was sold at N25,000 before, we now sell it at N30,000/25litres and the brand more quality was sold at N27,000 before, but it is selling at N32,000 in the Market now,” she explained

 

In a related development, and just as both Primary and Secondary schools have resumed for the First term of another session, parents who patronised bookshops as well as shop owners lamented how dear books were in the market.

 

Champion newspaper also visited a bookshop in Gwagwalada Main Market, where a shop owner, Mr. Chosen expressed anger towards the high cost of text books and stationeries, he said currently the cost of books are astronomical.

 

“It started when there was a risen in Dollar ratio to Naira, before the school closed, one packet of 40 leaves was sold at N1,100 but presently we sell at N1,400, one packet of 60 leaves was sold at N1,300 but presently is N2,000 while 20 leaves was sold at N850 before but it sells at N1,100 now,” he said.

 

Chosen added that, “this is basic things students need, at the same time applies to Textbooks and all other Stationaries, all these are quite on high side and Parents are really complaining but its something they must do, they just have to buy them otherwise, no option,” he complained.

 

“Before Covid-19, packet of 60 leaves was sold at N600, we sell at N1,400 presently, now we have almost 150% increase in the matter of 2 – 3 years now, prior to Covid-19, that is 2020, 40 leaves was N450 a packet and we sell at N1,100, you can see the Inflation rate is something that is beyond the reach of many Parents, ” Mr. Chosen added.