Oyo lawmaker in the state House of Assembly, Hon Abiodun Babalola has called on the state government to take swift action to stem an emerging artificial food scarcity in the state.
The lawmaker, while moving a motion during plenary on Tuesday, cited reports of food hoarding and price gouging by unscrupulous traders in major markets in Ibadan, which he said was driving up prices and causing hardship for residents.
He urged Governor Seyi Makinde to intervene to ensure food security and fair prices for consumers.
Tagged: “URGENT NEED FOR GOVERNMENT TO STEM THE EMMERGING ARTIFICIAL FOOD SCARCITY IN THE STATE,” the lawmaker opined that the common intention of hoarders is to generate profits by selling the product once the price has increased, adding that the practice of hoarding mostly has a hardship effect on the people and it is illegal.
He said: “Further notes that Food prices have been on the rise in recent years. The situation is, however, worsened by the impact of government policies such as the removal of subsidies on petrol and the floating of Naira. President Bola Tinubu during his inauguration, announced the removal of subsidy on petrol. This decision has caused hardship for many Nigerians, particularly with the increase in the prices of goods and services.”
“Aware that all the basic food items such as yam, rice, beans, vegetable oil, palm oil, tomatoes, pepper, maize, onion, and millet, noodles, spaghetti, sugar, wheat flour, meat, wheat, and garri, and are now beyond the reach of a common man. Mr. Speaker, today, a bag of rice is sold within Sixty-Nine Thousand Five Hundred and Seventy Thousand.”
“What this implies is that the salary of a level 8 step two officer in the civil service who has worked diligently for a good thirty days can not buy a bag of rice.”
“Further aware that this price increase is not only caused by the aforementioned factors but also the drive for excessive profit by foodstuff sellers in the markets. For instance, there have been various reports that major distributors of rice in Bodija, Aleshinloye, and other markets in Ibadan are hoarding food products in anticipation of possible price increase. This further creates additional problem of scarcity which in turn adds to the price of goods.”
“Observe that Government has the responsibility of protecting its subject and this protection is not only against threat to their lives through Arms but also in time like this. It is the responsibility of Government to use price controls and other regulatory laws to prevent negative market implications. Food Security and availability is integral to human survival and for keeping peace in any society. Any attempt to jeopardize this, whether by natural of artificial phenomenon, must be urgently addressed.”
In his resolve, Hon. Babalola proferred that: “the Executive Arm of Government:
through Ministry of Commerce, Trade, Industry and Investments and the Markets’ Leaders Association to as a matter of urgency, investigate the report of food items’ hoarding and penalize culprits and address the issue once and for all; and through Ministry of Information to appeal to foodstuff sellers on different media platforms to desist from hoarding food items and the danger of creating further hardship for the populace.”
