16th April, 2020
Some residents of Ilorin have expressed worries over the sudden rise in the cost of consumer items following the lockdown to curtail the spread of coronavirus.
The residents, who spoke in Ilorin on Thursday said that the cost of foodstuff and other necessities for living had risen out of the reach of the average Nigerian.
They expressed concerns that traders were using the situation to take undue advantage of the innocent members of the public.
A resident, Mrs Idayat Kareem described the rise in the cost of living as the direct result of traders’ deliberate attempt to rip-off the public.
Kareem said that a bowl of local rice previously sold at N500 was currently being sold at N600, saying, “we have no option, we must but to survive.”
“The situation is worrisome, the attitude of the traders is unfair, we cannot continue this way,” she said.
Another resident, Mrs Ronke Aro said that she paid N350 for a 1kg of Semovita which was previously sold at N250.
She said that apart from foodstuff, other household items such as soap, beverages, pomade, and so on had risen in the market.
“The sudden rise in the cost of foodstuff and other necessities is scary, the traders are not helping us at all,” she said
Also speaking, Alhaja Balikis Jimoh expressed worries that some traders were using the coronavirus outbreak as an opportunity to make outrageous profits.
“Imagine the rise in the price of garri. A bowl of garri which was sold before at N120 now sells for N200. We are enemies to ourselves, it is disturbing,” she said.
Another resident, Mrs Comfort Owolabi urged traders in the state to understand the plight of the other members of the society.
“Traders are not considerate at all, we must stop blaming the government and start blaming ourselves, must we inconvenient ourselves all in the name of making profit?
“It is evil and inhuman to deliberately inflict pain on ourselves. Imagine that a pack of noodle sold at N40 before is now being sold for N50,” she added.
Saidat Akande, a resident said the level of hike in the cost of consumer products in the state was already taking a toll on the people.
“The price of commodities such as washing soap, beverages, salt and sugar are high, we are locked indoors, yet we are inflating prices.
“Traders should endeavour to be considerate, they should stop using the current lockdown to exploit and inconvenience the people,” she said.