GEN. MARTINS’ CALL: How food manufacturers, marketers make Nigerians’ earning inadequate

*More residents speak over ‘wicked’ increases in prices of food, others

*We are our own problems – Bosun Oladele

*Gov Akeredolu did well banning trade, transport unions – Rights Activist

*Let solution be to all fronts – Aweda

By BASHIR ADEFAKA

Adding his own voice to the discourse, a former Member House of Representatives representing Irepo/Orelope/Olorunsogo Federal Constituency and Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Oyo State, Hon. Bosun Oladele, described menace to be “about us being our own enemies”.

Following a recent call by former Commander, Nigerian Army Ordnance Corp, Major General Adekunle Abdullahi Martins (Rtd), that the Federal Government should take the economy of Lagos, upon which other economies depend, to its heart by stopping it from being left in the hands of mediocres and their sponsors, more Nigerians have come into the discussion in agreement with the retired Army General.

A concerned citizen Saturday raised related issue on his Facebook social media handle saying it is no longer a thing to be quiet about the way manufacturers and marketers “swindle” consumers of goods especially food in particularly Southern Nigeria state of Lagos.

He said: “Time we begin to write to call on FG to save us from daily hardship imposed by food manufacturers, marketers (hoarding), who increase indiscriminately, on daily basis, prices of food items.

“We used to buy Semovita for N500, N800, N1,100, N1,500 (2015 to 2018). Today (Saturday), my wife just bought same at N4,950. In the last 30 days it has jumped from N4,300 to N4,950. This is a madness that must be addressed because, they still do all those and blame it on Buhari.

“Semovita has its raw materials mainly sourced locally. When will Nigerians, as investors and marketers, stop making life difficult for their fellow citizens? Imagine, in Republic of Benin, early this year in March, N1,000 exchanged for CFA 1,250. Presently, N1,100 can only fetch any Nigerian CFA 950. Nigerian government should work on this economic sabotage. I am not talking about dollars. This one is evil by our own people. It must stop.

Adding his own voice to the discourse, a former Member House of Representatives representing Irepo/Orelope/Olorunsogo Federal Constituency and Commissioner for Information and Orientation in Oyo State, Hon. Bosun Oladele, described menace to be “about us being our own enemies”.

Oladele, a constitutional lawyer, said: “It’s always about us being our own enemies. A situation where everyone tries to outdo each other in quest for inordinate wealth while forgetting that we’ll spend the same money we have amassed on expensive goods and services, prices of which we have helped in driving up in the first instance.

“This is like those compounding traffic woes on our roads daily because they struggle selfishly to free themselves from the log jams without minding how their actions affect others. No government can save us from ourselves. We must change,” he said.

Also contributing, another interlocutor, Kenny Inukay said: “I concur with you on this for the first time. Those who are involved in this show of shame by afflicting injuries on fellow citizens should be ARRESTED and KILLED immediately to serve as a deterrent to OTHERS.”

In his own contribution, Lagos based estate manager, Mr. Isaac Adewale Fabiyi, said: “They will do anything and put the blame on the president because they know people will believe them and government won’t do a jack.”

A historian of Crescent University Abeokuta, Alhaji Saheed Aweda, said: “It should be addressed on all fronts, including tariffs by electricity distribution companies. The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company has increased tariffs by 400% in the last one year. It’s driving one crazy.”

Idris Ahmad, a versatile pro-Buhari/Nigeria activist, simply said: “They are terrible.  The time is now.  Mr President should do something in that regard.”

A human rights activist, Malam Habeeb Atata, who spoke to The DEFENDER in Lagos on Sunday, said that there is the problem of evil that citizens do to fellow citizens in Nigeria because of failure of government to enforce checks and balances in human behaviours.

The activist said: “Government is not doing what it should do, reason anybody would just wake up and swindle fellow human beings and nobody is punished for it.

“It is not expected that government would feed individuals but it is the duty of government to make the environment safe for citizens’ personal economy to thrive.

“They can achieve this by creating incentives. Any farmer who does well and sell at good price to the marketer should be identified and given national award, likewise marketer who does not hoard and does not make access to food items for people should be appreciated by award.

“There should be punitive measures also for those that err, wickedly. No one should be allowed to arrogate the power of wickedness to himself. All electricity providers making power costly and unaffordable for productions needed goods should be sanctioned in a hard way, while those that have good attitude towards humanity should be helped to improve where necessary.

“Government should enforce the law against agbero and touts, all transport union parading themselves as parallel government in particularly Lagos. All trade and artisan unions and associations making the cost of food and services rise must be halted and they be seen to be halted.

“Those selling in the market should be made to stop buying from middlemen who also aid increases in prices of items but should be directed to buy directly from warehouses and then sell directly to as retailers to the consumers.

“Government, Federal, state and Local Government must be able to wield the political will power to deal ruthlessly with defaulters. This was how General Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd), as Military Governor, ran and achieved a very peaceful and easy-to-live Lagos and this was what major General Adekunle Abdullahi Martins (Rtd) was talking about when he said Federal Government should take the economy of Lagos to its heart and stop leaving it to the mediocres and their sponsors.

“Governor of Ondo State Akeredolu has led the way by banning all manner of transport unions, trade and artisan associations to cut prices of food, other goods and services down. That is well appreciated but it is better done in Lagos because, it is the economy of Lagos that other economies in the country depends upon,” the rights activist said.