Some residents of Magboro and Mowe in the Obafemi-Owode Local Government Area of Ogun State have urged the state government to address the rising cost of food in the state.
The residents, who spoke with PUNCH Metro in separate interviews on Sunday, lamented that the high cost of food items had continued to strain their finances.
They blamed the high cost of commodities and staple foods on the rising cost of oil, which they claimed had a ripple effect on transportation and logistics.
Comparing the current prices to what was applicable in the past, a trader identified simply as Lateefat noted that there had been a significant increase.
She stressed that the situation got worse under the current administration.
“Two weeks ago, the prices were the same as today. There has been no decrease. Since President Bola Tinubu was inaugurated into office, everything has been on the rise. Prices have never come down.
“During President Muhammadu Buhari’s regime, a bag of beans cost around N4,000 to N5,000, but now, it’s between N50,000 and above.”
A resident, Samuel Ibekwe, lamented that despite the high cost of living, employers had failed to increase the salaries of their employees.
He noted that his current salary could not sufficiently take care of his family while urging the Ogun State Government to find a means of alleviating the hardship on residents.
“My salary has not increased, but the cost of everything else has. Before, I could afford to buy a full basket of tomatoes for N1,500, but now that same basket costs N3,000 or more. I don’t know how we are supposed to manage.
“My appeal is that the government should find a lasting solution to this issue, and the state government should find a means to alleviate residents of this hardship,” Ibekwe said.
Another resident, Kemi Adeyemi, lamented that the rising prices had affected her household budget which had caused her family to forsake some essentials.
Adeyemi noted that although the government rolled out measures to address the hardship, the measures had not addressed the situation.
She said, “I used to budget N10,000 for my weekly grocery shopping. Now, that same amount barely covers half of what it used to. Everything is more expensive; rice, beans, vegetables, even palm oil.
I have to make tough choices about what to buy and what to leave out.
“We keep hearing that billions of naira were released to vulnerable families, but I have yet to see anyone receive the funds. It is just like the government is not ready to address the situation because the vulnerable are not getting the funds.”
When contacted for a reaction on the efforts of the Ogun State Government in cushioning the effect of the rising prices on the residents, the Chief Press Secretary to the Ogun governor, Lekan Adeniran, did not respond to the calls and messages sent to his telephone number as of the time of filing this report.
