Oyo Assembly chides foodstuff sellers over hoarding, excessive profit making

As solutions are being sought to the present high cost of food items, the Oyo Assembly has chided some sellers who hoard in anticipation of further price increases and those keen on excessive profit making.

This was contained in a motion titled: “Need for government to stem emerging food scarcity in Oyo State,” by the duo of Honourable Abiodun Babalola (Ibadan North East 1) and Honourable Sanjo Adedoyin (Leader) at plenary on Tuesday.

Lawmakers in their contributions to the motion decried hardship in the land fuelled by the fact that the cost of basic food items had gone beyond the reach of the common man.

They chided those sellers who worsened the situation by selling items they had hoarded and had in stock much before now at very high prices.

Contributing, Honourable Rasaq Mabaje of Ido constituency held that Nigerians were their problems of by arbitrarily increasing the prices of goods.

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He decried that the nation was bearing the consequences of the removal of petrol subsidy by President Bola Tinubu administration.
Honourable Gbenga Oyekola of Atiba constituency cautioned sellers against hoarding.

This is as he admonished the state government to procure food items directly from the farmers and sell at subsidized rates.

On his part, Honourable Ogundele Johnson, Oriire State constituency, asked the government to guarantee subsidy for farm inputs so as to boost production.

Ogundele also identified open grazing, herders threatening the lives of farmers in the state as the bane of food production, calling on the state government to implement that state’s anti-open grazing law.

The duo of Honourables Adebayo Babajide (Ibadan North 2), Comforter Olajide (Ibadan North 1) queried the implementation of the state’s Sustainable Action for Economic Recovery (SAfER) intervention in terms of the modalities of distribution and whether it was truly getting to the intended beneficiaries.

Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Honourable Abiodun Fadeyi, who presided over the plenary, said the Assembly would invite the SAfER committee to explain how funds were being disbursed.

The Assembly also urged the executive arm to task the market leaders to desist from hoarding of food items.

The lawmakers also tasked the government to control the prices of goods and services.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE