By Alufo Bonaventure
Bread and fresh fruits are slipping off reach for many Nigerian families due to the high cost of the commodities.
According to the sellers they are battling the rising inputs costs of baking items, and the higher cost of transportation, thereby affecting the patronage.
Speaking about the situation, Mrs Blessing Uche, a bread seller at Nibo Junction Amawbia, said “Bread now is very costly, for instance, Bread for #1600 previously is #2500 and #3000” and as a result most households looked for alternative.
Mrs. Uche also affirmed that she normally sold three to four cartons in the morning before this economic situation, but now it takes a longer time to exhaust one carton.
In the same vein, Mrs Grace Adiehi, a fruit seller in Amawbia said “Fruits being perishable commodities, transportation, high cost of living in Nigeria affects our purchasing power, and low patronage as well.” You can see clearly that many of our members are not in their shops. It’s scanty up to this time, portraying, nothing is happening.
In his reaction, Mr Patrick Muofurukwe, a federal civil servant complained bitterly concerning the situation of the economy in Nigeria. “It’s not funny any longer, and the civil servants are the worst hit. He maintained that if nothing is done urgently to addressing the hardship people are going through, more damages are imminent.
Continuing, he said, “I have adjusted my budget, and worked on some of the areas of financial commitments at least to meet up with the realities of the moment.
Bonaventure is of the Ministry of Information, Anambra State
