COVID-19: Lagosians Lament Hike In Food Prices

Some Lagos residents have lamented the hike in the prices of food items, following Lagos State Government’s directive to shut down markets as part of measures to curtail the spread of COVID-19.

They spoke in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday during a survey at the Ipaja and Egbeda markets.

NAN reports that Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu had directed that all open markets and stores should be closed, except for those selling food items, medicines, medical equipment and other essential life-saving products.

A crayfish seller at Ipaja market, who preferred anonymity, attributed the increase in price of food items to the directive shutting down markets to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

“When people heard that Lagos was on lockdown and markets were to be shut to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, they panicked and started increasing the price of goods.

“One derica of crayfish was N600 last week but now we are selling for N1,000,” he said.

A buyer who simply identified herself as Mrs Alade, told NAN that a tuber of yam which she purchased for N500 last week was sold for N900.

“These are essential commodities that we need to survive and people are being inconsiderate by increasing price of food items.

“In other countries, people are donating food items, and other essential goods to households, but we are busy looking for ways to make more money when we are faced with a pandemic.

“Let us stop blaming the government and step up to make life better for ourselves,” she said.

Another customer, Mrs Grace Agunbiade, urged sellers not to use this period as an avenue to rip off residents by hoarding and increasing the price of essential commodities.

“It is true that Coronavirus is crumbling economies of nations, but this is not the time for us to start increasing the price of goods unnecessarily.

“What we should be doing instead, is to make life easy and make things affordable for everyone because we are all fighting this disease,” she said.

Meanwhile, at Egbeda market, a customer, Mrs Teju Osho, said the directive from the governor had made sellers to increase not only food items but medical equipment.

“I am just coming out from a store and I got a medical item for a high price and I am wondering why this is so.

“About last week, my son-in-law, got the same equipment from this same store with a price different from mine.

“In other words, he got his cheaper than I got mine,” she said.

Also, Eno Bassey, told NAN that with this trend of hiking the price of food, she might travel back to her village and come back when this is all over.

“I am already fed-up with the way things are going in Lagos, everything is just really upsetting and I am scared.

“The increase in prices of foodstuffs is alarming and I am already thinking of going back to my village to return when all this is over,” she said. (NAN)

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