NEWS: Insecurity. Imo residents groan over sudden hike in prices of goods

 

Residents of Imo State have lamented the sudden increase in prices of commodities, calling on the government to wade into the crisis.

Some residents who spoke in a radio phone-in program aired by Oziza FM in Owerri, the state capital, blamed it on the sellers who, according to them, inflated prices to make outrageous profits.

A sachet water distributor pointed out some reasons which led to the increase. He said the materials used in producing the bottles and sachets have become costly and scarce in the market, causing an increase in the cost of production.

“If the cost of materials keeps skyrocketing, we will be left with no option than to increase the price of sachet water which is currently 200 to 300naira per bag,” he stated.

The distributor who declined mentioning his name and company, further tasked the raw material manufacturing companies to cut costs to enable them normalize the price.

Another caller accused market men and women of being responsible for the sudden increase, describing them as selfish. He said the traders always look for an opportunity to inflate prices of their goods especially when they are scarce. He condemned the act and called on the government to set up a task force to monitor such traders.

Meanwhile, our correspondent who went for a market survey at Amakohia Modern Market reported that every item in the market had increased in price.

Some, however, have resorted to farm produce such as cassava, maize, okra, vegetables, egusi, yams among others, to augment their daily feeding.