Food items are getting costlier for residents of Uyo metropolis in Akwa Ibom State as prices of goods get higher, fuelling hunger and taking a big bite on consumers’ wallets.
A survey across major markets in Uyo, saw prices of food items having surged by more than 70 percent since January 2024.
This also came on the heels of lingering insecurity challenges such ‘one chance’ robbery, cultism, internet scam and phone snatching among others.
At the beginning of January and up to February 2024, garri, a major staple food itemin Uyo, sold at N100 per cup, but now a cup of garri sells at N200.
A wrap of Fufu, another staple food, which earlier sold for N50 a wrap now sells at N150 and the quantity has reduced drastically.
A 50 kg bag of foreign rice sold at N50,000 in December 2023, but now it sells for N80,000 a bag and N500 a cup.
Beans, which used to sell at N100 a cup, now sells at N350 for the same measure.
A bag of crayfish which was earlier sold at N60,000 or N70,000 per bag now sells for N125,000 per bag.
A medium-sized tin of NAN Optipro baby milk was N 4,800 at the beginning of April, but right now a can of NAN Optipro baby milk sells for N8,000.
Prices of groundnut oil, palm oil, maggi, cow meat, goat meat, chicken, iced fish, dried fish, toothpastes, body creams and other staples food items have similarly increased astronomically, making it hard for an average resident to purchase them.
Mercy Etim a market seller at Itam market said, “The transportation cost to get these goods are very high.
“A basin of garri used to be N5,000, but now a basin of garri is more than N15,000.
“If I don’t sell at N200 a cup, I won’t make any profit and I will not be able to take care of my family.”
A resident of Uyo, Victoria Ekpuma, said she went to Akpandem market to buy goat meat for N500 and was threatened by the market woman with a knife, who said, ‘When last did you eat meat, that you’re pricing my meat for N500’.
She added that as she couldn’t get the meat she had to go home.
A trader at Akpandem market, Lucy Emeka, said it was not their fault that they sold at such prices.
“Viva plus detergent powder 850g was N1,100 as at February but it is now N1,800,” she said, adding that if they don’t sell at those prices, they won’t even get back their capital or made any profit.
“With the constant surging prices, food alone now accounts for 70 percent of my monthly income,” said Patience Effiong, a private school teacher in Uyo, who is earning a monthly income of N20,000.
“Food is life and we cannot afford not to eat, no matter the price.
“Life in Nigeria is now characterised by the struggle to afford necessities such as food,” she added.
“The continuous surge in prices of goods and services has wiped off savings from my monthly salary. I cannot even save any more. I spend 60 percent of my income on food alone and the rest on transportation and accommodation,” said Timothy Chukwueze, a sales representative at Itam market.
“The worst thing is that the prices won’t go back down, I haven’t seen anything that goes up and comes down again in this country,” he added.
There are many factors that can contribute to increasing food prices, including inflation, transportation costs, food scarcity, and more.
One can only hope the situation improves soon.
It is also expected that those in the corridors of power will have the political will to provide the enabling environment that will make the necessities of life available to the rich and the poor in Nigeria. We can only hope. Yes, we can.
