JUST IN; Drop in food prices excites Traders, Consumers
JUST IN; Drop in food prices excites Traders, Consumers
Some Lagos State foodstuff traders and consumers have expressed excitement over the recent drop in the prices of foodstuff.
The consumers and traders disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
They, however, hoped for the sustainability of the price drop as consumers were beginning to enjoy the respite.
A foodstuff trader at the Dopemu area of the state, Mr Sunday Okwudiri, said the price drop was beneficial to both consumers and traders, a situation he attributed to reduced cost of transportation.
“It is true that the prices of most food items have dropped and we are grateful for that. Food items such as rice, beans and garri have witnessed a commensurate drop in their prices.
“We sold a 50kg bag of rice last December between N80,000 and N90,000, but now the same quantity of rice sells between N70,000 and N75,000.
“We really cannot tell the reason for the drop in the food prices but one good indicator is that the expenses incurred in logistics have significantly dropped.
“Like traders will say, ‘road don free small’. We hope it continues like that,” Okwudiri said.
Another foodstuff trader at the Agege area of the state, Mr John Nwabueze, also alluded to the recent drop in the price of food items, which he attributed to the harvest season of some produce.
“The price of food items especially rice and beans is really dropping gradually as we have observed since the year began.
“As of the first week of January, we sold a bag of rice between N90,000 and N96,000 but now the same bag goes for N76,000.
“Beans have been dropping more and more since last year. As of November 2024, we had beans at the highest price. An average bag was sold for as high as N230,000 to N270,000 but now the same quantity sells for N80,000.
“We really cannot tell the reasons for the drop in the price of these food items but we are glad they are dropping.
“We are also in the harvest season for some of these produce,” Nwabueze said.
Mrs Judith Amen, another foodstuff trader at the Amuwo area of the state, also corroborated the slight drop in some food prices.
“Well, there is a slight drop in the price of rice but not so much. A bag of good quality rice sells at N82,000 as against N90,000 to N95,000 it was sold for earlier.
“The bag of rice that sell at N75,000 per bag are not high quality rice as some may get mushy easily when boiled.
“The price of beans have been dropping since late last year. This is the season of beans because it is being harvested.
“A 60kg of beans used to sell up to N300,000 per bag but now sells between N150,000 and N90,000 depending on the variety.
“A bag of garri now sells between N35,000 and N45, 000 as against N60,000. So, we can say there is a drop,” Amen said.
Also, Mrs Lilian Agunbiade, a resident at Agege area of state, said the joy of being able to buy foodstuff and getting all your supplies is next to none.
“I went to the market this weekend to stock up for my household and my business and I observed some prices of the foodstuff items have actually dropped.
“This drop in price is indeed a welcome development. I bought a paint bucket of garri (cassava granules) between N3,200 and N3,500 in January but it sells at N2,000 for a paint bucket.
“Also, the price of vegetable oil has considerably dropped, as at December 2024, it sold for more than N100,000 for a 25 litre keg.
“But presently, the same quantity of vegetable oil has dropped down to N70,000 or N75,000 depending on the brand.
“Also, the price of baking flour has also dropped. A 50kg bag of all purpose flour used to sell at N62,000 but now it sells at N59,000.
“Generally, I observed all the prices of foodstuff items dropped a little bit almost across all products sold in the market.
“I am happy to purchase at the rate I did and got the items I needed for my house. I think the drop may be related to the drop of the dollar in comparison to the Naira, we hope it continues like this,” Agunbiade said.
On her part, Mrs Eugenia Uloma, a housewife and resident at Egbeda area of the state, expressed scepticism over the price drop while hoping it would be sustained.
“Well, I cannot say the price of foodstuff items have really dropped, because it is slight drop.
“Some food items have witnessed price drop because it is their season, beans is being harvested, so the price will definitely drop early in the year.
“The price of crayfish actually dropped too, I used to buy a paint bucket for N11,000 but now it sells at N8,000.
“If the drop is true, we just hope it will not rise again,” Uloma said. (NAN)
Ighodalo is challenging the outcome of the Sept. 21, 2024 governorship election in the state.
The Justice Wilfred Kpochi-led three-member tribunal reserved the judgment on Monday after counsel in the matter adopted their final written addresses.
According to Justice Kpochi, a date for judgment will be communicated to parties by the secretary of the trubunal.
“The tribunal stands adjourned until then,” he said.
At the resumed hearing of the matter, counsel to the petitioners, Mr Adetunji Oyeyipo, SAN told the tribunal that the business of the day was for adoption of final written addresses.
Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), Mr Kanu Agabi, SAN proceeded to adopt the final address of his client.
Agabi by way of adumbration prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition for lacking in merit.
He said this was based on the grounds that the tribunal could not annul the Sept. 21, 2024 governorship election because it was not one of the reliefs sought by the petitioners.
The senior lawyer also told the tribunal that it could not declare the petitioners as winners of that election in the light of their own assertion that the election was invalid.
Speaking on the claim of non-compliance pleaded by the petitioners, Agabi said it was weak as it was not accompanied by the appropriate relief which was nullification of election.
He also said that the claim of majority of lawful votes pleaded by the petitioners could not avail them since their other claim was that the election was invalid.
He also argued that the number of polling unit agents called as witnesses represented an insignificant or even negligible per cent of the number of polling units in Edo.
Another ground that INEC prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition based on was that all the polling unit agents called as witnesses signed the result sheet and they could not distinguish between what they heard and what they saw.
“This is a clear indication that the election was conducted in compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
“The results were duly collated at all levels of collation.
“The petitioners have not pleaded any alternative results on the basis of which they can be declared as winners.
“The case of the petitioners is based on analysis undertaken by hired consultants ,” he said.
He further held that the documents upon which the petitioners relied were all dumped on the tribunal and could not be used in their favour.
He therefore prayed the tribunal to dismiss the petition in its entirety as it had no merit.
For his part, counsel to Gov. Monday Okpebholo, Mr Onyechi Ikpeazu, SAN told the tribunal to dismiss the petition on the grounds that it had become an academic exercise.
He said that in the course of their research, they carefully extracted the polling units which the petitioners tendered documents on and compared them to the ones they presented and even at that, his client was well ahead of the petitioners in the polls.
On the contentious Form EC25b where the petitioners claimed the serial numbers of sensitive materials must be given, Ikpeazu said that all that was required for the form was quantity of electoral materials received and quantity returned.
He added that a pronouncement of the Supreme Court said that one could not prove over voting without the Bimodal Verification Authentication System (BVAs) Machines but that none of the machines was opened to allow the tribunal look at the content.
According to him, the petitioners by not tendering the right documents, failed to prove over voting on the whole.
Speaking on behalf of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) Mr Emmanuel Ukala argued that it was clear that the case of the petitioners was based virtually and entirely on non-compliance.
“By the nature of the case they pleaded, the Supreme Court has over the years laid down that they need to prove this by polling unit to polling unit, ward to ward and local government by local government.”
He, however, held that rather than prove this, the petitioners dumped documents on the court.
He said that without polling unit agents testifying to those documents, they were useless and the case remained unproved.
Ukala argued that with over 4,000 polling units in Edo, the petitioners called only five polling unit agents and no single presiding officer.
He also said that since the petitioners failed to demonstrate how the BVAs worked, it was clear that the case of the petitioners was not proved and it should be dismissed.
Responding, counsel to the petitioners, Mr Ken Moze, SAN, said that with 4519 polling units in Edo, the complaint in the petition was concerning 765 of them.
According to him, it is law that successful prosecution of election petition is not about the percentage of the total polling units in the state but the effect of the successive establishment of the complaint.
He further argued that the petition must be considered whollistically and not in parts.
“So the submission of isolating grounds and labeling them alone as academic is not well founded,” he said.
On the issue of not presenting the tribunal with an alternative result, the senior lawyer said that it was on record that all the results before the tribunal were tendered by his client.
On why the petitioners called only five polling unit agents, he said that the grouse of his client was with what happened at the collation centres and not at the polling units so they didn’t need more than five agents to testify.
“We concede that elections took place at the polling units but how 25 votes metamorphosed to 525 votes at the collation center is what we are quarrelling with,” he said.
Speaking on the claim that they dumped documents on the tribunal, Moze said that all the documents they tendered were duly certified by INEC and were tendered without objection from the commission, the makers of the document.
He also held that the tribunal had requisite jurisdiction to hear the petition because their allegations were not pre-election matters.
Having taken all the arguments, Justice Kpochi said that judgment in the matter was reserved to a date to be communicated to the parties by the secretary of the tribunal.
The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that the PDP and its governorship candidate, Mr Asue Ighodalo approached the tribunal, praying it to invalidate the outcome of the governorship election on the grounds of alleged non-compliance with the Electoral Act, 2022.
They further contended that Okpebholo did not secure the highest number of majority votes cast in that election.(NAN)
News
BREAKING: Lagos Assembly Speaker Meranda resigns from office
BREAKING: Lagos Assembly Speaker Meranda resigns from office
Mojisola Meranda has resigned as Speaker of Lagos State Assembly amid leadership crisis that has engulfed the House
But the crisis remain unresolved as Obasa’s removal divided the Assembly, and party’s leadership in the state.
Meranda said she resigned to protect the state assembly, adding that she is not a quitter.
“I take a bow as your Speaker,” she announced.
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Before announcing her resignation, the state lawmakers took turns to commend her legislative acumen, diligence, and performance within her short time in office.
Showering praises on Meranda, Desmond Olusola Elliot thanked her, saying she demonstrated good leadership and led the house well.
Another lawmaker, Temitope Adewale Ifako-Ijaiye I, said, “We celebrate you for your quality service. You are a heroine of democracy. You came, you saw, you conquer. You are a victim of circumstance. This house is in tears.”
News
JUST IN; Obasa meets with Speaker Meranda, 34 Lawmakers APC Chairman amid Leadership crisis
JUST IN; Obasa meets with Speaker Meranda, 34 Lawmakers APC Chairman amid Leadership crisis
The impeached Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, held a meeting with the Speaker, Mojisola Meranda and 34 other lawmakers, at the assembly complex.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that also present at the meeting is the Lagos State Chairman, All Progressive Congress (APC), Cornelius Ojelabi.
NAN observed that Obasa, who arrived at the assembly complex at about 1:45 p.m., exchanged pleasantries with the 35 lawmakers.
The meeting between the two factions is connected to how to resolve the speakership crisis at the state assembly.