Most residents in Jos, Plateau State have lamented as they feel the pains arising from
the border closure as the prices of food stuff, such as rice, frozen
foods and others continue to witness an increase of up to 50 per cent.
You will recall that the Federal Government had closed its borders since Aug. 19 in an operation tagged: Ex-Swift Response.
The joint-border closure is meant to check the smuggling of goods
into the country, as it’s being supervised by the Nigeria Customs
Service (NCS), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Police and military
personnel and coordinated by the office of the National Security Adviser
(ONSA).
But adding more pain to already hardship being experienced by lots
of Nigerians, the prices of some food items from the land borders,
especially the Republic of Benin have increased astronomically.
Already, the president had vehemently said that, ” activities
of the smugglers have continued to threaten the self-sufficiency already
attained due to the administration’s agricultural policies.
“Now that our people in the rural areas are going back to their
farms, and the country has saved huge sums of money which would have
otherwise been expended on importing rice using our scarce foreign
reserves.
“We cannot allow smuggling of the product at such alarming proportions to continue,’’ he had said.
MatthewteghaBlog News source who went round Jos town over the weekend discovered that, “a bag of rice that was sold around N12, 000 before now sells around N20,000 to N22,000.
Besides, a carton of frozen food (Orobo Chicken) that was sold
before at the rate of N7,000 to N7,500 now sells for N12,000 to N13,000.
For every household in Plateau State, these foods are essential to
their survival because they are consumed in large quantity which
necessitated their large importation.
A rice retailer, in Terminus Market Jos, Alhaji Sani Yusuf
lamented the absence of the locally produced rice which was the reason
borders were shut, adding that they were not available.
“The local rice is nowhere to be found because they cannot go
round. Nigerians eat rice a lot; it is the most consumed food item in
the country after bread.
According to him, “The Federal Government should have ensured
self-sufficiency in rice before closing the borders. If the local rice
is available, there won’t be any increase in the price in the market.
“We have been battling with the price of the local rice because since the borders were shut, the price keeps on increasing,’’ he said.
Another wholesaler simply known as Amos said the pains that arose
from the border closure were much more than what the citizen could
afford.
According to him, majority of Nigerians are unemployed. They could not afford the cost of food stuff in the market.
He appealed to the federal government to rescind its decision on closure of boarder.
”Unemployment has been on the increase. Most people have noting
to show for it. If you don’t have job, you must surely eat. But the
means is no longer there.
” What do you expect somebody who does not have job, but is hungry for food to do?
“You are indirectly telling him/her to go and steal. Remember, once you steal, and caught, your punishment will be greater,” he added.
According to him, high rate of kidnapping, assassin, and vices in the country were largely due to lack of jobs.