Metro
Bread no Longer Affordable, Many FCT Residents Lament
With the continuous increase in the price of bread, many residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) say they are struggling to keep up with the cost of the staple food.
The residents, who spoke to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday, pleaded for the government’s intervention.
They expressed concern that bread is slowly becoming a luxury item rather than a basic necessity.
The latest National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) Food Price Report for February 2024, said the average price of 500g sliced bread increased by 89.
48 per cent on a year-on-year basis from N553.03 recorded in February 2023 to N1,047.86 in February 2024.While the report said on a month-on-month basis, 500g sliced bread increased by 15.
91 per cent from N904.02 recorded in January 2024.Mr Sumaila Yusuf, a civil servant, said it had become difficult to buy bread because of the increase in price .
“ It has been tough buying and consuming bread these days.
“As a matter of fact, bread is now treated on the list of special foods that we go for occasionally and it is no longer a routine item that must be on the shelf at all times.
“Sometimes I ponder on why I should keep consuming bread with an almost daily increase in the prices of loaves.
“I can recall that this time last year, I was buying Imperial Bread for N800 but it was sold for N1400 about a month ago when I last bought it.
“Also, Delight Bread small loaf was N600 but it is now N1, 200. I can go on and on. The government really needs to intervene and help regulate the price,” he said.
Mrs Biodun Ajakaiye, a businesswoman, said the increase in the price of bread had led to a reduction in its consumption in her house.
“I used to buy two family loaves for my family of six and we used to eat bread twice a week but with the increase we now eat bread once a month.
“The last bread I bought was N1, 700. So two loaves for my family will be N3400. How can we spend that amount on only bread twice a week?
“We just had to advise ourselves and replace eating bread with Akamu and Akara,” she said.
Mrs Ella Anyanwu, a civil servant, said the increase in bread price had affected her family’s consumption of it.
Anyanwu also said in spite of the increase, the quantity and quality of some bread had reduced and she called on the government to intervene.
“The price of bread increases geometrically and the quality and quantity also reduce daily. Some are not properly baked due to the high cost of baking items hence they spoil easily.
“A loaf of bread that was being sold between N950 to N1,000 early this year, increased to N1,300 then to N1,600 currently making affordability very difficult because one needs to buy like three loaves to meet the needs of my family.
“If bread that is a common food for a common man can be so expensive, how can Nigerians survive in this harsh economic situation?
“Therefore, the government should endeavor to look into the cause of its increasing cost as well as other food items and intervene to cushion the effect,” she said.
A trader, Musa Ahmed, said he still ate bread but went for the smaller sizes because of the price increase.
According to him, I used to buy a loaf of N500 bread but it is now N1,000, so I now buy the N400 loaf which used to be N300, and manage myself.
Peace Samuel, a manager of one of the big bakeries in Abuja, attributed the increasing cost of bread to several factors, including the Ukraine war, foreign exchange increase, and inflation in the country.
“ Two to three months ago, our 900g family loaf was supplied to distributors at a rate of N930, while it was sold to final consumers at N1,100.
“But presently, the same loaf is supplied to distributors at N1,100 and sold to final consumers at N1,300.
“Similarly, the 200g Jumbo loaf that was sold to final consumers at N1,200 is now sold at N1,600.”
Samuel, however, said in spite of the drop in dollar, the cost of raw materials such as flour and others used to make bread was still on the rise.
“As of March 22, the price of flour has witnessed another increase of between N1,500 to N2,000, depending on the brand.
“This continuous surge in prices has led to many bakeries shutting down.”
She also said that suppliers sometimes create artificial scarcity and increase prices, knowing that customers have no choice but to buy.
According to her, this is harming the bakery business, and many people are losing their jobs.
Samuel recalled how the government’s intervention helped with the reduction in prices of flour when the Master Bakers Association went on a nationwide strike in February.
“When we went on the strike, the government intervened to an extent and the price of 50kg flour was reduced immediately from N55,000 to N50,000.
“However, the price has gone up again, ranging from N53,500 to N57,000, depending on the brand.
“The government needs to understand that the continuous rise in the cost of bread is creating a ripple effect that is affecting the entire economy, therefore, the government really needs to intervene,” she said. (NAN
The Federal Government on Wednesday disclosed a plan to set up a livestock breeding center in each of the six geopolitical zones to enhance productivity and sustainability.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Food Security, Dr Aliyu Abdullahi, disclosed this in Kaduna at a two-day interactive session on Government-Citizens Engagement, organised by the Sir Ahmadu Bello Memorial Foundation.
The event is themed, “Assessing Electoral Promises: Fostering Government-Citizens Engagement for National Unity”
Speaking at a plenary on Agriculture and Food Security, Abdullahi said the President Bola Tinubu-led administration is intentional about investing in Nigeria’s livestock sector.
He reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to fostering synergy among key sectors to achieve the broad objectives of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
Abdullahi said his ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Education to redesign curriculum for young farmers to adopt modernisation and boost the sector.
According to him, the initiative aims to equip the next generation with modern agricultural skills, technology-driven knowledge, and innovative farming practices to strengthen national food security.
Abdullahi said the synergy among the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, Water Resources, Livestock Development, and the Marine and Blue Economy are imperative for delivering on the Renewed Hope Agenda.
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Tuesday said appropriate sanctions will be meted out to FCT Health Insurance Scheme (FHIS) Health Maintenance Organisation (HMOs), failing to promptly remit payments to Healthcare providers.
The FHIS is a social Health Insurance Programme, offering financial protection through access to quality, affordable and equitable healthcare to all FCT residents.
Free enrolment is open to staff of the FCTA and Area Councils as well as vulnerable persons, including pregnant women, while other members of the public can enroll upon payment of N22,500 as premium per annum.
In a bid to improve the quality of healthcare services provided to the FHIS enrollees, about N4 billion, being outstanding/backlog payments for capitation and fee for service for years 2022 to 2024, was approved by the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike and paid between last year and this year.
This was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka said the Benefit Package of the FHIS includes the Basic Minimum Package of Health Care services (BMPHS) ranging from promotive, preventive, curative and some rehabilitative care services.
The services include primary preventive care, screening, primary emergency services, and secondary level care such as dental, mental, eye, ear, nose and throat care, physiotherapy, surgeries, laboratory investigations, radiological investigations such as ultrasound scan, x-rays.
However, complaints have been received from some Healthcare providers concerning non-remittance of their payments by some HMOs, under the excuse that bank details of the hospitals were not available, an excuse not acceptable to the government.
Therefore, compliance of the HMOs to the prompt remittance of payments to Healthcare providers, as well as commitment of the Healthcare providers to the discharge of their duties to the FHIS enrollees will be monitored with a view to sanctioning defaulters appropriately.
On implementation of the FHIS in the last one year, there have been payment of all outstanding capitations and fee for service backdated to year 2022 by the end of 2024, improved timeliness in the payment of capitation to HMOs, review and increment of the capitation to Healthcare providers for improved service delivery to enrollees, free enrolment of vulnerable persons especially pregnant women and under-five, poor and indigents, who have started enjoying healthcare services, and accreditation visits to 100 Primary Health Care (PHC) facilities to expand the number of PHC facilities in FCT and improve access to healthcare services in the communities.
Also, all pregnant women who enrolled through the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) Primary Health Care (PHC) Centres across the six Area Councils in the FCT will continue to enjoy free health education, medical consultation and treatment, routine antenatal drugs, laboratory investigations and delivery.
Referral for secondary care including caesarean section, blood transfusion, and treatment of other obstetric complications such as eclampsia, at all the 14 General Hospitals in the FCT is also provided at no cost to the patient through the BHCPF.
The Air Component of Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) has neutralized several high-value Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) commanders and fighters in a decisive air interdiction in the Lake Chad region.
Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, the Director, Public Relations and Information, Nigerian Air Force (NAF), made this known in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
Ejodame stated that the mission, carried out on Sunday, targeted Arina Woje, a notorious ISWAP enclave in the Southern Tumbuns of Borno, known as a sanctuary for insurgent leaders.
He said the strike followed a series of credible Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) sorties that confirmed the return of terrorist elements to the area after recent inter-factional clashes.
According to him, ISR data revealed significant terrorist activities, including the movement of foot soldiers, reactivation of structures and the concealment of possible command centres and logistics depots beneath dense foliage.
He added that “acting on credible intelligence, NAF air assets were dispatched to undertake focused strike mission. Aircrew on arrival, acquired and prosecuted pre-selected targets using precision-guided munitions, achieving devastating effects.
“Preliminary battle damage assessment reveals the destruction of several structures housing key ISWAP leaders, fighters, and logistics storage facilities, effectively disrupting the group’s operational planning and resupply efforts in the region.”
The NAF spokesman said the operation reflected NAF’s continued resolve to dislodge terrorist elements, deny them freedom of movement, and support ground forces in restoring peace and stability across Nigeria.
He added that the operations also reinforced the value of intelligence-driven air power missions in modern counter-terrorism operations.
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