NEWS
Residents Raise Concerns as Beans Price Soars in Lagos
Lagos residents are raising concerns about continued increase in the price of beans, their major source of protein.
They said that consistent rise in the price of beans since 2024 had become unbearable, urging governments to intervene.
The residents spoke in interviews on Sunday in Lagos.
Reports says that a 40kg bag of beans, which sold for N26,000 in January, now sells for N115,000, while a 100kg bag which sold for N55,000 at the beginning of the year, now sells for N230,000.
This made the staple food beyond the reach of many of the residents.
Mrs Uloma Chigozirim, a housewife and mother of four on Santos Estate, Akowonjo, expressed worry that children might be malnourished following the high increase in the price of beans.
“Beans used to be the cheapest food; now, we do not even understand what is going on.
“Every other week, the price keeps going up; even traders cannot tell us the reason for the hike.
“Beans used to be the cheapest source of protein for the average resident, but the produce is now too expensive to afford.
“We really need government intervention, else a lot of us will be malnourished,” Chigozirim said.
Hinting on the possible reason for the hike in the price of the produce, Mr Uche Ikenga, a beans farmer at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, noted that the produce was not an all-season crop.
“It has the time it is cultivated.
“The peak period for beans harvest is usually at the end of the year. Then we have enough supply for the growing demand of the produce.
“However, harvest time is the time some cattle are foraging everywhere for food.
“Last year, a lot of farmers lost their harvest because their beans farms were consumed by the foraging cows.
“The produce is scarce and expensive this year because the harvest of last year was low,” Ikenga said.
A beans trader at the Dry Foodstuff Section of Ile-Epo Market, Agege, Mr Ahmed Yusuf, said that beans might not be unavailable in the coming months.
“We sold a small bucket of beans for N6,500 last two weeks but now the same quantity sells for N 8,000.
“The price just keeps soaring everyday, and we sell as we buy. We no longer keep because of the price unpredictability.
“We are not even sure if we will have beans to sell by this time next month because the produce is unavailable,” he said.
Yusuf said that demand for beans had been high but farmers did not have enough because so many of them could not cultivate crops this year.
“There is nothing we can do about the price hike, it has gone beyond our control,” Yusuf said.
A seller of jewellery, Mrs Bunmi Arowolo, called for intervention of the federal and Lagos State governments in the situation.
“Early in May, I bought a paint (small) bucket of beans for N7 500 as against N3,000 previously.
“As common form of protein, I now manage the little quantity for my family.
“I want to appeal to the governments to tackle insecurity so that farmers can go to their farms again and make the produce available and affordable,” Arowolo said.
Emphasising the importance of beans in Nigerians’ diets, Ms Adaeze Oparaku, a nutritionist at the Lagos Teaching Hospital (LUTH), said: “The produce is an important source of protein, carbohydrates, dietary fibre for both adults and children.
“It contains micronutrients such as the Vitamin Bs, good source of minerals such as phosphorus, copper, manganese, iron.
“Beans should be a regular staple in children’s diet, if they like it.
“However, given the rise in the price of the produce, it can be substituted with other protein sources in children’s meals.”
Mrs Eugenia Uloma, a trader at the popular Kotangora Market in Abule-Egba area, said that beans had been a major part of the Nigerian diet and important to every Nigerian.
“The produce is so expensive, but we still buy the quantity we can afford because it is our major source of protein.
“Other protein sources are even more expensive.
“We do not need so much from the government, if it can address this growing food inflation, we will be grateful.
“Let us just have food to eat, that is what most of us are asking. We need to feed our families to live, especially the children,” Uloma said.
A vegetable farmer, Mrs Barinedum Legbara, called for adequate planning for increased local production of beans.
“We buy beans as a basic necessity in our diet. Government should do something about the beans issue.
“We need adequate planning for strategic cultivation of beans so as to avoid this scarcity and hike.
“We have everything in this country to feed ourselves. Farmers should be empowered to cultivate crops for food security.
“Nigeria is fertile, we just need to be more strategic in our crop cultivation to give us sizeable yields and good prices,” Legbara said. (NAN)
Niger Government has established the state Price Control and Monitoring Board, approved by Gov. Umaru Bago to ensure fair pricing and consumer protection.
Alh. Abubakar Usman, Secretary to the Niger Government (SSG), inaugurated members of the board on Thursday in Minna.
The eight-member board has Alh.
Hussaini Ahmed, a former Permanent Secretary as the chairman.Usman noted that the inauguration of the board marked a significant step in the state’s commitment to ensuring fair pricing and consumer protection.
He said that the board was expected to control and stabilise prices of essential commodities and eradicate or reduce to the barest minimum, hoarding of essential commodities across the state.
He said that board would also handle issues that may arise as a result of enforcement and penalty for contravention of guidelines among several others.
“The board will be responsible for the distribution, monitoring and evaluation of essential commodities and keep price under continuous surveillance.
“They will also interpret price movement and relate them to other development in the State’s economy,” Usman said.
He said the board was expected to interface with relevant stakeholders such as local government chairmen, traditional institutions and councilors and well as market organisations to ensure the success of their mandate.
The SSG enjoined members of board to bring their wealth of experience and expertise in economics, consumer affairs and market dynamics to bear in their assignment.
He said that their appointment underscored the government’s dedication to maintaining economic stability and safeguarding the interests of both consumers and businesses in the state.
In his remarks, the board chairman, Ahmed, assured that the board would interface with relevant stakeholders within and outside the state in order to bring succour to the populace.
Other members of the board include Hamza Bello, Permanent Secretary, Investment, Aliyu Abubakar, Permanent Secretary, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs and Garba Abdullahi, from Ministry of Basic Education.
Also on the board are Adamu Maikasuwa, Ministry of Agriculture, DCP Aminu Garba, Nigeria Police, Niger Command, Aminu Ladan, Chairman, Chanchaga Local Government Area and Usman Liman, retired Statistician-General as Secretary of the Board. (NAN)
The Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), has shared N1.298 trillion among the Federal Government, states, and the Local Government Councils (LGCs) for September.
This is according to a communique issued at the end of FAAC meeting for October held on Thursday in Abuja.
The communiqué was made available to newsmen by Bawa Mokwa, the Director, Press and Public Relations, Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAGF).
According to the communiqué, N1.
298 trillion total distributable revenue comprised distributable statutory revenue of N124.716 billion, and distributable Value Added Tax (VAT) revenue of N543.518 billion.It also comprised Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL) revenue of N18.
445 billion, Exchange Difference revenue of N462.191 billion and Augmentation of N150.000 billion.It said that a total revenue of N2.258 trillion was available in the month of September.
“Total deduction for cost of collection was N80.993 billion, while total transfers, interventions and refunds was N878.946 billion,” it said.
According to the communiqué, gross statutory revenue of N1.043 trillion was received in September 2024, which was lower than the sum of N1.221 trillion received in August by N177.426 billion.
It said that gross revenue of N583.675 billion was available from VAT in September, higher than the N573.341 billion available in the month of August by N10.334 billion.
“From the N1.298 trillion total distributable revenue, the Federal Government received a total sum of N424.867 billion, and the state governments received a total sum of N453.724 billion.
“The LGCs received a total sum of N329.864 billion and a total sum of N90.415 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting states as derivation revenue,” it said.
On the N124.716 billion statutory revenue, the communiqué said that the Federal Government received N43.037 billion and the state governments received N21.829 billion, while the LGCs received N16.829 billion.
It said that the sum of N43.021 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the benefiting states as derivation revenue.
“From the N543.518 billion VAT revenue, the Federal Government received N81.528 billion, the state governments received N271.759 billion and the LGCs received N190.231 billion,” it said.
It said that in September, Oil and Gas Royalty, Excise Duty, EMTL and CET Levies increased considerably while VAT and Import Duty increased marginally.
It added that Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT), Companies Income Tax (CIT) and others recorded significant decreases. (NAN)
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has reiterated the importance of strict adherence to traffic laws, emphasising the prohibition of commercial motorcycles on highways and other restricted routes.
Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, the General Manager, said this in a statement on Thursday, signed by Mr Taofiq Adebayo, Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, LASTMA.
Bakare-Oki said that non-compliance with the regulations not only jeopardised the safety of the riders but also endangered the lives of other road users.
The statement came following the death of a motorcycle rider going against traffic on Carter Bridge, due to a collision with a fast-moving vehicle.
Bakare-Oki noted that the deceased, reportedly traveling from Ebute Ero, collided head-on with a fast-moving vehicle as it ascended Carter Bridge from Ilubirin.
“The forceful impact of the collision led to the immediate death of the motorcyclist while the vehicle driver ran away.
“Personnel from the LASTMA promptly arrived at the scene of the accident and swiftly alerted officers from the Central Police Station at Adeniji Adele and Shemo.
“Together, they coordinated efforts to retrieve the lifeless body of the rider, while LASTMA officials handed over the motorcycle to security authorities for further investigation,” he said.
The LASTMA boss extended his heartfelt sympathy to the family of the deceased.
“LASTMA remains committed to upholding public safety and is intensifying its efforts to minimise the occurrence of such tragic incidents on Lagos roads,” he said. (NAN)
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