By Chris Agabi
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s aid, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to the President has said saboteurs, especially traders are responsible for the high cost of food stuffs across the country.
He stated this during a courtesy call on him by a delegation of the Association of Corporate Online Editors (ACOE) in Abuja on Friday.
He based on his personal experience, the traders are being unreasonably greedy.
“For example, a lady showed us a basket of tomatoes being sold for N4,000, and in Lagos, it is N10,000, and in Abuja, it is N8,000. I bought a basket of mangoes for N1,000 in Ogbomoso but in Lagos, only three mangoes were sold for N1,000. There might be sabotage or profiteering by traders” he said.
This is against the backdrop of pervading insecurity across the country. May security and economic experts have attributed the high cost of food stuffs according the country to insecurity and high cost of transportation.
Mr. Onanuga said the solution is for all Nigerians to engage in agriculture.
“Let’s start planting something in our yards” he said.
According to him, high cost of living crises exist globally.
“Maybe what is happening in the world is a cycle, and countries will have to go through certain difficulties. We are going through it, but this government is making serious efforts to reduce the hardships faced by our people” he assured.
“This is not the first time we are going through this kind of crisis. The government is investing in agriculture to make things available and affordable, and as individuals, we also have a role to play” he.fieter indicated.
“I will be starting my farm very soon. Everyone should farm. We don’t need to depend on greedy traders who are making us suffer” the President said said.
He expressed support to the online editors and pledged his cooperation. This is even as he enlisted the online newspaper editors to be objective and deep in their reportage of the country.
Earlier, Mr. Martins Odiete, the Chairman of the Association of Online Editors (ACOE), expressed gratitude for the opportunity provided by the SA Information and Strategy to the President, regarding the meeting with the body of online editors.
During the presentation titled: “Collaborating for a Stronger Online Media Landscape in Nigeria,” Mr. Odiete highlighted ACOE’s modus operandi and emphasized the importance of working with the Presidency’s media team for media collaboration.
The association stressed the need for collaboration at a time when Nigerians are eager for essential information from their government.
