By Henry Oqua, Babatunde Olatunji & Okechukwu Divine
The Edo State Government has said that a framework has been put in place to curb the indiscriminate hike in prices of goods and services across the State, warning that “Edo residents will not be cheated”.
The Commissioner, Ministry of Business, Trade and Cooperatives (MBTC), Afishetu Braimoh, said this during an interview in her office where she explained that the government has adopted a holistic approach to combating fake and substandard products in the market as well as arbitrary price setting by some individuals and groups.
“There has been public outcry over the incessant increase in the price of goods which has reached the Governor’s ears. As we talked about this to various stakeholders across the economy, we discovered that everybody is being price-gouged. We started by looking at the unions because some people accused the unions of controlling prices.
“Before then, we also received an anonymous tip from someone who was being forced to join the union and pay about 300,000 just to open a business in a particular area. This was being investigated at the same time we were inundated with public complaints of price control.
“Our investigations revealed there was more to the problem and this resulted in the formulation of the framework to fight price control in Edo State,” the Commissioner added.
In a survey by the Edo Talk Show for August 2022, food vendors complained about unions setting prices and the effect of increased diesel and petrol prices on the cost of goods. They also called on the Federal and State Governments to intervene to drive down the cost of transportation and fix issues with security along the roads between the farms and markets.
In September, the MBTC launched a public campaign to stop the sale of fake or expired products, price hikes and irregularities in trading, providing the public with a whistleblower helpline (+234-7086-009-299) to lodge their complaints anonymously.
Commissioner Braimoh during the interview explained that the whistleblower helpline was one aspect of the government’s efforts to rid Edo markets of extortion and exploitation.
According to her, “After speaking with the Governor, the Secretary to the State Government, and the Attorney General, we arrived at a decision to tackle the menace holistically, looking at the unions statewide and understanding what challenges they may be facing. This gave birth to the framework which has now been approved.”
“Another aspect of this is in understanding from the leaders of the unions what their roles and bylaws say with the aim of improving them to better serve the people,” she said.
On the helpline, Braimoh said “If you see this (price hiking) happening, you should call the whistleblower helpline +234-7086-009-299 anonymously and give us enough information to take action on your complaint.
“We have a consumer protection group that exists within the government whose job it is to work with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON), and others, to rid our State of substandard goods and enforce the laws to ensure that the residents of Edo State are not being cheated not just in price control but also with substandard goods.
“We love our State and as the government we will protect the lives of our people and the Governor Godwin Obaseki administration is taking this very seriously.
“We have compared the prices of some goods in Lagos and Abuja and found that they are sold at higher prices in Benin. Even the food products like rice, garri, yam, even construction products we produce in the State, you find that they are sold for higher prices in Edo. This cannot continue and we are determined to stop incessant price hikes for the residents of Edo State.”
