Legislators in the Kwara state House of Assembly have expressed concern on the soaring increase in prices of food items and other commodities in the state.
Moving a motion on the Need to Control High Cost of Food Items in Kwara State at the plenary of the Assembly last week, Hon. Abdullahi Danbaba representing Kaiama/Kemanji/Wajibe constituency said that he was concerned about the rate at which staple food prices skyrocketed in the market.
He alleged that some traders were in the habit of creating artificial scarcity by engaging in hoarding of food items to force cost inflation.
According to him, “the rate of food scarcity particular in Kwara State has brought about increase in the level of hunger and starvation in the society and as well triggered frustration and state of hopelessness among the citizens.
An unbelievable number of people are suffering and lamenting as a result of the urgly menace and the artificial scarcity created by market women/men being alleged of indulging in unwholesome act of hoarding the limited available food stuffs.”
The motion was seconded by Hon Wahab Opakunle, Afon constituency and supported by no fewer than 13 other legislators who expressed their views on the rising cost and scarcity of food items in the state especially during the ongoing Ramadan period.
Reading the resolution of the Assembly, the Speaker, Rt Hon Yakubu Salihu-Danladi urged the state government to encourage massive food production by providing incentives for farmers in the state through farm inputs such as tractors fertilizer pesticides, loans and other facilities.
The House also urged the government to encourage community policing particularly in the hinterland and border communities and encourage the security agencies to be more proactive in their duties of securing the lives and property of citizens so as to curb the space of insecurity in different parts of the State.
It further directed its Committee on Commerce, Industry, Women Affairs and Social Development to, in collaboration with relevant officials interface with the leadership of the market women/men associations in the state to discuss the lingering crisis with a view to addressing the issues involved.
