Fish sellers in Abeokuta, Ogun State, have on Tuesday taken to the streets over the persistent rise in the price of the commodity.
The fish sellers who stormed major streets in Abeokuta metropolis yo express frustration that the high cost of fish is having an adverse effect on their businesses.
The traders, carrying placards and singing solidarity songs, stormed the palace of the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, Oba Micheal Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, to register their displeasure.
Speaking to newsmen, the state chairman, Fish and SeafoodSellers Association of Nigeria, Owolabi Onajobi bemoaned the ceaseless hike in the prices of fish, noting that has forced many of his members out of business.
He said, “Skyrocketing prices of fish have adversely affected our business as customers blame us for the arbitrary increase”.
He called on the government to immediately take action to alleviate the economic hardship caused by the increasing prices of commodities.
He said “Many of us are shutting down our businesses because we cannot continue to run at a loss. For instance, a carton of Titus we were buying for N45,000 before is now N87,000. We cannot continue like that, this is why we have come to the governor to tell him our plight.
“The government should please look into this and save our business from imminent collapse. We are operating under huge debt, this hardship is too much.”
Responding on behalf of the state government, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Adijat Adeleye appealed to the traders to be more patient with the government, saying the hike in fish is not peculiar to Ogun state alone.
Adeleye said, “To my understanding, I think this is not just happening in Ogun state, fish sellers from other states are also complaining about the price increase.
“The issue of fish is not just about Ogun state, it is something that cuts across the nation, there has to be a holistic approach to the problem.”
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