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Shatta Wale opened up on his emotional turmoil following his parents’ separation in a heartfelt social media post.
He revealed how the breakup affected him deeply, leaving him with lasting emotional scars that carried into his adult years.
The singer spoke about the challenges of growing up in a separated home, emphasizing the instability and emotional upheaval it brought into his life.
He spoke of the impact the lack of a stable family unit had on his sense of security and self-identity during his formative years.
“Ungrateful woman, without me you’re nothing” – Portable reopens beef with wife, Bewaji
Sharing his struggles to cope with the aftermath of his parents’ split, Shatta Wale disclosed feeling lost and vulnerable as a result, stating that the emotional wounds inflicted by the separation seeped into his relationships and overall well-being, shaping his behavior and responses to difficulties in life.
Recalling moments of feeling misunderstood and labeled disrespectful by his parents, Shatta Wale revealed his decision to leave home in pursuit of peace, facing homelessness as a consequence.
He detailed nights spent sleeping on the streets, seeking refuge in unlikely places like Nkrumah Circle and Adabraka.
“You know what my parents put me through? Because of them, I slept on the streets, I slept in front of stores. Those days, it was the prostitutes at Nkrumah Circle who were watching over me. I slept at filling stations at Circle including the one that got burnt. I slept on the streets of Adabraka and so on” Shatta said
Speaking on a coping strategy of distancing himself from stress and negativity, Shatta Wale shared how he learned to cut off toxic relationships without hesitation.
He stressed the importance of prioritizing his mental well-being by removing individuals who bring negativity into his life.
“As a result, I started running from stress, running from people who would stress me. That’s where I learned how to cut people off because I don’t want stress. I cut people off without thinking twice. I am the chief cutter. I have learned that in life, it is important to cut off anyone who wants to bring negativity into your life” he added.
Dufil Prima Foods Ltd has announced reduction in price of indomie.
The producer of Indomie Instant Noodles explained that its product costs have decreased forcing a reduction in the price of indomie.
Mr. Temitope Ashiwaju, the company’s Group Corporate Communications and Event Manager, confirmed this in an interview with the Nigerian News Agency (NAN) on Saturday in Lagos.
Ashiwaju underlined the necessity of clarifying any misconception about the product’s recent price modification. He also said that economic realities had an influence on the firm, which had previously resulted in increasing costs for Indomie noodles.
He said: “For a listening company such as ours, we felt at some point in time, against our operational cost to adjust when things started to improve.
“We are not here to rip people’s out. Of course, if you starve people and make the products out of reach, it will also affect us.
“Reduction in prices came when the operational cost started to go down. “We don’t have a choice than to adjust to realities of times and other indices as they improve because serving people are at the centre of our core value.
“The moment we realised that things started to stabilise, we all hope and pray the economy gets better, as a responsible company, we felt it was time to do a further price reduction.”
Ashiwaju highlighted that the company has been operating in Nigeria for over two decades, with factories and installations across the country.
The Chinese Premier Li Qiang told Elon Musk, Tesla CEO, that the Chinese market is always open to foreign-funded firms.
China’s number Two official disclosed this on Sunday after an unannounced meeting in Beijing with Musk, who doubled as the Executive Chairman of X.
“China’s very large-scale market will always be open to foreign-funded firms.
“China will stick to its word and will continue working hard to expand market access and strengthen service guarantees, ” said Li Qiang.
On his part, Musk said in a post on X that he was “honoured” to meet Li Qiang.
“We have known each other for many years, since early Shanghai days,” Musk said.
Musk’s meeting with Li Qiang comes as Chinese carmakers promote their latest electric vehicles at the Beijing Motor Show from April 25 to May 5.
President Bola Tinubu on Sunday meet with Microsoft Founder and Philanthropist, Bill Gates, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum Special Meeting in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
During the meeting President Tinubu spoke extensively about the role technology will play in ensuring his government delivers its promises to the Nigerian people.
Below are five major things the President told Bill Gates during their meeting.
1. Technology is the enemy of corruption
Tinubu told Bill Gates that technology will play a pivotal role in his government’s fight against corruption that has for too long left Nigeria trailing in the community of nations.
According to him, technology is a potent weapon against corruption and financial impropriety in public service. “Technology is the enemy of fraud, corruption, and irregularity,” the President stressed.
2. We are investing in Technology to ensure transparency
Tinubu also assured Mr. Gates that his administration is extensively investing in Technology, especially that which is tailored towards ensuring transparency and accountability in government and accelerating public-sector performance and service delivery to the Nigerian people.
According to the president work is ongoing to improve the technology architecture that exist at the moment as to serve the people effectively.
3. Reliable tech will support new government interventions
President Tinubu further asserted that the tech being improved upon at the moment will be made very reliable as to support a national consumer credit system and many other critical new government interventions for all Nigerians.
4. we will bend the curve and Nigeria will receive the benefits
While noting that resistance is often expected when efforts are made to strengthen systems and forestall malfeasance, the president said Nigeria will at last benefit greatly from the investments being made in technology as it will help birth the promises upon which his administration was voted into power.
“There is always the initial resistance. Corruption, self-interest, and fraudulent activity will always be an enemy, but when you bend that curve, you will receive the benefit. The nation will receive the benefit,” the President buttressed.
5. There is no shortcut
President Tinubu in recounting how he deployed technology to enhance the revenue base of Lagos State while serving as governor, emphasized that there is no other shortcut to improving the economic situation in Nigeria, than to invest in technology, remain focused, diligent, and hardworking.
Tinubu who said he ensured the collection and utilization of essential data, creating an efficient tax system for Lagos State, further noted that it is no news that he began his governorship tenure with just N600 million and ended up with over N8 billion.
The president underscored that with the use of technology, Lagos is now targeting a trillion naira, a feat which he believes can be replicated on a larger scale, now that he serves as Nigeria’s leader.
A surge in demand for dollars in the parallel market driven by banks and end-users combined with slow forex disbursement to BDCs by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, caused the Naira, last week, to fall by 23 per cent against the dollar, thus recording the worst weekly performance of the Naira since February.
Though the CBN came to the rescue of the Naira on Friday by intervening in the official Nigeria Foreign Exchange Market, NAFEM, hence the appreciation of the Naira in the parallel market on Friday, currency dealers and analysts were uncertain about the fortunes of the Naira this week, citing pace and speed of CBN intervention as a determining factor.
After two months of steady appreciation to N1,140 on Friday, April 19, from N1,1,820 per dollar on Wednesday, March 21, the Naira, last week, depreciated for four consecutive days by N285 (25%) to N1,405 per dollar on Thursday, April 25th.
Following the same trend in the official market, the Naira depreciated by N169.24 (9.9%) to N1,339.23 per dollar on Friday last week, April 26th, from N1,169.99 per dollar on Friday, April 19.
FX rate differential
Financial Vanguard investigations revealed that the steady reversal in the fortunes of the Naira was triggered by a combination of factors, including sharp practices encouraged by the lower exchange rate in the parallel market.
Since the CBN resumed dollar sales to Bureaux De Change, BDCs, the parallel market exchange rate had been below the official market exchange rate. For example, on Friday, April 19, the parallel market rate at N1,120 per dollar was N64.5 lower than the official rate of N1,234.49 per dollar on that day.
To exploit this gap, banks besieged the parallel market, buying dollars at the cheaper rate and reselling to their customers at the higher official exchange rate.
Following the steps of the banks, some forex end-users also bought dollars in the parallel market, deposited them in their domiciliary account and sell to the banks at a higher official rate.
This practice according to currency dealers triggered huge demand for dollars in the parallel market and hence the 25 per cent depreciation of the Naira in four days last week.
Currency dealers also cited the slow pace of dollar disbursement to BDCs by the CBN. They noted that dollar disbursement to BDCs comes in trickles, with some BDCs not getting dollars for more than two weeks after naira payment to the apex bank.
Confirming this to Vanguard, President, Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria, Dr. Aminu Gwadabe, said: “The depreciation of the dollar was caused by two factors. The first was that people were buying from the open (parallel) market, depositing the dollars in their domiciliary accounts and sell in the interbank market and this is because the open (parallel) market rate is always lower than the interbank market rate.
“The second factor is that we have seen the resurgence of Person-to-Person, P2P, where hedging, margin trading are taking place.
“After nipping in the bud of Binance, other platforms sprang up. And you know transactions in those platforms are purely speculative. The likes of Binance can only be profitable at the expense of naira depreciation because it is a market that you buy low and sell higher.”
Scant FX supply in the official market
Investigation also revealed the situation was aggravated by the absence of CBN intervention in the official market for some weeks while inflow from Foreign Portfolios, and FPIs also dwindled.
Explaining this development, Nnamdi Nwizu, Co-Founder of Comercio Partners, a Lagos-based investment bank, said: “Until yesterday (Friday) when they intervened, CBN had not intervened in the interbank market for weeks, and inflows were drying up.
“Also forex demand that waited for Naira to strengthen (appreciate) seems to be filtering through now, both local and FPI’s.”
On the outlook for the Naira in the coming weeks, Nnamdi said: “A lot depends on if the CBN continues to intervene in the market to ensure that they don’t lose control of the market. And also if we start to see renewed FPI flows.”
CBN intervenes
In a bid to arrest the depreciation of the Naira, CBN intervened in the official market on Friday. It also increased the speed of dollar disbursement to the BDCs, while also stepping up enforcement activities with its monitoring task force which visited some BDCs and parallel market locations in Abuja and Kano on Friday.
As a result, the Naira appreciated in the parallel market on Friday to N1300 per dollar from N1,405 per dollar on Thursday.
Confirming this development, Umoru Ahmed, a currency dealer based in Lagos Island said: “The naira was traded at N1,500 this morning which I bought. There is no inflow of dollars like before and not all the BDCs have access to dollars especially if they registered late.
“The rate later crashed today to N1,300 per dollar for selling and N1,250 for buying.
“This is because the CBN’s task force stormed the market today arresting many black market traders which led to many operators reducing their price to sell off their dollars as they don’t know what the market will be like tomorrow.”
Similarly, Isa Yahaya, a currency dealer in Ikeja said: “In Ikeja today, we bought at N1,320 and sold at N1,350. But the market opened today at N1,450 per dollar of which I bought a dollar for N1,550.
“But we received a hint that the CBN’s task force was arresting many black market traders. This led to the appreciation of the naira because we just wanted to quickly sell what we had and wait till tomorrow to see what the market holds.
“The increase in the rate is due to demand pressure. The number of people demanding for dollars is higher than those selling.
“So it is difficult to meet the demand as we do not have access to buying from BDCs talk of from the CBN.”
Also confirming this development and expressing optimism that the naira will further appreciate this week, Gwadehe said: “There is a turn of events now. Naira is appreciating as we speak, the rate has come down to N1,250 – N1,270
“Now the rate is going down due to a combination of factors. The CBN has intervened today at the NAFEM market. Dollar sales and disbursement to BDCs have been coordinated and streamlined for efficiency and liquidity.
“The securities agencies have swooped on those illegal behaviours, arrests were made today in Abuja and Kano. So all these factors are playing a bigger role because all the behaviours that have no economic value have been checkmated and streamlined. So I believe appreciation of the Naira cannot but continue.”
Speaking further, Gwadabe called for an executive order to deposit their holding into a non-exports domiciliary with silent sources requirement of an amount below # 50k for 3 months.
He also called for the creation of investment bonds for Nigerians in the Diaspora without tax charges.
The Association of Rice Millers has said the reopening of the Nigeria-Niger border is responsible for declining rice prices nationwide.
Jonathan Joshua, chairman at African Rice Millers in Nasarawa, disclosed this in a statement.
Joshua, who doubles as the national president of the Association of Small-Scale Agro Producers in Nigeria, noted that the price of rice is expected to drop further in the next two months upon the commencement of harvest.
“Some mills that shut down production owing to the scarcity of paddy last year and early this year are now reopening as they can quickly source the grain from neighbouring countries due to the reopening of the Nigeria-Niger border.
“We expect paddy prices to drop further when farmers commence harvesting in two months,” he said.
Rice prices decreased by 19 per cent despite rising inflation which stood at 33.20 per cent in March 2024.
The immediate past governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, has advised his Kogi State counterpart, Yahaya Bello, to come out of his hiding and surrender himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Communities, EFCC.
Recalls that the anti-graft agency declared Bello wanted last week over alleged money laundering. EFCC is prosecuting the former governor for allegedly misappropriating over N80 billion while serving as Kogi State governor.
Ortom spoke during a thanksgiving service organised by his former appointees to mark his 63rd birthday at the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG, Regional Headquarters in Makurdi on Sunday
He said: “Let me use this opportunity to advise my younger brother and friend, former governor Yahaya Bello, not to disgrace former governors.
“If you are called to come and account for your stewardship by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, go there. You do not need to hide from EFCC; you do not need to resist arrest or anything. Go there and explain. EFCC are human beings who are doing their work.
“If they are making inquiries, the laws are there. I have tried to get him on the phone, I could not, I tried those around him, but I could not. I want him to note, wherever he is, if he can hear me from there, he should go before the EFCC.”
The Lagos State Command of the Nigerian Correctional Service has dismissed reports claiming that incarcerated crossdresser, Idris Okuneye a.k.a. Bobrisky, is being accommodated in a one-bedroom apartment for Very Important Persons VIP at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre.
Online reports had claimed that Bobrisky, who is serving a six-month prison sentence for abuse of the naira notes, was occupying a newly built VIP apartment in the Kirikiri correctional centre.
However, in a statement released, the NCoS spokesperson, Rotimi Oladokun, said the correctional centre had no en-suite style cells.
The statement reads
“The attention of the Nigerian Correctional Service Lagos State Command has been drawn to some mischievous and misleading online publications. Without prejudice to NCoS right to seek legal redress for the libelous publication, outlined are clarifications on the said issues.
The convicted inmate, Okuneye Idris Olanrewaju a.k.a. Bobrisky is currently serving a six-month jail term for abuse and mutilation of the naira note within the custody of the custodial centre in the state.
The Convict is entitled to the reformative and rehabilitative platforms either educational and/or vocational training as provided to all inmates in custody.
Idris has been allocated a shared cell with other convicted inmates. There are no en-suite or ‘one-bedroom flat’ style cells in our Custodial Centre as the cell blocks infrastructure are built as shared buildings, to accommodate multiple inmates.
Idris is being treated just as every other inmate without any special amenities or privilege accorded. All inmates are entitled to family and legal visits. These visits are monitored and regulated by NCoS.
The Controller of Corrections, Lagos Command enjoined the general public to disregard the said malicious publication.”
Morenikeji Adeleke, a popular gospel singer, also known as Egbin Orun, is dead.
This was confirmed in an Instagram post on Sunday by her colleague Esther Igbekele
Igbekele expressed shock and sadness, stating, “Egbin Orun departed suddenly without bidding farewell.”
According to Igbekele, they had recently spoken, not knowing of the impending tragedy.
She praised Egbin Orun’s beauty, kindness, and strong support for her ministry.
“I got home from my program to hear about this great loss. Prophetess Morenikeji Egbin Orun you left without saying goodbye..
“We spoke together last week not knowing you are about to embark on a journey to the great beyond. You are such a beautiful and kind-hearted woman and a very good supporter of my ministry.
“I am deeply saddened by your demise but God knows best. You will be greatly missed and your good deeds will continue to linger in our hearts.
“Ah Egbin Orun. Good night! Keep resting in the bosom of Christ. Ah Gone too soon..Yeeee.”
As at the time of this report, the cause of her death remains undisclosed and no official statement has been issued.
Hit the streets after birth…to make ends meet
There is no time the popular cliche: ‘no food for lazy man’, comes closer to the fore than in the daily life of every Nigerian, in these times.
The economy is so telling on Nigerians that survival is more miraculous than strategic.
However, Nigerians, known for resilience, are also strategically plotting to survive by any means.
Though the cliche singles out men, even women have realised that what touches the eye affects the nose, eventually. So, they are also doubling their survival strategies.
To that extent, even pregnant women, who always look forward to three months of post-partum rest, popularly known as ‘maternity leave’, after delivery, now shun the idea. For them, that three months shouldn’t be wasted for a people whose survival depends on what they make daily.
The usual practice, before the economy doubled down hardship on Nigerians, was that women working in private organisations earn a month or two months of post-partum care leave.
Those in government parastatals earn a compulsory three-month pre-natal leave.
But the struggle for survival has made most of them abandon this important aspect of rest to be able to shore up their means of survival.
Economy&Lifestyle has discovered that nursing mothers now spend only eight days after childbirth, to begin their business activities.
Mrs. Beatrice Akere, a hairstylist, said that she resumed work after 10 days of post-partum rest because she had to meet up with her targets for the year, in terms of savings.
“I am a mother of two children. My second child is just two months old. After giving birth to him, I rested for only ten days. Within those ten days, I was still attending to little business.
“After ten days, I resumed work because I am a hairstylist.
“The amount my husband and I spent on hospital bills was too much. But I thank God we are fine.
“I have to start working to be able to meet our target (savings) for the year and also assist him with other bills because the baby was not something we planned for.”
Mrs. Hannah Chukwuma, a seamstress, said she only observed for two weeks as she and her husband could hardly afford money for transport fare to bring her mother from the East to take part in Omugwo.
“You know what we all are experiencing in this country. You can hardly feed and foot bills because the price of everything keeps increasing. I am a receptionist in a hotel and also make women’s outfits as a side hustle.
“After delivery,my mother was to come for my Omugwo. But the transport fare from the East is high. So I told her not to bother coming.
“An elderly woman in my church helped with the bathing of the baby till his christening day.
“I took it up from there and rested for two more days before starting to make outfits which I had collected from my customers a few days before childbirth to avoid disappointing them.
“This is because I have spent their part payment. ”
People in the Eastern parts coined the name Omugwo for postpartum rest .
Omugwo is a traditional rite observed in the East. Here the mother of either the wife or husband is expected to take care of the newborn and mother for three months helping with the house chores, and bathing for the baby and its mother among other things.
At the end of the Omugwo, the mother leaves with various goodies.
But in this economy where there is a continuous rise in goods and services, low salaries, increased unemployment, low sales coupled with the high cost of transportation such rite has entered into oblivion.
Mrs. Foluke Hakeem, whose daughter gave birth in February said she couldn’t visit her daughter for Omugwo until the end of last month.
She noted that her daughter who lives in Abuja said her husband couldn’t afford her transport fare then and she had to just see her grandchildren through video call.
She added: “When I arrived in Abuja, I was shocked to see my daughter going to her place of business with her children after observing post-partum rest for just three weeks.
“I had to help her for a few weeks before I left because my business was also at stake.
“These young women nowadays don’t even know the importance of resting after birth.
“It helps to put the body in shape and allows the mother to regain herself after childbirth.
“Even those who were operated upon during childbirth hardly spend three months which is very very risky to their health.
“I don’t blame them. It is what the country has turned us into.
“Nowadays, you see women being the breadwinner of the family while the husband wastes away in a beer parlor everyday.
“She gets older than her age easily because the blood she has wasted during childbirth can never be regained as she loses blood monthly.
“Some even hardly visit the hospital for check ups after birth all in the name of looking for money.
“Some only attend postnatal schedules in the hospital when the home remedies applied to either the mother or newborn are not effective. Imagine such a risk.
“It is only God that will help us.”
According to the World Health Organization,WHO, the postpartum period is critical in the lives of mothers and babies due to the risk of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality.
The Nigeria Demographic Health Survey 2018, showed that only 38 per cent of women and 42 per cent of newborns received a postnatal check in the first two days after birth.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended that postpartum women should have contact with healthcare providers within 24 hours, at day 3, days 10–14 and 6 weeks post-delivery.
It noted that multiple postnatal clinic (PNC) visits will allow assessment and prompt treatment of complications arising from delivery.”
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Famous Nigerian singer Divine Ikubor, aka Rema, has insinuated that he is on the same level as Wizkid, Davido, and Burna Boy.
Burna Boy, Wizkid, and Davido are widely regarded as the biggest Nigerian/Afrobeats artists in the world and are jointly referred to as the “Big 3.”
Rema is now laying claims to the elite list. In a recent X post, the ‘Calm Down’ crooner asserted that he is now in that league when he wrote: “No more Big 3 there’s now a Big 4.”
His post elicited mixed reactions, with many concurring with him while others insisted that despite his stream and chart successes, he needs years of consistency to earn it.
Popular dancehall singer and a former member of the defunct Plantashun Boiz group, Ahmedu Augustine Obiabo aka Blackface, has stated that he does not see the possibility of the group reuniting.
The Plantashun Boiz group, which included Blackface, 2Face aka 2Baba, and Faze, was dominant in the Nigerian music scene from the late 1990s to the mid-2000s. In 2004, the group went their separate ways, and they reunited again in 2007 but later split.
Speaking in a recent interview with Channels TV, Blackface made it clear that there was very little chance of the group reuniting again.
He added that if a reunion was possible it would have long happened.
He said, “I don’t see that [Plantashun Boiz reunion] happening. If it is something that would have happened, the members would have deemed it fit to sit down and discuss going forward. Of which they haven’t done and don’t want to do. I don’t want to cajole someone into doing what they don’t want to do.”
On his relationship with his former bandmates, Blackface said, “I talk to Faze and I talk to brothers of Innocent Idibia [2Baba]. His family are all my friends. But personally me and him we have nothing to discuss. It has to be business. There is no need waiting for who is not ready to be committed to a project.”
In a strategic move to enhance economic growth, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment (FMITI) has announced the creation of a $10 billion Nigeria Diaspora Fund. The initiative is designed to harness the potential of diaspora investments in bolstering the Nigerian private sector.
During a recent press conference, Minister Doris Nkiruka Uzoka-Anite revealed that the fund aims to attract significant foreign direct investment into the country. The government has formed a committee to develop a comprehensive framework for this ambitious project, reflecting a proactive approach to economic revitalization.
Eligibility to manage the fund is a competitive process, and firms interested in participating are required to demonstrate robust credentials. The key requirements outlined by the FMITI for potential fund managers include:
1. Firm Profile: Detailed information on incorporation, ownership structure, management team, performance history, and branch locations.
2. Staff Competency: Evidence of staff expertise relevant to fund management.
3. Investment History: Data on successfully exited investments over the past three years, including strategy, size, and returns.
4. Current Portfolio: Details on existing investments such as sector focus, company descriptions, investment types, targets, terms, and status.
5. Fund Interest Justification: Explicit interest in managing the Nigeria Diaspora Fund, with reasons.
6. Networking Capability: Existing relationships with both local and international investors.
7. Geographic Knowledge: Comprehensive understanding of Nigeria’s geopolitical zones and their funding landscapes.
8. Opportunity Profiling: Ability to identify investment opportunities across all Nigerian states and the Federal Capital Territory.
9. Operational Readiness: Availability to manage and direct funding inquiries nationwide.
10. Application Process: Submission guidelines requiring a combined digital and physical application by May 6, 2024, marked “EXPRESSION OF INTEREST: NIGERIA DIASPORA FUND.”
Applications are expected to be sent to the Federal Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Investment at their headquarters on the 12th Floor of the Bank of Industry Building, Abuja. Submissions can also be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more information, visit [www.nigeriadiasporafund.gov.ng](http://www.nigeriadiasporafund.gov.ng).
This fund represents a critical step towards leveraging the Nigerian diaspora community’s potential to foster substantial economic impacts through strategic investments.
50kg Bag Of Foreign Rice Now Sells For N57K and N58K As Prices Of Foodstuff Drop In Adamawa, Borno, Yobe (See details)
AFOLABIPrices of some foodstuffs have recorded a drop in Adamawa, Borno, and Yobe states.
A survey of the prices conducted by NAN in some markets in Yola, Maiduguri, and Damaturu towns indicated that the prices of some foodstuffs were lower in April when compared to February and March.
In Yola Central Market, a bag of 50kg foreign rice which sold between N80,000 and N85,000 two months ago, now sells for between N57,000 and N58,000, while a bag of 100 kg of beans which sold for N110,000 is now N100,000.
Guinea corn which is another staple food in Adamawa, now goes for N55,000 for a 100kg bag as against N60,000 two months ago.
Malam Suleiman Adamu, a trader in the market who deals in pasta, said a big carton of spaghetti which sold for N13,500 two months ago, now sells for N12,800, while that of Indomie, which sold at N15,000, now sells for N13,500.
Adamu associated the decrease with the recent rise in the value of the Naira and urged the government to sustain the tempo.
Dr Mohammed Tukur, a lecturer at the Adamawa State Polytechnic, Yoĺa, urged the government to put in mechanisms that would control the prices of essential commodities to ensure access and affordability for the citizenry.
In Yobe, a bag of 100kg white beans now costs N75,000 as against N110,000, while that of red beans goes for N95,000 as against N130,000.
Similarly, a bag of 50kg local rice has dropped from N65,000 to N45,000, while a bag of 100kg Guinea corn dropped from N60,000 to N50,000.
Alhaji Abdullahi Garin-Dayi, Chairman of the Grain Sellers Association in the market, said the drop could also be associated with farmers who needed cash to prepare for the next cropping season.
At Bayan Tasha market in Damaturu, the Chairman of the traders association, Alhassan Ibrahim, said a 50kg bag of local rice now sells for N45,000 as against N65,000 while a bag of sugar has also dropped from N80,000 to N78,000.
Ibrahim said that a 25-litre jerry can of cooking oil goes for N44,000 as against N60,000.
In Maiduguri, a 50kg bag of foreign rice goes for N70,000 as against N80,000 while local rice goes for N63,000.
A 100kg bag of maize, which used to sell at N75,000, is now N64,000 while millet retains its price of N64,000, and a sack of onion which sold for N35,000 is now between N15,000 to N15,000.
However, a basket of tomatoes that sold for N9,000 two months ago has risen to N18,000 while a sack of Atargu (pepper) has risen from N52,000 to N65,000. (NAN)