In a decisive move to curb the rising cost of food in Ado Ekiti, the Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, has announced the cancellation of various traders’ associations in the markets across the Ekiti State capital.
The monarch’s action aims to remove the undue influence these associations have on prices and to ensure that farmers can sell directly to traders without interference from middlemen.
Oba Adejugbe, who led the Ewi-in-Council in making this decision, emphasized the need to regulate food prices in the city to alleviate the financial burden on residents.
During a meeting held on Monday with the leadership and some members of the market women association, the monarch directed that traders must adhere to stipulated prices for essential food items and warned that sanctions would be imposed on those who flouted the directives.
The Ewi-in-Council expressed its concern over reports from the public regarding the exploitative practices of some traders, which have led to inflated food prices. The Council noted that the decision to abolish the traders’ associations and set price controls was taken to correct this troubling trend.
Effective immediately, the Council has mandated the following price limits: vegetables should not be sold for more than N50, pepper for N100, garri for N700, and a kilogramme of meat should be reduced to N4,500.
Oba Adejugbe explained the rationale behind the directive, stating, “Reports have it that traders, under the aegis of the associations, hide under middlemen to inflate the prices of goods such as tomatoes, pepper, vegetable, palm oil, locust beans, meat, garri, among others by dictating prices to the farmers that brought them to the markets for sale.”
The monarch added, “We have taken these steps to make life bearable for residents of the town. I hereby direct the leadership of traders in the market to effect the directives. Chiefs will continue to monitor marketplaces to ensure strict implementation and sanction defaulters.”
This intervention by the Ewi of Ado Ekiti is expected to bring significant relief to residents, as the direct sale of goods from farmers to traders should reduce the cost of essential food items in the markets.
The market chiefs have been tasked with overseeing the implementation of these directives to ensure compliance and maintain fair pricing.