Food Security: Ogun to Introduce Price Control, Bans Levies in Markets

James Sowole in Abeokuta

Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has disclosed plans by his administration to introduce a price control mechanism in the state.

Abiodun also disclosed that henceforth, all forms of market levies have been suspended, noting that only development and environmental levies will be allowed, as they are meant for the development of markets in the state.

The governor made this known during a meeting with market leaders led by the Iyaloja General, Chief (Mrs.) Yemisi Abass, at the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta.

Abiodun said as part of measures to control the uptick in the prices of food items, the state government would soon commence the operation of its Bulk Purchasing Company, which has now been rebranded as Gateway Trading Company, with the aim of ensuring that the cost of food items is much more affordable for the people.

Abiodun also noted that the Gateway Trading Company would, in the first instance, begin operations in the four zones of the state.

His words: “We’ve also resolved that we will begin the implementation of Bulk Purchase and Selling in the state. To that extent, the state government has rebranded our Bulk Purchase Company. It is now called Gateway Trading Board.

“Gateway Trading will now assist in bringing food items to our teeming public at prices that will be significantly below what they can obtain when they go to the market themselves.

“So, we are going to aggressively implement our Gateway Trading objectives. They will first start in the four zones; they will buy in bulk and resell at prices that will be more affordable to our people.”

Abiodun also announced the ban on all forms of levies in the markets in the state.

He added that a market enforcement task force with a central body in the state would be mirrored in all twenty local government areas, adding that all forms of coercion and intimidation by people who add no value to markets across the state will be stamped out.

Abiodun further noted that anyone caught collecting illegal fees in markets across the state would face the full wrath of the law, adding that he would also ensure that all exorbitant and unbearable shop and stall rents imposed on market men and women are stopped.

He said: “A few things have been identified by way of illegal taxes that are being imposed right there in the market; loading taxes, discharge taxes, offloading taxes, and illegal levies in the name of different people. From now on, we are putting a ban on such illegal levies in any market in Ogun State.
“The only levies that will be allowed are what they call the Development Levy and the Environmental Levy. Those are levies that are associated with the upkeep of the market, and even those will have to be agreed upon and made public.

“We also identified that there are people who add no value to food items coming from the farm to markets. They either, by coercion or intimidation, accost farmers and force them to sell at inflated prices.

“We have resolved here that we are going to have a market enforcement task force; there will be a central body here in the state.

“That central body will be mirrored in each local government area. Their job will be to ensure that all illegal levies, coercion, and intimidation by different people do not occur again.

“This is not the time for anyone to take advantage of another person. We are going through a transition period; we should be our brother’s keeper, considerate, and humane.

“The Iyaloja gave us the example where a basket of tomatoes is selling for N3,500, while some transporters want to charge N7,000 for transportation. The transportation cost is even much more than the cost of the tomatoes themselves.

“This will no longer happen in Ogun State. We are resolved to ensure that we stamp this out of Ogun State because we want to make this period as painless as possible.

“We also talked about the illegal levies and roadblocks that market men and women are subjected to paying at different points, like tollgates. I have said that I was going to look into this, and that is why we have our law enforcement agencies here to ensure that all those illegal roadblocks and tollgates are removed.

“Any person found collecting money illegally by way of tolls will be arrested and made to face the full wrath of the law; we are not going to tolerate any of these illegalities.

“It was brought to my attention that in some local government areas of the state, developers are brought in to develop their shops and stalls, and when they do so, because they are developers and entrepreneurs whose objective is to make money, they impose unbearable rents on our market men and women. I promised to look into it and ensure that it stops forthwith.”

The governor noted that his administration would be providing support in the form of grants, loans, and farm implements to different farmers’ associations in the state.

“We will also assist our market men and women by way of very low-interest loans, which we are already working on.

“We have an Ogun Empowerment Scheme that is being finalised by the Ministries of Industry, Trade and Investment, and Women Affairs, which is geared towards providing single-digit loans or grants, as the case may be, particularly for our informal sector, the market women,” he said.

The governor further said that the Ministry of Environment, Ogun State Waste Management Agency, and the Ministry of Women Affairs will work together to ensure the effective management of waste in markets across the state, charging the agencies to ensure that dumpsters are readily available at the markets and picked up regularly.

In her remarks, the President of Market Women and Men in the State and Iyaloja of Yewaland, Chief Yemisi Abass, commended Abiodun for deeming it fit to call market leaders together to deliberate on how to make life more bearable for the people of the state.

She disclosed that they are happy with all the resolutions reached at the meeting.