Food prices rising in Kwara due to residents’ low purchasing power: Activist

By Moridiyat Ariya

Kwara-based rights activist Comrade Saliu Bolakale has stated that the high cost of food commodities in Kwara is due to residents’ low purchasing power.

Bolakale made this statement while appearing on The Informant247 TV show, The Discourse, on Monday.

He noted that Kwarans in rural areas now prefer to sell their farm produce to neighbouring states.

“Why is the cost of goods and commodities higher in Kwara State? People need to investigate this. Farmers now sell their farm produce to neighbouring states. Do you know the number of tons of yam that goes to Oyo from Shonga and other parts of Kwara because our people do not have enough purchasing power to compete with these states?” he said.

He further stated that the state government plays a key role in improving the economic status by adjusting salaries to align with the country’s current economic realities.

He consequently appealed to labour leaders to negotiate salary adjustments in the interest of workers.

“I want to call on labor leaders in Kwara — TUC and NLC — to negotiate this adjustment in fairness to the workers they represent,” he said.