Fish traders in their numbers, on Tuesday, protested 100 per cent hike in fish prices in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
Nigerian Tribune recalled that similar protest was held in Sagamu, last week, at the Palace of Akarigbo and Paramount Ruler of Remoland, Oba Babatunde Ajayi, to express their displeasure over increase in different types of frozen fish.
The protesters, under the aegis of Fish and Seafood Sellers Association of Nigeria, stormed the Governor’s Office, Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta, with placards with various inscriptions.
The state chairman of the Association, Owolabi Onajobi, said the daily increase in prices of fish had forced many of his members out of business.
Onajobi said customers blamed them for the hike in fish prices and called on the government to immediately take action to alleviate the economic hardship caused by the increasing prices of commodities.
Onajobi 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.”
The State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Adijat Adeleye, while addressing the protesters appealed to them 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”.
