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Nigerians lament, seek alternatives as tomato prices soar
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
In response to skyrocketing tomato prices, Nigerians have turned to stew alternative recipes which include the use of more affordable vegetables.
The National Bureau of Statistics released in April 2024, reported that the country’s headline inflation rate increased to 33.69 per cent, the highest in the last five years.
Sharing an alternative recipe to tomato stew, Stephanie Vani, told Saturday PUNCH that she learned the recipe of using carrot stew from a video on TikTok and has tried it out.
“I also saw the video of the cucumber stew, and I’m planning on trying that out too,” she added.
An Instagram user with the handle, Verere, also shared her experience using cabbage stew saying, “I did cabbage stew this week, and it was a bang. Next week, cucumber; upper week, garden egg. New recipes till tomatoes will come and beg us.”
Another Instagram user, Aramide’s Kitchen, noted, “Better update. As tomatoes are now expensive, if I eat this cucumber stew today, I will eat Banga stew tomorrow.”
Lamenting the rising cost of alternative ingredients, a provision seller at EFAB market in Abuja commented, “We have just five pieces of carrot for N500, and it’s the tiniest of it all. Even the carrot stew is very expensive, and if you want to do the carrot stew, you have to do other veggies as well. And the tiniest of bell pepper is N500, for what used to be sold for N100. So how many can you use to do your carrot stew?
“What people use now is an alternative to stew. There is no specific stew. Just use something to eat something. Pepper soup spices are trending. Nothing like stew again; we are now doing what we can afford.”
Also speaking with our correspondent, a tomato seller who gave his name as Abu, highlighted, “Basket of tomatoes is N18,000 while last two months, it was N10,000. A small plate of tomatoes now is N1,500. The biggest basket is over N100,000 while the medium size of cucumber is from N300.”
An economist, Prof Sheriffdeen Tella, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, said, “Inflation is not just about a particular product, it is a general price increase. We know that inflation in Nigeria has been on for a long time.
“The issue of tomatoes being scarce has to do with an attack from insects, but in the short run, we cannot overcome it. In the long run, we will be able to overcome it. We know that there are tomato purée and all those things in the market.
“Generally, we have been spending a lot of money on food, and part of the inflation has to do with the importation of food, so tomato is going to be part of those food items. And I think people have to look for alternatives, and they are getting alternatives. It’s better to face that alternative while the issue of pesticide is being tackled by the government.”
Another economist, Leo Ukpong, told our correspondent that insecurity and transportation challenges have been responsible for the hike in tomato prices.
“The major tomatoes are from the middle belt to Plateau, Jos, and Taraba. One of the biggest problems in that area is insecurity. So farmers are not able to farm the way they used to farm. And even when they farm, moving them is a problem because of insecurity.
“I have been reading recently about the new hybrid tomatoes that people have been planting. Hybrids came because they wanted to resist the attack of insects instead of using insecticides.
“The problem with those hybrid tomatoes is you don’t have the seeds to replant, and you have to buy the seeds. They look nice in most supermarkets, but it’s too expensive.
“So, insecurity and transportation crisis have cut down on the quantity of tomatoes available to the average market person.”
Punch
By Ojomah Austin.
The evolving fall-out, which comes barely days to the contentious National Executive Committee (NEC) of PDP, followed a back and forth between the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike and the Governors forum, who declared support for Rivers State governor, Siminalayi Fubara to be made leader of the party in the state.
After a meeting with some members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) in Bauchi on Wednesday, Governor Mohammed, said “According to our party’s constitution, any leadership vacancy should be filled by someone from the region where it originated,” stressing that Damagum would be replaced soon considering that he hails from North East and not the North Central.
Same day, Makinde, during the groundbreaking of the upgrading of Ladoke Akintola Airport, Ibadan, to an international airport, which was attended by another set of NWC members, led by Damagum, said he would support whatever decision the Damagum-led NWC would take to reposition the party.
Damagum, who is considered a close ally of Nyesom Wike, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, was appointed acting national chairman after the removal of Iyorchia Ayu in June 2023.
Meanwhile, the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP led by Senator Adolph Wabara, met with members of the National Assembly caucus in Abuja.
The close door meeting comes barely hours after the BoT met with Wike in Abuja.
While Wabara refused to comment on the essence of the meeting with the lawmakers, it was noticed that most of the lawmakers didn’t honour the invitation.
By Mario Deepromoter
Sad development in Marika village, Kiyawa Local Government, Jigawa, where a 40-year-old man, Jibrin Adamu, committed suicide by hanging himself.
According to eyewitnesses, Adamu’s lifeless body was discovered in a classroom at Miftahul Khairat Islamiyya and Primary School Gurdiba on Thursday.
Police spokesperson DSP Lawan Shiisu Adam confirmed the incident, stating that preliminary investigations revealed Adamu had struggled with mental health issues.
“Police received a report on Thursday that at about 1830hrs, a tragic incident was reported at the Command headquarters that one Jibrin Adamu ‘m’ age 40yrs of Jigawar Maroka village, Kiyawa LGA has committed suicide by hanging himself over the ceiling at Islamiyya school,” the Police spokesperson told Daily Post.
The Jigawa State Commissioner of Police, CP AT Abdullahi, has instructed officers to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident.
By Mario Deepromoter
11plc, Total Energies, AA Rano, and other marketers have begun lifting Dangote Petrol through Nigerian National Company (NNPC) Trading Limited for N765.99 to retail outlets nationwide.
Findings showed some petroleum marketers who were able to complete their payment process on the NNPC trading payment portal commenced the lifting of petrol earlier this week under the existing agreement between marketers and the refinery.
Tunji Oyebanji, managing director, 11Plc confirmed to BusinessDay on Thursday evening that some marketers have started lifting the products at N765.99 from Dangote Refinery through NNPC who remain the sole off-taker of product.
“We were among the first marketers to complete the payment on the NNPC portal. We have no direct arrangement with the refinery,” Oyebanji said.
It was gathered that NNPC Retail, 11plc, Total Energies, A.A Rano are among the marketers that have picked up products from the refinery.
He added, “We don’t know the contractual financial arrangement between NNPC and the refinery but what I can confirm is we are buying at N765.99 from NNPC to lift Dangote petrol”.
Efforts to get the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) to confirm if its members have picked up products at the Dangote Refinery proved abortive at the time of writing this report.
See also Nigeria’s Petrol Landing Cost Revealed
Adedapo Segun, executive vice-president, downstream at NNPC said marketers cannot purchase petrol directly from the refinery because the product is still sold at a subsidised rate.
“That is the same thing happening with Dangote. I said earlier that Dangote is a company and it is going to sell at market price,” he told Journalists.
According to Segun, “The market value of PMS is still higher than what N766 or N765 or N799 that NNPC is selling.
“The situation has not changed there. So, NNPC’s off-taking is only because the others would not buy at the price Dangote will be willing to sell, which is reasonable.
“As soon as the price allows for it, you will see the marketers go to Dangote and buy.”
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