By Nahum Sule (Taraba State Correspondent, in Jalingo)
Many citizens of Taraba state lament the rising cost of living as the price of 100kg bag of maize hit a record high over N75,000 at Kasuwan bera in Jalingo.
NIGERIAN NEWSLEADER Newspaper Correspondents who monitored the situation across the major grain markets in the state capital, found that food prices increased significantly in most parts of the state.
A mudu of corn which was sold at N1, 200 early last week is now being sold at N1,500. While a mudu of local rice is sold at N2,000 and beans selling at N1,400 at Jalingo market.
NEWSLEADER Newspaper Correspondent spoke to some of the buyers who lamented that, “You come to the market, just like the way you saw me pricing things, you no longer get them the same way we used to buy again. Even the sellers keep complaining that they too buy it very costly", said Aisha Shehu in Hausa.
A civil servant who decried the worrisome situation, stated that there is no increase in salary but foods prices keep going higher. Even though the state Governor had earlier promised to increase the federal government approved minimum wage, but according to a civil servant, "For we workers to be able to save, it's affecting the savings because the income is not really increasing but the prices of items are increased. So it makes it so difficult for us to cope with the economy".
The state government has set up a palliative committee to distribute food items to cushion the effects of rising prices of foodstuffs. NNL.
