The Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe, has dissolved several traders’ associations in Ado Ekiti markets to eliminate their excessive control over prices and allow farmers direct access to traders.
Oba Adejugbe stated that the actions were required to control the high costs of food in the state capital. He also gave traders in the markets the order to refrain from selling their goods for more than the agreed-upon amounts.
During a meeting with the leadership and a few members of the Market Women Association on Monday in Ado Ekiti, the monarch, who is leading the Ewi-in-Council, issued the directive and threatened to punish anyone who disobeyed it.
The Ewi-in-Council stated that the directives were intended to revers the trend after being dismayed by public reports exposing the callous behavior of the majority of traders, which was driving up food prices.
The Council, at the meeting, directed that henceforth “vegetables should not be sold more than N50; pepper, pepper N100; garri N700; while kilogramme of meat should be reduced to N4,500.”
Oba Adejugbe said, “Reports have it that traders, under the aegis of the associations, hide under middlemen to inflate the prices of goods such as tomatoes, pepper, vegetable, palm oil, locust beans, meat, garri, among others by dictating prices to the farmers that brought them to the markets for sale.
“We have taken these steps to make life bearable for residents of the town. I hereby direct the leadership of traders in the market to effect the directives. Chiefs will continue to monitor marketplaces to ensure strict implementation and sanction defaulters.
