Some Lagos State residents have decried the weak purchasing power of the masses, despite a recent drop in some food prices across the state. 

The residents spoke in separate interviews on Sunday in Lagos.

They noted that despite the drop in some food prices, most people can barely afford them due to low purchasing power.

A medical practitioner and resident of Surulere, Dr Dorka Ike, said that though some food prices have been stable for a while, a few residents can barely afford to feed themselves.

“We cannot categorically say food items are exorbitant currently, except for a few produce items that are out of stock.

“Even the price of garri and some other food items has dropped. We used to buy a paint bucket of garri at N2,000 or N3,000, but now the same quantity is sold at N1,200 to N1,500.

“The problem is that most Nigerians have low purchasing power to procure these food items.

“Some Nigerians have cut down on food expenses due to low purchasing power. The cost of transportation is tearing deep into their pockets,” Mr Ike said.

On her part, Mrs Eugenia Uloma, a resident of the Dopemu area of the state, said some food items are expensive while others are not.

She said, “Food items like beef, chicken, fish and even tomatoes and peppers are actually on the high side.

“We really can’t tell what is going on, but we make do with what we have to buy the proteins we can afford.

“Even eggs have been on a consistent high since last year, and currently, we cannot get a good crate of eggs for less than N6,000.

“However, prices of other staples like rice, beans, corn and garri have been considerably fair and stable since the beginning of the year.

“A bag of rice is still between N50,000 and N55,000. Even the price of beans has been stable despite being out of stock.

“It’s just that people don’t have readily available resources to buy these items, the cost of living is increasing, but salaries are not increasing.”

Another resident of the Gbagada area of the state, Mrs Cordelia Esho, lamented only the high prices of tomatoes and peppers.

“I was surprised when the price of garri dropped to N1,500 for a paint bucket. Earlier this year, I bought the same quantity of N3,000.

“But the price of tomatoes has tripled. I don’t think I will stick with it for the month due to the price increment.

“I bought a small quantity of tomatoes, not up to 12 pieces, for N2,500, the same quantity I bought for N500 just a few weeks ago. We will manage what we can afford,” Mrs Esho said.

Also, Mrs Lilian Agunbiade, a resident of the Aboru area of the state, also lamented over the low purchasing power of the populace.

“Yes, the prices of some major food items have dropped, but not enough for the masses to still afford.

“The drop is in comparison with past months, it is not like we experienced years ago when food prices were considerably fair for everyone to afford.

“Some people can barely eat two square meals in a day, but talk more than three. We are all hoping things get better for Nigerians,” Mr Agunbiade said. 

(NAN)