Ekiti State residents have lamented the high cost goods, particularly foodstuff and services, occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy on May 29, 2023, during his inaugural address of President Bola Tinubu.

Some residents of the state, who spoke with The Guardian in Ado-Ekiti, said that apart from scarcity of the naira, market prices of goods kept skyrocketing.

They attributed the current hardship in the country to the sudden removal of fuel subsidy and high cost of transportation.

The residents said that government’s palliative measures had no direct impact on the livelihood of many people, urging the government to urgently revisit some of its policies.

Checks by The Guardian showed that a bag of short-grain rice, which sold for N35,000 in May 2023, is now ₦67,000. A bag of beans, which used to be between N35,000 and N27,000, is now being sold at between N70,000 and N60,000, depending on the type and specie.

Meanwhile, some of the residents said that many people were not aware of government’s palliatives, adding that people have become poorer due to the hardship brought about by removal of subsidy.

They urged the government to intervene by controlling prices of goods and services, saying that unscrupulous traders are cashing in on the subsidy removal to increase prices of their goods.