Artisans in Ekiti on Thursday appealed to the governor-elect, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, to curb kidnapping as well as help regulate the prices of foodstuffs in the state.
Some of the artisans who spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ido-Ekiti, Ido-Osi Local Government Area lamented the incidences of kidnapping which they said had affected the inflow of foodstuffs into the state.
One of the artisans, Mr. Taiwo Adeniyi, an automobile mechanic, said that there was a need for the governor-elect to take seriously the issue of insecurity and help regulate the prices of foodstuffs in Ekiti.
Adeniyi said Ekiti was one of the states in the federation where raw materials, foodstuffs, and other commodities are very expensive.
“I urge our governor-elect to ensure that before his 100 days in office cases of kidnapping are checkmated and prices of raw foodstuffs regulated.
“The governor should check the excesses of the unions to reduce prices of food crops,” he said
Another artisan, Mr. Gbenga Afolabi, a welder, said that insecurity has affected his business in the past six months.
He noted that some of his customers, in neighboring towns, are afraid to come to his shop for fear of being kidnapped.
Afolabi appealed to the governor-elect to give priority to the safety of Ekiti indigenes, especially those living in remote areas.
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Mr. Bayode Fatoba, a furniture maker, said that one of the major problems facing the state was insecurity and the hike in the prices of foodstuff.
He appealed to Oyebanji to flush out the perpetrators and make them face the wrath of the law.
“Ekiti indigenes should not live in fear of unknown gunmen on our roads, farms, and communities.
“I want to plead with the incoming governor to curb kidnapping and ensure that those behind it are duly prosecuted,” Fatoba said.
Mrs. Foluke Fagbemi, a tailor, decried the hike in prices of foodstuffs due to insecurity in the country.
According to her, some drivers who transport foodstuffs to the state complain of attacks on the roads.
Fagbemi, therefore, appealed to federal and state governments to secure the state borders against kidnappers and armed robbers.
“It is until the insecurity facing our nation is resolved that prices of foodstuffs will be reduced.
“I appeal to our governor-elect to focus more on the insecurity facing the state in order to reduce prices of foodstuffs,” she said.
