Chairman of the Wuse Market Traders Association, Okorie Ikechukwu-Raphael, has warned traders in Abuja against arbitrary price hikes, saying excessive profiteering is worsening the hardship faced by Nigerians.
Addressing journalists on Friday, Ikechukwu-Raphael recalled that the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) had repeatedly cautioned traders against raising prices by as much as 200 to 300 per cent.
He stressed that business owners must put “a human face” to their operations by selling at reasonable rates, noting that citizens are already under pressure from inflation, fuel subsidy removal and foreign exchange instability.
“Business should have a human face. Sell at reasonable rates so that citizens can breathe. Give a human face to the business we are doing,” he said.
The market leader also pointed out that food inflation remains one of the biggest drivers of household hardship, citing figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
He urged both traders and regulators to work together to ease the burden on families across the Federal Capital Territory.
