Women storm Markets, Shopping Malls, ATMs, make quick purchases stock up for lockdown in Rivers

…Prices of goods hit rooftops amidst panic over lockdown for Covid-19

By Ibrahim Bakare

Sequel to planned closure of all Markets in State by the Rivers State Government, markets, banks and Automated Teller Machine, ATM were jammed today by anxious Customers who wanted to make quick purchases.

This is just as Chairman of National Butchers Union of Nigeria Rivers State Chapter Musa Baba Ahmed has made a passionate appeal to allow Cow owners to bring in their Cows that have been trapped at Mbiama, the boundary community between Rivers and Bayelsa States that he said are dying because security agencies disallowed them into the state in obedience to the restriction order.

He cautioned that the lack of supply of beef and other food items like: Tomatoes, Beans, Rice, Goats, Cows, Potatoes, Pepper, Watermelon may cause intense food scarcity and suffering in state.

Our Correspondent who went to some markets in Port Harcourt and environs to monitor the prices of foodstuffs in markets like the ones in Rumuokoro, Rukpokwu, International Market in Off, SARs Road and some Shopping Malls observed that they were jammed by Women who rushed to make quick purchases to stock up during the lockdown over Covid-19 in the state.

It was observed that a Custard bucket of Tomatoes that sold for N1,500 was sold for N3,000, a small Basin of Garri that was sold for N2,000 was sold for N5,000.

A medium size of Yam sold for N800 per tuber.

Some other items like Beef, Cucumber, Watermelon, Pepper and Chicken, Yam etc, were already out of stock and of the few remaining had hit the roof.

A woman who gave her name as Mrs. Chikamso Ihunwo, lamented that in the midst of the lockdown over Covid-19, workers in state Civil service had not been paid their March salary.

“Workers have been on strike due to the disagreement with the state government on the actual template for the payment of the minimum wage. We are left without salaries even in the lockdown and closure of Markets, shopping Malls and others.”

Governor Nyesom Wike had announced in statewide broadcast the ban on movement in and out of the state, closure of all markets from 6pm on March 28.

Meanwhile, Wike will on Sunday, March 29, 2020 lead the Taskforce on the enforcement of ban on public gatherings and places of worship to monitor compliance.

In a Government Statement signed by Paulinus Nsirim, the Commissioner for Information and Communications warned that “Any Church found to violate the directive of the State Government will be closed down.”

All the service commanders, Commissioner of Police and the State Director, Department of State Security(DSS) will accompany the Governor during the monitoring on Sunday.