By Mercy Omoike
Some Lagos State residents have expressed mixed reactions to the planned nationwide hunger protest urging the Federal Government to address the needs of the masses amid persistent food inflation.
They disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
They also said there were no money to engage in panic buying ahead of the protest.
A resident at the Abule-Egba area of the state, Mrs Joy Okam, said there was no panic buying as the funds to do so were unavailable.
“Personally, I am not panic buying because I do not even have the funds to stock up ahead of the planned protest.
“I will still observe the atmosphere and know if I should borrow to stock between today and tomorrow. It actually costs more to stock up for me, so I do not want the protest to hold.
“Some people want the protest to begin because of inordinate agenda. There is no point protesting, we know how it starts but nobody knows how it will end.
“We just want the government to intervene in the plights of the common man on the street,” Okam said.
Also speaking, Mrs Cornelia Edet, a resident at Gbagada area of the state, said described the claims of panic buying due to the protest as unfounded.
“I went to the market to get some food items but I am not panic buying because of the protest. There is really no panic-buying from my observation so far in the market and there’s no money too.
“The protest should hold if it will bring about the necessary changes Nigerians desire because food items are really expensive now.
“However, if the protest will lead to death, arson and violence, it should not hold.
“In essence, if the government can heed the calls of Nigerians, this protest is best avoided for the good of all. We do not want a repeat of the EndSARS protest of 2020,” Edet said.
On his part, Mr John Nwabueze, a food stuff trader at Alimosho, said sales had been as usual and there had been no sort of panic buying.
“There has been nothing unusual about our sales in the advent of the planned protest. The sales have been normal and gradually some food items have started dropping in price.
“We sold a 50kg bag of short grain rice for about N80,000 two weeks ago but now it sells for N72,000.
“The long grain rice also is dropping in price, a bag sold between N85,000 and N87,000 two weeks ago but now sells for N80,000.
“There have been no panic buying at our end,” Nwabueze said.
Also, Mrs Patricia Amanyi, a resident at Ago area of the state, said she had to stock up her home with basic necessities because of the uncertainties of the protest outcome.
“I have gone to stock my house with the basic necessities because we do not know how the protests will turn out.
“I personally want the protest to hold but peacefully because people are suffering. The government should heed to the calls of the people.
“Our hope is that the protest is not hijacked by unscrupulous people and defeat its aim,” Amanyi said.
Mr Johnson Okoli, a trader at Abule Market Ajao Estate, pleaded for enhanced security to avoid the repeat of what happened during EndSARS protest where many shops were looted by miscreants.
Okoli said there was the need to protect the markets, shopping malls and as well as lives and property to avoid the repeat of EndSARS experience.
He urged the government to address the challenges in the country, stressing that the growing food inflation had remained a nightmare.(NAN)
