Governor Ademola Adeleke penultimate week
declared support for the traditional approach to
food price control that was introduced by some
traditional rulers in Osun State, describing this as
‘a local innovation to lower increasing food inflation
across the state’.
The governor expressed happiness that traditional
rulers in the state have acted to regulate food
prices and curtail negative activities of middlemen
in the marketplaces while asking the State Food
Security Implementation Committee to expedite
action.
Governor Adeleke, who condemned artificial
inflation induced by the market middlemen lauded
the traditional rulers under His Royal Majesty, the
Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi’s chairmanship
for abolishing strange market associations which
had induced high food prices.
He noted that the actions of most members of the
Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers on price
control has assisted the government in its quest to
address food insecurity in the state.
The governor praised the traditional rulers for
impressing on market leaders the need to avoid
unnecessary price increase, calling on other
traditional rulers in the state to emulate actions of
traditional rulers in Ile Ife, Ede, Igbajo, Iwo and
others.
‘I urge our royal fathers to engage market
associations and stop exploitation of our people. I
read report of the initiative by the Ooni of Ife. I
also read reports about similar interfaces by the
Oluwo of Iwoland and the Timi of Ede Land. This
approach should be adopted by all the royal
fathers.
I am also directing my Special Adviser on Markets
to move quickly to support our royal fathers in this
new drive to institute traditional price control. The
Iyalojas and Babalojas should be integrated into
the implementation process’, the governor
submitted.
Governor Adeleke has also directed the Food
Security Implementation Committee to expedite
action with a view to ensuring realization of a
secure and accessible food supply value chain in
the state.
He has also asked the committee to quickly come
up with actionable plans, deliverables and
timeliness, noting that food security is a matter
demanding urgent attention.
‘The Committee is composed of tested experts. It
is time for action. We already have a well
–thought- out food security report. We only need a
roadmap to execution.
I commend the Commissioner for Agriculture for
rising to the occasion on our agro-industrialization
agenda. We have started with a supply of tractors
which I will be unveiling at a ceremony soon. We
have embraced traditional price control through
our traditional rulers.
We must implement a holistic agenda which
addresses all segments of agric value chains. That
is what we have in our Food Security Committee
report and the actualization is what I demand from
the implementation committee’, the statement
added
