Day: August 2, 2011

Nigeria’s Strange Market Forces at Ramadan

/ Adeola / 1 Comment

Adeola Aderounmu

I have not stopped wondering why the prices of food commodity usually skyrocket during the fasting month of Ramadan.

When I was a teenager growing up in Nigeria I was usually shocked at this phenomenon. The prices of essential food commodities usually shoot up during the fasting seasons.

This year 2011 has not been an exception.

Consumers are paying through their noses since this week started.

Ramadan is a fasting month and the number of people consuming perishable foods should be reduced. How does a decrease in demand lead to increase in prices of food items?

Do sellers hike their price to make up for the low numbers of buyers? Are suppliers deliberately making life miserable to other members of the populace?

Or does demand for food actually increase during the Ramadan month?

There are issues with the market forces in Nigeria that really need to be investigated and explain to everyone.

Exploitation of ordinary consumers should not be encouraged and government policies that prevent unnecessary increase in prices of food, goods and services should be enacted.

Did General Abdulsalami Abubakar Kill Moshood Abiola, and How?

/ Adeola / 7 Comments

Adeola Aderounmu

There is a major news making rounds in Nigeria this week. The bottom line is that former Nigeria’s army Chief Security Officer (CSO), Major Hamza al-Mustapha is saying that General Abdulsalami Abubakar ordered the killing of MKO Abiola.

MKO Abiola won the June 12 presidential election but he was never the president of Nigeria because Babangida, one of Nigeria notorious ex-dictators annulled the election.

This, the murder charge, is not a new development per se. However this time Mustapha promised to produce evidence to support his claim.

Actually we are tired of his talking. Let him produce the evidence or forever remain silent and in prison for the evil that he participated in during the dark days of military regimes.

This is not the first time the Nigerian government has been accused of state murders. Babangida is widely alleged to have killed Dele Giwa and Obasanjo is alleged to have sponsored the PDP murder of Bola Ige.

And all these murderers have never been investigated for possible prosecution.

What a country?