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By Ahmad Tijjani Abdul
The Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) has vowed to apply extraordinary measures to combat hike in price of bread and other foodstuffs across the state.
The Chairman of the Commission, Barr. Muhuyi Magaji Rimin Gado who spoke in Kano against the backdrop of alleged artificial inflation, said the commission is working tirelessly to understand the root cause of artificial inflation.
He however assured that the Commission would take “extraordinary measures” to combat the menace where necessary.
Rimin Gado said that there are growing concerns among residents over the current bread prices despite the stable price of flour in the market, leading to numerous complaints filed with the commission.
He disclosed that from last week to early this week, the commission received numerous complaints from the public about a reduction in the price of flour, a core raw material used to bake bread.
“So the people want the commission to find out why those selling bread refuse to reduce the price of bread.
“We were able to meet with the bakers, but they argued that they had reduced the price of bread. However, they also complained that within two days, the flour dealers increased the price by N5,000 per bag.
“They complained that the flour was sold for around N60,000 and is now being sold for about N65,000, according to what they said.”
He stated that the commission is mediating between the parties to ensure that the right thing is done and to also ensure that the price hike is not artificial, so as not to make life even harder for the poor.
‘’We have done this before on many occasions to ensure that the poor do not suffer. We went after those hoarding food items during Ramadan and we were able to bring down the prices.’’
‘’When we got complaints from people even during COVID-19 and fuel scarcity, we collaborate with relevant agencies to ensure that succour is brought to the people.’’
‘’That was why President Bola Tinubu during Ramadan when we embarked on addressing hoarding of food items lauded the efforts and asked other states to emulate Kano as a measure to address artificial food scarcity.’’
According to Muhuyi Magaji RiminGado, the commission has dual mandates: not only fighting corruption but also working as an Ombudsman, such as a hike in the prices of commodities or other complaints from the people.