I can never in my wildest dream think I would buy a crate of egg for N1, 500 or a kilo of frozen chicken for N1, 300!

A crate of egg which used to be around N650-N700 is now double the price and one goes for N50, sometimes N70.

At first I thought it was because of the dollar exchange but, no, it was because the federal government banned the importation!

What’s with the idea of banning this and banning that in the country without considering the massive effect it would have on the masses?

How can one not be able to afford ‘common’ egg? How can the masses not be able to eat with a piece of chicken with their meal?

These days because of the high cost of bringing cattle down to Lagos state, fresh meat became a no go area!

It has always been expensive though which was why people relied on the frozen poultry as an alternative to cow meat.

Frozen fish is a forgotten issue in the lives of many Nigerians, what used to be the savior of the ‘poor’ people is now a rich man’s delicacy.

I understand the need for the federal government to be strict about the kind of products imported into the country.

The frozen poultry foods have been saving people since time immemorial and people are so used to it that the ban affected them totally.

One of the things I find offensive is the fact that, these banned products are still circulating in the open market and being consumed by all!

I heard the people who seize them from the importers are the same people who sell them to re-sellers of these products.

Sometimes you hear that, the ban was because the frozen poultry foods are being preserved with formalin, the same chemical used for dead bodies!

The next time you hear that, it was banned because those in ‘high’ places had poultry farms and are against the importation.

Next time again, you hear it is because of the dollar exchange and lack of the availability of hard currency that is why it is so.

What do we believe and what are the remedies or alternatives put in place to ensure that the masses are not affected negatively?

That is the same way the Lagos state banned the use of the ‘danfo buses but the difference is that, that one is a welcome idea.

I for one am affected badly because, most of my meals contain either one or two of the poultry foods from breakfast to supper!

How can a piece of ‘Titus’ fish go for N500, and two pieces of Turkey go for N900? And you tell me the people are not suffering?

The fish which used to be the cheapest is now the most expensive all because the federal government banned the importation?

The one that is really ‘paining’ me is eggs, I love eggs so much that I am beginning to think I need counseling to stop for health reasons!

If the reason is because of the dangerous chemicals then the federal government should make sure they are brought in from a safe source.

If the ban is because of the dollar exchange rate, then the federal government should please and please hasten up and do something!

Source: http://www.chichiuncensored.com/ban-poultry-frozen-foods/

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