By Ambrose Ologide.
Frozen foods retailers in their numbers staged a peaceful protest against the astronomical cost of the products in Warri on Thursday 27th October, 2023.
The protesters mainly women took their protest to the some leading wholesalers of frozen foods ( fish and chicken ) in Warri South and Uvwie Local Government Areas.
They carried fresh green leaves, sang anti government songs and danced in the process.
A spokesperson of the aggrieved protesters , Mrs Onoriode Onokpite complained bitterly that the prices of frozen foods were rising astronomically on daily basis.
She also complained that the rising costs had adversely affected their business and that business was low .
” Customers no longer patronize us as they used to . It is sophisticating us. Most of us are bread winners of our families.
” We decided to take our protest to the retailers of frozen foods so that they can reduce prices of frozen foods for us . Government should wade into the matter. We are dying ” She added.
A spokesperson of Ocean Lord Frozen Foods Company , Solomon Ogheneovo who spoke to our correspondent on the protest of retailers of frozen foods acknowledged that the aggrieved retailers of frozen foods had the right to protest.
He however quickly noted that they protested in a wrong way .
Ogheneovo attributed the cause of the increase in the cost of frozen foods to the increase in exchange of the naira to dollar.
He stated that if the exchange rate of the naira to dollar is low , the retail price of frozen foods will be equally low.
Ogheneovo disclosed that Ocean Lord bought its products in foreign exchange of currency.
” So they ( protesters ) should direct their protest to the government and not the wholesalers of frozen foods ” he opined.
He had earlier accused the protesters of staging the protest only to Ocean Lord Frozen Foods Company.
” This amounts to hatred in business .
There are other retailers of frozen foods in allover the place”
However the protesters seen leaving Ocean Lord Frozen Foods Company for other retailers of frozen foods in Warri South and Uvwie Local Government Areas at as the time of filing this report.
