Dollar Scarcity: Pure water sellers protest hike in price in Abuja

Sellers of sachet water popularly known as ‘’Pure Water’’ Thursday took to the streets of Kubwa village environ protesting the increase of the cost price of the product. The protesters lamented that a bag of the product which usually contains 20 sachets and which was initially sold for N100 (Naira),
now goes for N150 as the wholesalers attributed the increased cost to the scarcity of Dollars and the resultant depreciation of the Naira. They further argued that if the situation was not addressed urgently, they could be out of business. A protester, Yusuf lamented that the product, which hitherto sold for N100 per bag, now sells between N140 and N150. He said they witnessed low patronage in the past weeks. “Now that we sell at N15 and N20, people who drank five or more sachets have reduced their patronage, unlike when we sold at N10 per sachet. Lamenting that it was unbearable for them to sell at the new price and still make profit, some of the protesters interviewed threatened to increase the price per sachet from N10 to N20 if nothing was done by the authorities to reverse the trend. “The turnover is poor and at the end of the day, what we take home is not commensurate with the stress. We are in a season where people don’t drink much; the rains are here and people don’t seem to be thirsty like they are during the dry season. “We pay levy of between N20 to N50 every day before we are allowed to sell in motor parks and with the current situation, things are beyond our limit”. Another hawker, Mrs. Cynthia Ikwumezie said problem started when producers went on strike for alleged rise in price of water proof used in packaging the product. The protesters called on the state government to address the situation. They pleaded that government should abolish the tolls they pay in the parks. A bag of sachet water which sold for N100 now sells for between N140 to N150, while roadside retailers sell at N15 per sachet as against the previous N10.