The country’s economic status quo continues to deteriorate, and while the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have been on a 5-month strike, other sectors have also threatened to embark on nationwide strikes over the past weeks. The economic structure has been on a brink of imminent collapse— the Dollar valuation to Naira that has tremendously climaxed, as well as the surge in the country’s inflation rate. More heart-rending is the government’s laxity at implementing measures to salvage this crumpling situation.
Just recently, bread bakers under the Premium Bread-makers Association of Nigeria have declared their intention to embark on a four days warning strike due to the extreme rise in cost of their production. This strike will see to a total shut down of bread production across the country as a means of protesting the insufferable cost of baking materials. The association complained about the incessant hikes in baking products that the association continues to bear, whilst making an appeal to the government to swiftly salvage the situation.
Running a bakery is inconceivable, due to hike in prices of materials.
The president of the Premium Bread-makers Association of Nigeria (PBAN), Emmanuel Onuhora, in narrating the difficulties associated with running a bakery due to the tremendous hike noted that recently, it has become overly inconceivable to run a bakery in Nigeria as a result of the continuous hike in the prices of their products that they use in making bread. He explained that the continuous surge in the price of diesel has also immensely contributed to this dilemma.
In his statement, Onuhora further stated that the members of the Premium Bread-makers Association of Nigeria (PBAN) have been continuously subjected to intense and hard conditions in regards to the production of bread, due to the fact that most of them presently run under huge loses, this is a direct result due to the increased costs in the much needed materials like flour. He added that this situation was very unsustainable because of the dilemma of the limited price of bread compared to the continued hike in the prices of needed materials.
Strike is for the survival of the premium bread making industry.
Going on, he noted that the four days warning notice of a strike was decided out of the need to reach out to the government to ensure a change in this deteriorating situation with promises of extension if nothing is done to ensure a change in the situation. He described this move as one of survival of the premium bread making industry, with the withdrawal which commenced on July 21st, 2022 and is set to run till July 25, due for escalation if the government is complacent about their demand.
Stating the reasons for their embarked nationwide strike, Emmanuel Onuhora asserted that the unfair hike, as well as the levy and charges by government agencies have made their production process immensely unbearable. He disclosed that the incessant hike in the prices of baking materials as well as the governments 15 percent wheat development levy for the importation of wheat and the ridiculous NAFDAC’s charge for late certificate renewals were some of the reasons responsible for the strike. He also moaned about the complex structure that makes the members of the association unable to access grants and loans granted by the Central Bank of Nigeria to small and medium scale enterprises.
Series of failed meetings held by federal Ministry of Industry.
According to him, the association had made efforts in ensuring the survival of the industry since 2021. There has been a series of failed meetings with the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and all attempts aimed at ensuring the survival of the bread making industry. Thus, the strike is the association’s measure to air their grievances to the right authorities. Onuhora concludes that bread as a grab and go food that bridges all economic classes is a poignant reason why the government must salvage the problem that the association faces swiftly.
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