The use of hotels, gardens and beer parlours by the poor to while away the day after a hard day’s work is gradually becoming a thing of the past, as the dealers, retailers and consumers decry their inability to cope up, due to the abnormal increase in the peices of the commodities.
Our correspondent spoke to some of them yesterday in Abuja the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
A consumer, Sunday Nwachukwu said that initially to while away after a hard day’s work, he used to go to beer parlour, garden or hotel to buy a bottle of beer at N250 to N300, but due to the sudden increase to the price to N500, he had to resort to local gin. Before taking a bottle of drink, he went on, one would take a plate of food or pepper soup at N200 or N250 only, but right now, he continued, a plate of food or pepper soup has risen to N1000. This, he said he can’t afford.
According to a farmer, Alhassan Galadima, after a hard day’s farm work, he used to go to a nearby junk to while away the day, but due to the hike in price of drinks now, which he said used to be affordable to the poor, he has since stopped to go to bar. The he said has started to affect him, defending that such helps one to forget certain things and lives long.
But a welder, Nnamdi Udenka (Akajioffort) when encountered confirmed the abnormal hike in the price of drinks, but he was quick to say that due to the poor economy, hike in general goods and services is not new to Nigerians. He therefore believed that as usual, the consumers will usually adopt to the system. He added that when beer went up from N100 to N120, N150, some people who vowed not to continue to take drinks, couldn’t.
Among the retailers who spoke to our correspondent respectively were the Operators of Ibekwe Garden, Hyacinth Ibekwe; Wazobia Classic Bar, Ebere Christian Okorie; Gyadina Inn, Joshua Nwanaga and; Oby Bar and Joint, Obiageli Samuel.
They similarly informed that they had to increase the prices of their drinks, due to the increase in the price they have been buying from the dealers. They confirmed that some bottles of beer they were selling at N200/250 per bottle has risen to N500. A bottle of extra smooth stout they were selling at N450/500, according to them is sold at N800/1000, based at the price you bought. They informed that they buy a carton of beer and extra smooth stout at N4200/N10, 500, as against N2700 and N5500 they used to but them respectively. To meet up, according to them, was to hike the prices of the drinks.
Attributing multiple taxations from the FCT area councils as one of the factors that has mitigated the increase in the prices of drinks, they also added epileptic electricity supplies as another factor. They therefore said after adding the amount they pay to their workers and the one they pay for shops, as well as multiple taxations and fueling of their generators at unimaginable amount, they usually transfer all these to the price of the drinks.
After all the expenses, according to them, they end up going home with little or nothing at the end of the month. All these they appeal to the government to address, for their customers to continue to patronise them, so as to be able to continue their business.
Among the dealers who spoke to our correspondent, were the Directors, Golden More Life Limited, Nnamdi Okoronkwo and Idys Business Ventures, Ekpyong Okon.
The of More Life,Okoronkwo informed that whenever he makes an order and pays, the major distributor usually delivers the drinks to him. He therefore said that when the amount he usually pays went up, the major distributor attributed the increase in the price to the increase in the taxation and pump price per litre of fuel by the Federal Government (FG). He therefore added that as a result of all the increments, they had to increase the price of their products, so as to be able to not only pay their staff, but also continue to be in business.
He went further to inform that he used to by 1880 trailer load of drink per week, but was quick to disclose that he hardly buys such number of drins in three weeks, due to poor patronage and increase in the prices of the products.
Appealing to the government to reduce the tax and also address the issue of hike in the price of fuel, he said most beer parlours have started to wind up as a result of poor patronage and inability to buy the products at the new price.
On his own, the Director of Idyl Business Venture, Okon said: “We buy from the major distributors, who in turn buy from the manufacturers. When we complained to them, they informed that the manufacturers said that cost of production has gone up, which they attributed to increase in taxation and fuel.”
According to him, due to the development, the rate of patronage has since gone down beyond imagination. To that, he enjoined the government to come up with a better economic policy to address the ugly development.