Governor Adeleke Supports Osun Traditional Rulers’ Efforts to Control Food Prices

Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, has denounced the artificial inflation of food prices caused by market middlemen and praised the state’s traditional rulers for their efforts to counteract this issue. In a statement released on Friday by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, Governor Adeleke urged the State Food Security Implementation Committee to expedite their work, expressing satisfaction with the proactive measures taken by traditional rulers to regulate food prices and curtail the exploitative practices of middlemen.

Governor Adeleke highlighted that the efforts of certain members of the Osun State Council of Traditional Rulers in controlling prices have significantly aided the government’s efforts to tackle food insecurity. He commended these rulers for convincing market leaders to avoid unnecessary price hikes and called on all traditional rulers to engage with market leaders to ensure price moderation.

“I task our royal fathers to engage market associations and stop the exploitation of our people. We must work with market associations to introduce voluntary price control. We recognize the importance of these associations as strong partners in governance and urge them to collaborate with the government and traditional institutions to reduce food inflation,” Adeleke stated.

Governor Adeleke also directed his Special Adviser on Markets to support the traditional rulers in their initiative to implement traditional price control measures. He emphasized the need to integrate ‘Iyalojas’ and ‘Babalojas’ (market leaders) into the process.

Additionally, Governor Adeleke instructed the Food Security Implementation Committee to accelerate their efforts to secure and stabilize the food supply value chain in Osun State. He urged the committee to develop actionable plans with clear deliverables and timelines, stressing the urgency of addressing food security issues.