‘Cost of goods high because of transportation’

Traders in Nigeria have blamed high cost of goods across the country on the high cost of transportation from the North to the South.

The traders under the aegis of Reformed Traders Association of Nigeria (RTAN) said this is responsible for the price variation in different parts of the country.

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President of the association, Amb. Edi Chinedu, in an interview onboard the Lagos-Ibadan train, recently said, traders would explore moving their goods via the train once the cargo services begin.

“We believe by the time this railway will go round the 36 states of the country, the price/cost of things in Nigeria will stabilize.”

He also said the traders are calling on the federal government to fast-track the construction of the Ibadan-Kano leg of the project to ease movement of cargoes from the South to the North.

“Prices of good items in Nigeria are very high. People from the south cannot access goods/materials coming from other states or from Lagos state back to south because of high prices.

“But with what is going on currently in this railway sector, we strongly believe that things can move easily from the north to Lagos and from Lagos state to the North. For instance, if you buy an item in Lagos, the price would be different in the North.”