Category: Campus Life

Every semester in Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba-Akoko(AAUA), Ondo State, there is a sharp increase in the prices of essential commodities. Food items rise significantly when students resume, leaving them grappling with a higher cost of living. Students have cried out, calling for intervention. ENIOLA AKINWUMI-NIYI (AAUA) reports.

“Whenever we resume, the cost of foodstuff skyrockets, making it difficult for students to maintain their budgets. It is almost like the traders are waiting for us to return to inflate prices.”

The above were the words of Oluwapelumi Adeoye, a student at Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, AAUA, Ondo State, who shared her experience about the recurring price hikes when students resume for academic sessions in Akungba, the host community of AAUA.

According to her, these hikes are affecting students’ daily lives, especially for those whose budgets are tight, including academic expenses, transportation, and other daily necessities.

Adeoye called for intervention of stakeholders to solve the unfair hike in market prices for students in the community. “I believe the root of the problem lies in the economy. If the government can stabilise the cost of goods and transportation, some traders won’t have to increase prices, and life will become easier for everyone,” she said.

Similarly, Aladejana Rasheed, a recent graduate of Mass Communication at AAUA, confirmed the recurring nature of the increase in commodity prices when students resume school.

“The hike in prices is not new to us. That’s why most students bring foodstuff  from home at the start of the semester to avoid buying foodstuffs in Akungba during the early days of resumption.

“The cost of living in Akungba during resumption is unbearable for many students. Sometimes we bring food from home to save money for other needs like transportation and academic expenses.

 “Many students try to avoid buying in bulk during the first few weeks because traders raise prices to recover losses from the holiday period. The harsh economy is affecting everyone, but students are often at the receiving end,” he said.

He said some traders are not entirely to blame as the harsh economy has forced them to increase prices. He advised that the government should address the economic hardship and reduce the cost of goods to make life easier for both students and traders.

Another student, Ogunmilade Oluwanifemi said: “Prices are usually cheaper during holidays, especially for items like tomatoes and pepper. Although some commodities remain expensive, they are more affordable.

“I don’t blame the traders. They’re trying to survive too, but overcharging people is not right, and the economy is harsh, the government’s failure to resolve.”

Every semester in Akungba witnesses a peculiar trend: a sharp increase in the prices of essential commodities. Items like tomatoes, onions, eggs, fish and other food items rise significantly when students resume, leaving them grappling with higher living costs, and traders struggle to balance profit and survival in a challenging economy.

To better understand the dynamics behind this recurring issue, Akungba traders also shared their experiences, painting a picture of the interplay between supply, demand, and the broader economic challenges in Nigeria.

No students, no sales

A food and snacks vendor at AAUA, Mr Bashiru Matthew, said most traders in Akungba increase the price of commodities because they hardly make sales when students are on vacation. “We depend on the students for our livelihood,” he said.

He lamented that the rising cost of goods forces traders to increase prices for students. “Only the government can solve this problem because they created it. If things get better, traders will stop extorting students, and prices will reduce,” he added.

For Mrs Dunni Ogunlana, a tomato and pepper seller, students’ holiday leads to low sales and a battle for  survival.

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“Things are expensive now, and we (traders) must make a profit from what we buy. During the holidays, we had fewer customers, mostly Akungba people wouldn’t pay high prices. But some students buy without bargaining, so we increase prices.

“We (traders) don’t wish to exploit students, but we also need to survive. The only solution is to plead with the government to make things easier for everyone,” she said.

A fish seller at Ibaka market in Akungba, Mrs Owolade Rebecca,  said: “Some time ago, I bought a carton of fish for N40,000, and later the price increased to over N60,000. How do we make a profit without increasing the selling price?”

Owolade described sales as a struggle for survival, stressing that both sellers and buyers are affected.

“The rising cost of fish, for example, is affecting both sellers and buyers. Students complain, but they don’t understand that we are also trying to cope with the economy. It’s not easy to make ends meet with prices changing every day.

“This situation is out of our control. If the government reduces the cost of transportation and addresses the rising prices of goods, everything will stabilise. We are all victims of this harsh economy,” she said.

Another raw food seller, Mrs Iyanu Abiodun, emphasised that students are not the cause of the price hike, but the government and the removal of the fuel subsidy, which has led to an increase in the cost of living, including transportation.

“We only increase prices when students resume to recover losses from the holidays,” she said.

As far as Mr Uche Ugona, a provision store owner is concerned, adding extra money to the price of goods was not intentional; it is an attempt to meet the market reality.

“We only sell what we buy from the market, and the prices are determined by what we pay to restock. For example, items like vegetable oil, sugar, and beverages have doubled in price due to high transportation costs and market inflation. It’s difficult for both us and the students, but we can’t run at a loss,” Ugona noted.

An onion seller, Shamsiddin Shehu, added that when students are on holiday, they (sellers) hardly make sales.

“But when students resume, we sell out and even travel to restock. Students often buy without bargaining, so we increase prices to survive. However, this isn’t favourable to anyone, and only the government can fix it,” he said.

Akungba market head reacts

The market head (Iyaloja) of Akungba-Akoko, Chief (Mrs) Comfort Omoyemi, in an interview, emphasised that the marketers may not be blamed because they hardly make sales when the students are not around.

“Once  students resume,  even people from neighbouring villages such as Ikare, Arigidi, Oba-Akoko and others come to Akungba to sell their goods, leading to the hike in the price of things because everyone is trying to make the sales they weren’t able to make during the holiday,” she said.

When asked about the measures put in place to ensure that traders do not overcharge students, Omoyemi said she has pleaded with the market women to reduce the cost of goods to make them affordable to students.

 AAUA Students’ Union intervenes

AAUA Students’ Union President, Comr. Akeem Salami, said that the union has also noticed the surge in the cost of commodities when students resumed.

He assured that the students’ union, through actions and pleas to local authorities, is working to address and reverse these hikes to ensure that commodities are affordable to students.

“The plan is to initiate a meeting that will comprise the AAUA Students’ Union body, the Students’ Affairs Division, and the Police Force. Through this, we would be able to address the hike in the cost of goods. If need be, we would ensure they (traders) are aware that students are their major source of patronage,” he said.