Concern over fast-rising prices has taken a new turn in the past few months with the consumer price index (CPI) hitting 18.6 per cent in June.
We are in august (currently) and the reference should be the previous month IMO which is July, and the inflation rate as at July 2022 was put at an incremented figure of 19.64%
by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), higher than that of June.
Adedipe admits that there are enormous local and international challenges most of which are positively correlated, but he is confident that the country will end the year with less than a 20 per cent inflation rate.
First, I don't seem to be reassured by his words, the reality remains that the figures are going up and it may exceed the highest Nigeria has seen which was in September 2005 where inflation rate was 24.32%. Both the global and domestic factors that have driven the inflation rate high are still in play, and until something happens about them, I think the figures will keep going up.
My concern is the effect the rising inflation and cost of living is having on the society. The rate of robbery, kidnapping, ritual killing and all sorts of criminal activities has increased. There is general insecurity. The government has to do better, else the reassurance from Dr. ‘Biodun Adedipe that inflation will remain below 20% will remain just mere wasted words.