The House of Representatives on Thursday, May 16, resolved to investigate the daily increase in prices of commodities in the country at random and the state of medical research institutes in the country.
Moving his motion, Onuakalusi accused the Price Control Board of Nigeria of abandoning its responsibilities to the marketers, who are now responsible for increasing the prices of commodities with impunity and to the detriment of consumers.
According to him, the take-home pay of Nigerian civil servants has not increased, yet workers are witnessing an increase in the prices of commodities daily in our markets.
He recalled that the Act establishing the Price Control Board gave it the responsibility of overseeing and enforcing price control regulations and also established for each state, a committee to be the Price Control Committee to advise and assist the Board on the implementation of this Act.
He argued that this trend of leaving the prices of commodities at the marketer’s discretion is affecting mostly low-income earners and also increasing crime, as individuals unable to afford to purchase at an exorbitant price will resort to other means or steal.
He regretted that the Price Control Board of Nigeria did not take action to checkmate this menace of daily price increases.
In his motion, Wale Hammed said that due to the global increase in viral outbreaks like Lassa fever, Ebola, and coronavirus, it is crucial to increase financial support for medical research to combat health challenges.
According to Hammed, the National Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) in Nigeria conducts research on public health diseases. Develops dissemination structures, and collaborates with national and international institutions.
He said there exist other research institutes in the country with similar objectives of collecting, analyzing, and providing scientific data and information for the development of scientific products for sustainable development and benefit for the country.
He said further that these institutions are not operating optimally, as they are currently underfunded, inadequately equipped with modern technology and lack requisite library resources to effectively perform their duties.
He argued that Nigeria Medical Research Institutes have the potential to contribute to the nation’s medical advancement given the required attention and funding.