Onion traders threaten to cut supply to southern Nigeria from Monday

The Onion Producers and Marketers Association of Nigeria (OPMAN) has said it will cut off supply to entire southern Nigeria beginning from Monday, June 7, if the Federal government fails to respond to the association’s demands.

Addressing journalists after the association’s meeting in Sokoto at the weekend, OPMAN’s President, Aliyu Isa, noted that members of the association lost onions and property worth N4.5 billion in various attacks in the south.

Isa said during the Aba crisis in Abia State, the association lost three members, while about 30 trailers, 9 utility cars, 50 stores and 10,000 bags of onion, among other valuables belonging to their members, were destroyed. In Shasa, Oyo State, he said 27 lives, five trailers, 5,600 bag of Onions, 12 utility vehicles and other valuables were lost.

“After full deliberation by the executive members of this association and the failure of government to respond to our cry, we resolved…that we are shutting down the supply of onions to the entire South by Monday, June 7, 2021, unless all our demands are met”he said

Isah said that one of OPMAN’s demands is that its members who had suffered losses as a result of ethno-religious crises in the South must be duly compensated.