By Adekola Afolabi

The Carpenters and Furniture Makers Progressive Union, Ondo State chapter, yesterday embarked on a peaceful protest over exorbitant increase in the prices of carpentry and furniture materials.

The protesters armed with various placards with different inscriptions converged at the Governor’s Office, Alagbaka Akure to register their grievances and protest what they called massive exploitation by furniture and carpentry materials dealers.

Special Adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Union Matters and Special Duties, Mr Dare Aragbaiye, addressed the protesters on behalf of the governor.

The peaceful protesters led by the State Chairman of the union, Mr Adekunle Obolo and other members across the 18 Local Government Areas of the state, particularly appealed to the Governor, to urgently intervene and prevail on the sellers of furniture materials in Akure to stop what they described as unwanted exploitation.

Some of the inscriptions read: “Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is our last hope”; “We can’t be sure of tomorrow”; “We can’t bear this hardship any longer”; “They are killing us in silence”; “Mr Governor come and rescue us”, among several others.

Speaking at the  Governor’s Office, Obolo who decried daily increment in the prices of furniture materials in Akure, was said the ugly development is negatively affecting their means of livelihood.

The chairman while appreciating the governor  for his unalloyed support for artisans, especially furniture and carpenters in the state, equally bemoaned activities of middlemen who unilaterally increase prices of furniture materials at will, saying this was against the primary objective of the governor for bringing company that was producing the materials in the State.

Addressing the protesters, Mr Dare Aragbaiye, specially commended the union leadership and members for making the protest peaceful, saying government would look into their complaints and take necessary steps to address them within a shortest period of time.

Aragbaiye who explained that the present administration under the leadership of governor Akeredolu would not allow anybody to inflict hardship or pains on innocent citizens, also added that government would get in touch with the company producing the materials with a view to bringing the prices to the bearest minimal.

“The complaint is that because of the role of middlemen  the prices have continued to go up, which has also made it difficult for them to satisfy the needs of their customers. You can see that they have come in their large numbers, this is a union that is formidable and government will do everything to ensure they are happy. That is the essence of having the government in place”, Aragbaiye stressed.