Early this year, the brother of Agatha Nwaeze (real name withheld) shipped to her 40 cartons of a brand of hand sanitiser from the United States for sale in Nigeria.
Nwaeze, who lives in the Iyana School area of Iba, Ojo in Lagos, approached several retailers, including Shoprite in Ikeja, without success. Four months later, she sold it all at a give away price of N150 per bottle.
According to her neighbour who sells cosmetic products in some Lagos markets – Balogun, Trade Fair Complex, Badagry-Mile 2 Expressway – Nwaeze quit the business because the market for hand sanitiser was dull.
Out of stock
But today a gallery of racketeers who take advantage of the dreaded Ebola plague are making huge sums daily as the prices of personal hygiene products hit the roof.
The same product Nwaeze could not sell is now in hot demand. Shoprite has reportedly called her on the telephone several times asking for supplies. Even as she told it she has no stock, Shoprite has continued to call.
Nwaeze is not the only one soaking the heat of demand for hand sanitisers. Dealers at Trade Fair have all run out of stock and are rushing to other states to evacuate whatever quantity they find.
By Thursday, August 14, the price of Lovillea, a brand of hand sanitiser imported from Indonesia, had risen to N21,000 per carton; up from N8,000 on Friday, August 8.
To make matters worse, dealers in Lagos said they have run out of stock of Gelly Cologne, manufactured in Indonesia by PT Mandom.
In shops in Balogun, Trade Fair Complex, Badagry-Mile 2 Expressway, Ojo, traders are searching everywhere for the product as two major representatives of PT Mandom – Ucheson and Kay-Kay – have also run out of stock.
Ucheson reserved some cartons of Lovillea and could only sell at N22,000 per carton. In less than two days after news broke that the hand sanitiser could limit contact with Ebola virus, the company sold over 50,000 cartons.
A retailer who travelled out of Lagos to mop up the product in the states offloaded 140 cartons in the morning of Thursday, August 13. He sold them at N20,00 per carton, and by mid day, all had been cleared out.
By the evening of the same day, those who bought it for between N19,000 and N20, 000 per carton resold at N21,000. The price is expected to hit N30,000 next week when the National Orientation Agency (NOA) kicks off its personal hygiene campaign.
Surprise Cosmetics Enterprise Director, Jonathan Iroka, said there has been a galloping jump in both demand and price of the product since Friday, August 8 when news broke that a hand sanitiser can reduce contact with Ebola through hand shake.
Rush spikes price
Iroka disclosed that from N8,000 per carton of four dozens on August 8, the price rose to N12,500 the following Monday. The smaller size which cost N7,500 per carton of six dozens fetched N11,000.
By Tuesday, August 11, the price shot up to N14,500 (big size) and N12,500 (small). On Wednesday, August 13, it went for N15,500 (big) and N13,500 (small); the next day, N21,000 (big) and N18,500 (small).
With the public scrambling to buy hand sanitisers, coupled with the drastic shortfall in supply after PT Mandom suffered a fire disaster late last year, other brands have become a welcome substitute.
Other hand sanitisers such as Germ Free, Just Cleanse, Dettol, and Wax are all believed to be effective.
But Iroka explained that Lovillea is in highest demand because of its 99.9 per cent efficacy in killing germs. He plans to mop up the products in the North where it currently sells for N9,000 per carton, against N21,000 in Lagos.
Lagos is the centre of the Ebola outbreak and there is high demand by residents, hence the difference in price.
“The price is also rising in the South East states of Enugu, Anambra and Imo where Ebola scare has been noticeable. Increasing demand and shortfall in supply will continue to push prices up,” Iroka said.
A fresh supply of hand sanitisers will take at least two weeks to arrive the country and people cannot wait for the price to drop since it is a matter of life or death.
NOA advises use of sanitisers, hand gloves
On August 13, NOA Director General, Mike Omeri, advised Nigerians to use hand sanitisers or wear hand gloves to curb the spread of Ebola.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted him as saying that the NOA would enlighten the public to use hand sanitisers to prevent contact with the virus.
Said he: “We want to also emphasise personal hygiene, use of hand sanitisers and other remedial measures that will stop the spread which is the most effective way of stopping Ebola.’’
Omeri advised Nigerians to wear hand gloves.
“We are not trying to make the citizens agitated, where someone will rush to obtain or buy gloves. We just want to sensitise people to be personally aware of what could facilitate the process of contracting the disease.”
He added that Health Minister, Onyebuchi Chukwu, is working with states and councils as well as the NOA to ensure public awareness.
“This will ensure that citizens at that level imbibe the culture of hand-washing with soap and environmental cleanliness, and avoid contact with carriers, including bats and monkeys.”
The NOA is a member of the technical committee set up by President Goodluck Jonathan to fight the disease.
Clean environment
“As part of the team, we will intensify grassroots sensitisation. We will concentrate on the rural community with a special focus and interest on Ebola virus,’’ Omeri said.
He advised shop owners, operators of recreational centres and individuals to keep their environment clean at all times.