Eid-El-Kabir: Nigerian consumers, traders groan over high food prices, low patronage

*President Muhammadu Buhari has appealed to traders to note that ‘as practising believers, we shouldn’t seek obscene profits by making life difficult and miserable for others’

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

In expectation of Eid of Sacrifice in less than 24 hours, sellers and consumers of rams already are lamenting over high cost of the animals whereas sellers also complaining about comparatively poor patronage in different parts of Nigeria.

This year’s Sallah is coming at a difficult time for hundreds of families in the country, millions of who are already battling with rising costs of essential food items in the market.

It is noted that rams are animals preferred by most Muslims for sacrifice during Eid-El-Adha or Eid of Sacrifice, though other animals are equally allowed to be sacrificed according to Islamic jurisprudence.

Rams market in Nigeria   Photo: Daily Post

However, the high cost of rams in markets and low purchasing power of many people in the face of recent economic realities have resulted from the rising cost of essential food items in the markets.

These have created a huge vacuum between buyers and sellers of rams in markets, especially in Yobe State, according to report.

Nanabe Yakubu, one of the buyers of ram, lamented over the prices of the animals which he said are higher when compared to the prices of last year.

Yakubu rued: “The ram I bought last year at the cost of N30,000 now goes for N40,000 to N50,000.”

Report also indicated that a dealer of rams in the Damaturu livestock market, Alhaji Modu Bukar, disclosed though the dealers have many rams at their disposal, poor patronage from buyers is fast dashing their hope of making good profit this season.

Alhaji was quoted to have said that as of Sunday when many animals were brought to the market from different parts of the state, a good number of retailers returned home with rams due to poor patronage and low prices for their animals form the few buyers in the state.

The ram dealer prayed that government would order large supply of the animals as done in the past so as to dispose of their rams.

A Daily Post report on market survey also showed that prices of rams ranges from the highest at the cost of over N200,000 to the lowest at N25,000 with others having price tags of 30, 40, 50, 60, 70 and 100 thousand Naira, all depending on breed, size, shape and maturity.

Buhari appeals to traders to eschew excessive profitmaking

As a way of encouraging as many Nigerian consumers as possible to get the needed food items to celebrate the approaching Eid-El-Kabir celebration, President Muhammadu Buhari has said “as practising believers, we shouldn’t seek obscene profits by making life difficult and miserable for others.”

President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR

Recall President Muhammadu Buhari Friday, July 16 pleaded traders not to exploit the high demand occasioned by Eid-el-Kabir celebrations to inflate prices of rams and other food commodities.

Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity, said the Nigerian President made the plea in his Sallah message to Nigerians.

Buhari said: “Taking advantage of the celebration to exploit fellow citizens through outrageous prices of food and rams is inconsistent with fine virtues of Islam.

“As practising believers, we shouldn’t seek obscene profits by making life difficult and miserable for others.

“We should not seek happiness at the expense of others.

He, therefore, enjoined Nigerians to remember that Islam is a religion of charity that urges people to love their neighbours as they love themselves.

All Muslims should continue to live in peace and harmony with their fellow Nigerians of other faiths in the spirit of peaceful coexistence, Buhari stated.

He added: “Let us pray for the progress of Nigeria at all times. Let us expose undesirable elements among us who are creating security problems for the country.”

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