Hike In Price Of Ram, Food Items, May Hinder Blissful Sallah

As Muslims in Nigeria are preparing for this year’s Eid-el-Kabir festival also known as Ileya, a major challenge before them is the skyrocketing prices of livestock, foodstuffs, pepper, and other essential commodities. 

This year’s Eid-el-Kabir, in which Muslim faithful who are eligible and have the capacity will slaughter ram and other permissible livestock, will be celebrated on Sunday, June 16, 2024.

Findings by OSUN DEFENDER revealed that economic hardship has already reduced the purchasing power of the people, while inflation has also kept the prices of food items and commodities far from the reach of the majority. 

The combination of the two factors, according to some Muslims who spoke with the medium at different interviews during the week, will hinder a blissful Sallah celebration. 

A visit to some major markets in Osogbo, Ikirun, and Iwo revealed that buying and selling which usually bubbles during the festive period is not the situation this year. 

While traders were decrying low patronage by customers, buyers were also lamenting the hike in the prices of commodities. 

The medium also observed a decrease in the number of rams at some markets. Locations where rams were usually sold in Osogbo have also reduced.

READ: FG Declares Two-Day Public Holiday For Eid-Ul-Adha

OSUN DEFENDER noted that the price of ram this year is almost 200 percent higher than the previous years.

The medium embarked on a ram price survey; it was discovered that a ram of N100,000 was difficult to find in the markets, while those who were being sold at the price were very small in size. 

The price of a presentable ram started from N150,000, while the medium size and above went from between N200,000 and N500,000. 

A ram seller at the popular Stadium market in Osogbo, Abbas Muheedeen, said most of them (ram sellers) do not travel to the northern side this year to buy rams due to the increment in transportation.  

Muheedeen noted that most of them buy from the northerners who brought livestock to the state and resell them to buyers. 

He said: “Most of us did not travel to the north this year to get rams due to the hike in transportation cost. The falling economy affected a lot of things this year.

“Some of us waited for the northerners to bring the rams to Osogbo, we buy from them and resell to our people. With that, we won’t lose money even if we do not get any gain.” 

Livestock sellers were lamenting low patronage amid the rising prices at the Alamisi market in Ikirun when OSUN DEFENDER visited on Thursday.  

One of the ram sellers, Mr Bola Adeyemo, said he had yet to sell 15 rams as of the time of speaking with the medium, which was not the case last year.  

According to him: “There are lots of livestock available for sale; but because of high cost, there is low turnout of buyers. We have been here since last week Saturday. People have not really been coming out to buy. The people who patronised us made part payment and we are still waiting for them to balance up. 

“Market has never been dull like this before.”

Responding to why there is an increment in the price of ram, Adeyemo said: “We bought one ram at the cost we used to buy four before. The rams are really expensive such that people who do buy to distribute before could no longer afford to buy many rams this year. The rams we bought at N30,000 before are being sold for N100,000, and this is the reason why people are not turning up. 

READ: 2024 Eid-Ul-Adha: Date For Commencement Of Dhul Hijjah, Ileya Festival Revealed

“You can’t even feel the celebration mood at all, people are not buying, market is not moving. We bought 80 rams; we have only sold 14 so far, even with our long-time management.

“We sourced our rams from Masi village around Daura, in Katsina state, you can see the distance. We have to bribe some people to convey the rams down here. The roads are bad too. Before, the travelling took us only two days, but because of the bad road, we spent almost three to four days. An extra day on the road means extra cost.”

The medium was also at some foodstuffs shops at Oluode market, Osogbo, and the story was also the same. 

Foodstuffs sellers told the medium that people had not turned up for the Salah celebration, while those who had come to buy bought less than what they usually get. 

According to findings, a bag of rice that was sold for N35,000 last year was sold at between N79,000 and N80,000 on Thursday.

A bag of beans was sold between N120,000 and N130,000, compared to N75,000 during the fasting period.

A keg of vegetables is now N55,000, against N31,000 it was sold in 2023.

A foodstuff seller, Mrs Ranti Alabi, said economic hardship has forced the market to dry up, adding that most people can’t afford to buy as they used to before. 

She said: “We all know that this year’s market economy has risen more than that of last year. Everything is too costly. It was not this bad when we were fasting because, during the fasting period, people used to inflate the price of food. We sold a bag of beans during the fasting period for N75,000 but now we are selling it at N120,000 to N130,000.

A basket of Bonney peppers (atarodo) was being sold at N150,000 while a basket of tomatoes stood at N90,000. 

A grain merchant who identified herself as Alhaja Fasilat said: “There is no money, people can no longer feed, yet foodstuffs prices keep increasing. 

“Nigerian rice that ought to be cheap is also N75,000 per bag. We don’t know what to do. We sell a congo of garri at N1300, we can’t even feel any festivity.  This is the ever-busy Oluode market, you can see how dry the market is, no one is buying anything. People really want to buy, but they lack purchasing power.

“In fact, we are grateful for the previous year, at least we sold a keg of vegetable oil for N31,000, now it is N53,000. People who bought half a bag of rice from us before can no longer afford it; they now buy in Congo. Semovita is even worse; we sold 10kg at N6000 last year, now it is N13,000, we now sell 5kg for N6000.”

The situation was also the same with pepper sellers.

A pepper seller at Sasa market in Osogbo, Mrs Yemisi Oladosu, lamented that the increment in the price of Bonney peppers and tomatoes has resulted in low patronage from the customers. 

Oladosu maintained that 10 pieces of Bonney peppers were between N500 and N600, while the smallest portion of tomatoes was sold for N500.

She said: “We are not making sales; the price of pepper has not come down. In previous years, the market would have been crowded with people buying for the Ileya celebration, but the reverse is the case now.

“The smallest portion of tomatoes is N500; on the higher level, the small size of tomatoes is N3,500, the medium plastic is N5000, while the bigger one is N10,000 and it is the same for pepper too. The prices keep increasing.”

Speaking on the economic situation and salah celebration, the Chairman of the Osun State Muslim Community, Alhaji Mustapha Olawuyi, enjoined Muslims to abstain from forcing what is not compulsory on themselves. 

According to Olawuyi, slaughtering a ram isn’t compulsory for any Muslim who cannot buy one. 

Olawuyi, in an interview with OSUN DEFENDER yesterday, said: “Slaughtering ram is not compulsory; it is voluntary. You need to buy when you have the capacity, and if you don’t have, you need not stress yourself to buy. 

“Islam is so simple; it doesn’t force you to do something unnecessarily. If you are blessed, give to the people who do not have. It is not compulsory to buy ram if you don’t have the capacity.”

He urged Nigerians to be productive to help the country’s economy. 

“We believe government can do everything, but we are deceiving ourselves. Muslims believe in hard work; then you pray after that. You work before you pray, not pray before you work. We should try to be producers, and not consumers. As long as we remained consumers, we are wasting our time. We are going to remain backward for several years to come, unless there is a change. 

“What is most important is for us to come together and embrace productivity; hard work. Nobody is interested in agriculture again. God has blessed us with everything we need, but we are so lazy. The government is not helping the farmers, while the people are not interested in farming as well. We need to blame ourselves, both the government and the people”, he stated.

• Police Beef Up Security

The Osun State Police Command has assured residents the state of adequate security before, during, and after the Eid el Kabir celebration. 

The state Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Umar Abba, has ordered the ‘effective and extensive’ deployment of policemen as well as all necessary logistics to strategic points along the highway, worship centres and all nooks and crannies of the state.

According to a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Yemisi Opalola, yesterday, the Commissioner issued the directive to all Area Commanders, Divisional Police Officers as well as Tactical Commanders in the State Command.

The police boss charged them to ensure that no stone is left unturned in making sure that adequate security is provided in their various areas of jurisdiction.

According to the statement, “While stressing that maximum attention should be paid to critical public places and other points prone to public disturbance, the CP assured members of the public that security had already been beefed up to ensure a crime-free Salah celebration.

“CP Mohammed further charges heads of formations to personally supervise their personnel deployed for this special assignment and warn them not to infringe on the rights of citizens but to protect them towards untold incidence. They are to ensure a 24/7-hourly surveillance of their respective area of operations.

“While soliciting for the cooperation of all and sundry, the State Police Command is hereby urging citizens to be law abiding. Parents and guardians are enjoined to take good care of their wards and advise them to stay away from any act capable of causing public disorderliness.

“Members of the public are to report any suspicious movement by giving prompt and useful information to the Police in case of any infraction of the law through the following numbers 08039537995 and 08067788119. 

“The Commissioner of Police, Osun State Command wishes all Muslim faithfuls and visitors a joyous and peaceful celebration.”