In this report, Sunday Tribune examines how Nigerians are preparing for the Eid al-Adha also known as Eid-el-Kabir in the light of the excessively high cost of foodstuffs and livestock.
Last Sunday evening, the Sultan of Sokoto and the President-General of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, declared Wednesday, June 28, as the day for the celebration of Eid al-Adha also known as Sallah.
The declaration of day for the most significant Islamic festival came apparently to the admiration of Muslims faithful in the country.
A prominent feature of the festival is the slaughtering of rams which is derived from the Arabic meaning of “Eid al-Adha”, “the festival of sacrifice” in commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim’s readiness to sacrifice his son, Isma’il, in order to show his dedication to God.
Speaking to Sunday Tribune on the significance of the festival, an Islamic cleric of Egbeda Central Mosque located in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State, Adedokun Nureni Abi, said Prophet Ibrahim remained patient with God despite not having a child for years.
As a norm, Muslims faithful travel far and wide to commemorate this festival with relatives and loved ones. However, the celebration of the 2023 edition of the festival may not go as many Nigerians had planned. This is because there are worries nationwide over the cost of foodstuffs and livestock which are essentially used in the celebration of any festival.
According to the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the rate of change in prices of goods and services, rose to 22.41 per cent in May 2023, while the food inflation rate in May 2023 was 24.82 per cent on a year-on-year basis.
Another major factor responsible for the exorbitant cost of food items is the most recent hike in the price of petrol caused by the removal of subsidies. This also did not make matters easy as it affected not only the cost of food items, but also the willingness of many, who hitherto travel to commemorate the Sallah festival with their loved ones, to do so this time around.
During Sunday Tribune’s visits to various ram and pepper markets as well as many car parks, the excitement usually recorded in these places was not the same.
Many who spoke with Sunday Tribune lamented how the cost of rams, cows and foodstuff will affect the commemoration of the festival.
NORTH CENTRAL
Kwara
Sunday Tribune observed that the skyrocketing prices of foodstuffs and rams are causing a bit of apprehension in Kwara State as many who spoke with Sunday Tribune noted that the festival would be celebrated according to the dictates of the economy and their purses.
Though some people said they prepared for the Sallah celebrations, they noted that the current inflationary trend had ruined their plans.
Alhaji Folorunsho Habeeb, who said that he had planned to buy and kill a medium-size ram for the sallah, disclosed that he had to settle for a small and average ram considering the present high price of rams and the amount of money he had.
The reduction in the economic power and patronage of the residents also means business does not boom for traders.
Vice chairman, B’asiri Mi Oluwa Ram Market Association, Fate Road, Ilorin, Ibrahim Wasiu, noted that patronage during last year’s Sallah celebration was better than this year’s festivity.
“Last year’s sales were better than this year. This year, the smallest ram is N35,000 and the big one is N250,000. The medium ones are between N80,000 and N85,000.
“There are no sales. Since we started selling here about two weeks ago, we have only sold about 40 rams. By this time last year, we’d sold over 200 rams.
“The reason for low patronage is because there’s no money. That’s why people don’t come out to buy rams unlike before. The removal of petrol subsidies has made transportation fares go up. We bought all these rams from another country, Niger Republic,” Habeeb said.
Speaking in the same vein, Yusuf Olaiya, who sells rams opposite the Ministry of Agriculture, Zango Road, Ilorin, said the cost of transporting the rams to the state and feeding contributed to the hike in the cost of the rams, among other reasons.
“We’re just struggling with this business of ram selling. The nation’s economy has worsened trade. Most of these rams about five years ago were not worth more than N20,000 each. Between me and God, this time, the smallest one is between N47,000 and 48,000.
“After buying it, we add up transport fare and feeding cost, aside market taxes. Probably, there should be an agency controlling prices of items to stipulate prices to sell and buy rams.
“One of the reasons for the high cost of rams is banditry, killing here and there in many parts of the northern states. We risk our lives travelling to all the places to do business.
“For a distance of one hour, we now spend six hours. Before, we paid about N1,000 to transport a ram from Maiduguri to Kwara, for instance. Now, we pay N5,000 on a ram, no matter the size. That’s aside feeding, which is high too. When, for instance, we buy a ram at N45,000, we buy N5,000 feed. We must continue feeding the ram till the buyer comes.
“Another reason is the increase in price of fuel. Not all the vehicles bringing the rams use diesel. To engage a trailer to transport rams was about N500,000. It’s now over N1 million. We only pray that after hardship comes ease.”
In order to reduce the cost, he urged the government to provide them with loans and ensure the security of personnel and goods when being transported.
For Babatunde Abdulsalam Alagbo, business is not going smoothly. He hopes that the patronage will increase once salaries of workers are paid.
While noting that the hike in cost of livestock has nothing to do with the Sallah festival, Ameenulah Abdulyekeen told Sunday Tribune that “you can’t get rams of N40,000 or cows less than N180,000 in Ilorin.
“Those who even use diesel to transport rams cite a hike in fuel prices as the reason for the increase in prices of rams. Some others cite banditry on the road.”
NORTH WEST
Jigawa
In Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, the primary concern of Malam Abdulkahar Mohammed, a civil servant, is not even how well to celebrate Sallah, but how to put three square meals on the table for him and his immediate family.
He told Sunday Tribune that aside from the fact that the price of rice went up, the cost of maize and millet is now N1,000 for a measure.
“I went to Shuwari market with the intention to buy ram or sheep. I couldn’t, because the price of a fairly good ram starts from N45,000. How much is my salary,” he asked.
At the Sundumina Weekly Market which Sunday Tribune visited on Wednesday, all categories of rams, goats and cows were on display but there were no buyers because of the high prices.
A ram seller, who identified himself as Malam Sabitu Jallo, decried the poor patronage, saying “look at the very big and good rams here but there are no buyers. We expected buyers from the cities and southern part of the country, but they are yet to arrive and today is the last market day here.”
Kebbi
The same high cost of foodstuffs and rams was also recorded in Kebbi State, further dashing the hopes of many to celebrate this year’s festival.
One of those with dashed hopes is Mr Olushina Amanda, a ram buyer who buys rams in Kebbi State to resell in Osogbo, Osun Stage.
He told Sunday Tribune at Kara Market, Birnin-Kebbi, the state capital that the prices of rams this time around were outrageous.
While pointing to various sizes of rams, he said “the ones I bought last year at the rate of N60,000, N70,000 are now sold for between N90,000 and N100,000. The ones sold for N90,000 and N100,000 previously are now between N170,000 and N200,000 or above.”
Katsina
A shop owner and resident of Katsina State, Malam Ahmed Tijjani, who celebrated the last Sallah festival with a ram and a goat, said he is not sure he will slaughter a goat this year.
“Last year, I slaughtered a ram and a goat. I shared the meat with my relatives and neighbours. But this year, I can’t even slaughter a goat. Go to the livestock market and see those who are buying rams,” Malam Tijjani said.
A housewife, Hajiya Amina, who overheard Sunday Tribune’s conversation with Tijjani, lamented that people are becoming poorer on a daily basis.
Amina said, “my husband has already told us that he has no money to buy a goat that is even less than a ram. I am presently praying to get money to buy fowl.”
Sunday Tribune learnt that a 50 kilogramme of rice goes for N35,000 while the smallest ram goes for not less than N50,000 at the livestock and foodstuffs market.
SOUTH WEST
Story not different in Oyo, Ogun
In Ibadan, Oyo State, a fairly big ram is sold above N100,000 just as the prices of foodstuffs were on the high side. At the ram section of Aleshinloye Market, Sunday Tribune was offered prices of rams at N120,000, N140,000 and N170,000.
A pepper seller at Akinyele International Market, Mrs Bolanle Rashidi, told Sunday Tribune that “a basket of tomatoes goes for N60,000. It has been like this even before the Sallah.
“It has become expensive since the beginning of the month. You can only get the locally-grown tomato for N40,000 per basket. A sack of scotch bonnet (rodo) is N30,000, red bell (tatashe) is N45,000 while cayenne (bawa) is N30,000. A sack of onions is sold for N23,000,” Mrs Rashidi said.
At the Challenge Bus Terminal, transporters lamented that they are yet to witness influx of passengers going to Lagos and neighbouring cities. They hinged this on the hike in prices of petrol, adding that they have tried their best by adding just N500 to the fares after the removal of subsidy in order to help assuage the suffering of the masses.
One of the aides of the chairman of Abeokuta unit at the terminal, Sunday Opaleye, said: “A litre used to be N200 before and now it is N500 everywhere. What do we do? There are no passengers. We used to have six to seven vehicles leaving each unit here but now, it has dropped to one or two per unit.
“What we added to the fare across the board is N500. The fare for Ibadan to Abeokuta used to be N2,500, it is now N3,000, so that we don’t inflict more pains on passengers. Even at that, there are no passengers.”
A minivan driver at the terminal, Alli Balogun, disclosed that it now takes him three days to get a chance to get passengers for a trip to Abeokuta, adding that “we only survived through the grace of God.”
He added that “ hitherto, there’s no day we don’t go a full turn (to and from), but now, it may take two to three days before one can do that. This is because passengers don’t turn up anymore.
“N5,000 fuel can take you on a journey before but now, it’s about N12,000. If you go a full turn, you’ll spend nothing less than N20,000 on fuel alone, hardly will you have N3,000 to N4,000 left.”
At the same park, Saheed Olanrewaju said passengers rarely travel to Lagos anymore, adding that they send messages instead.
“We spend between N23,000 and N25,000 on petrol from Ibadan to Lagos. We only increased the fare by N500 based on directives from our leaders,” Olanrewaju said.
The last time Ademola Lawal conveyed passengers to Lagos, he had N9,000 left after buying petrol. He also did minor repairs on his vehicle at the cost of N6,500, leaving him with N2,500.
The drivers expressed optimism that passengers will still travel for the Sallah break as the festival draws near.
A ram seller at the International Cattle Market, Ogere, Mohammed Danjuma, also told Sunday Tribune that rams at the market go as high as N500,000 depending on the size.
“If you fancy cows, we have those that are as low as N200,000 and as high as N1 million. The size of the cow determines its cost. You can get cows that are less than N200,000 but it will be the very small ones. We even have big rams of N500,000,” Danjuma said.
Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (Kara Market)
At the popular Kara Cattle market, Isheri on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Assistant General Secretary of the ram sellers at the market, Mr Mohmmed Sani Usman, said, “the hike in the fuel and devaluation of naira has affected not just business but also other areas.”
He noted that they now spend as high as N1.5 million to transport rams from Maiduguri in Borno State to Lagos compared to N800,000 they used to spend.
“So you can see the difference, it is almost double the price and the trailer can only accommodate 20 to 30 rams depending on their sizes. You can’t overload them because from Maiduguri to the market here, they will stand for about three days without food and water..
“When they eventually get here, you’ll feed them until people buy them. As a businessman, you will have to calculate the cost you spent on the road and divide it by the number of cows or rams that you bring to the market to be able to remain in the business,” he said, while bemoaning the low level of patronage recorded so far.
Lagos
Muhammad Lawal Sani at the ram market located along Ipaja-Baruwa Road, Moshalashi Bus Stop in Lagos State, said, “the smallest ram in the market here goes for between N80,000 and N100,000 while some bigger ones goes for N200,000 to N400,000.”
He cited the logistics challenges involved and checkpoints encountered when transporting rams and cows from Niger Republic, Cameroon, Chad and other neighbouring countries.
“As of this time last year, I sold over 100 rams, but right now, we are yet to sell up to 30 rams but we are optimistic that the turnout will increase as we approach the Ileya celebrations,” he said.
A survey conducted across markets in Lagos showed that there is a 30 per cent increase in the prices of rams and cows compared to the previous year.
A ram dealer in Lagos, Al-Mustapha Otun, blamed high exchange rate, especially that of CFA Franc as reasons for the high cost of rams and cows.
He said: “The high foreign exchange rate is responsible for the high cost of rams and cows. Principally, rams are brought into the north from Niger Republic and Chad. The northern traders bought their rams and cows with CFA Franc and this came at a high price when exchanged for naira.
“When I visited Katsina State to purchase rams to be sold this Sallah, I met crazy prices this time around. The increment was between 25 and 30 per cent compared to the amount we bought rams and cows in 2022.
“The ram that was bought for N100,000 last year was sold for N135,000 at the Mai’adua Local Government Area Market in Katsina State this year.
“If care is not taken and your bargaining skill is not good enough, you could pay as high as N140,000 or more for the same ram and this reduces our profit margin. It was impossible to make much profit because the price was too high for prospective buyers to cope with.
“When we add the cost of transporting a ram from the north to Lagos and the cost of feeding, the cost of a ram from the north amounts to N145,000 and that is why a ram is sold as high as N300,000 and above in Lagos and some South-West states.”
At Ebute-Meta, Saheed Olakunle claimed to have bought his ram ahead of the festive season to avoid buying at an exorbitant price.
He said: “The price is very high and since the religious act is something I planned for, I had to buy my rams two months before the festival to avoid buying at a very high price.
“Despite buying earlier, I bought each of the rams at N100,000. The same size of ram at the same market in Ijora is now sold at N180,000. So I saved N80,000 on each ram.”
Another resident in Ijora , Abdul-Sallam Ayinla, said a medium-sized ram was sold as high as N150,000 and above compared to N90,000 it was sold in the previous year.
He said: “The high price of ram is an annual occurrence but this year’s is unbearable. The small-sized ram I bought at the Railway Market in Ijora Badia for N90,000 is now sold for N150,000. An uncle who works at the Agege abattoir told me that he bought a cow for N800,000 as against N600,000 it was sold in 2022.”
Also in Oke-Odo, Lagos, shopping for food essentials in Lagos markets is yet to pick up as traders remained hopeful that there would be massive shopping days leading to the celebration.
Sunday Tribune observed that despite the fact that prices of foodstuffs remained steady compared to last month’s price. A 50 kilogramme foreign rice is sold at N30,000 for small grains and N34,500 for long grains.
A 50 kilogramme bag of Honey Beans is sold for N37,000 while other types of beans are sold between N28,000 and N26,500. A bag of red bell pepper (tatashe) goes for N30,000; small bag of scotch bonnet (rodo), N15,000; small bag of Sombo pepper, N12,000.
However, traders anticipate that there would be an increase in prices starting from the weekend as the Sallah celebration draws near.
Mrs Akpan, explained that as new stocks of food stuff arrives in the market, the chances that there would be a slight increase in the prices are very high.
While speaking with some shoppers and retailers, it was discovered that despite the increase in food prices as compared to last year’s, so far there had been little or no difference in the prices of goods when compared to the end of last month.
A woman, Mrs Funke Adeleke, said: “In Nigeria, we are flexible. People cut their coats according to their clothes. Even during the festive period, people will buy only what they can afford. So if some food prices increase unreasonably, people will go for other options and when traders observe that, they also will give a considerable price.”
Osun
A resident of Osun State, Alhaji Lateef Abdullahi, told Sunday Tribune he joined six other friends to purchase a big cow that will be shared during the festivity. He disclosed that the cow was sold for N400,000.
Investigations conducted round the state revealed that the smallest ram now costs N75,000 while the medium-sized is being sold for between N120,000 and N150,000 just as the big-size ram is now being sold between N200,000 and N250,000.
SOUTH EAST
Anambra
In Anambra State, members of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) lamented lack of adequate funds with which they will use to celebrate the festival.
South-East Zonal Chairman of MACBAN, Alhaji Gidado Sidikki, who spoke to Sunday Tribune at the Garke Market Amasea in Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, on Thursday, said because of the high prices of fuel, goods including cows, goats and rams coming from the Northern part are being sold at the higher rate, thereby causing low customer patronage.
“If you load a trailer of ram from Adamawa State to the Eastern part, you will spend between N500,000 and N2 million on transport and multiple levies on the highway. The situation has affected sales, leading to lack of funds for the celebration,” Sidikki said.
Chairman of Amasea Cattle Market, Alhaji Bello Magari, who partially attributed the low patronage to the rainy season, noted that the current prices for ram are between N50,000 and N180,000.
One of the cattle traders at Kwata Market Awka, who identified himself as Emeka Emmanuel, said: “Everybody knows that the cause of the rise in prices is the issue of fuel. We transport these rams from very far places in the North.”
But a buyer, Mrs Yetunde Idris, said the situation will not stop her from celebrating the day with her family.
Imo
Ibrahim Buhari, a ram seller at Egbu road Owerri, Imo State told Sunday Tribune that he has not been approached by any buyer for a couple of days while noting the cost of ram had gone up from N80,000 to over N300,000.
SOUTH SOUTH
Edo
When Sunday Tribune visited the Eyean, Temboga and Aduwawa Cattle Markets in Benin, Edo State, it was gathered that a big ram sold for between N220,000 and N300,000; medium-sized rams were sold for between N150,000 and N180,000, while a small-sized ram costs between N120,000 and N150,000. It was also gathered that goats in the markets were sold for between N80,000 and N100,000.
“Since this morning, I haven’t sold any. People are complaining that there is no money. As you can see, the market is empty.
“I came from Kano one week ago with 50 rams; I have only sold eight, and we are feeding them every day. A bag of their food costs N10,000,” a ram seller at Eyean Market told Sunday Tribune on Thursday.
Another seller at Aduwawa cattle markets who craved anonymity also said he was able to sell one ram since he arrived in Benin eight days ago.
One of the buyers at Temboga Market, Alhaji Musa Jimoh, said: “I came to the market to buy a ram but it is out of reach. The one I priced now (Thursday afternoon) was N355,000. That was the type I bought at N230,000 last year.”
At Oba Market in Benin, Ibe Emeka said the price of foreign rice is between N44,000 and N46,000 while local rice is between N41,000 and N42,000.
A buyer at Useh market, who identified herself as Mabel, lamented the high cost of foodstuffs, saying the increase is alarming.
Also, some chicken sellers at Uselu market explained that a big-size chicken goes for N17,000, while an average chicken sells for N13,000.
