Eid-el-Kabir: Muslims laments high cost of rams
By Saheed Afolabi
Despite the high cost of rams and other food items, Muslim faithful still managed to celebrate this year’s Islamic grand festival – Eid-el-Kabir.
Though the celebration was relatively in a key low for some average Muslims, it was celebrated at maximum level by some others.
The first factor that affected the Sallah celebration was the cost of rams, which was beyond the purchasing power of many average Muslim faithful.
While the buyers were incapacitated, the ram sellers kept lamenting over the cost of fuel and transportation, which led to astronomical increase in the prices of rams.
For instance, a medium size ram was sold at about N120,000, while the big ones went for about N400,000, though there were smaller one which were sold for about N75,000.
Most of the rams were brought from the Northern part of the country to the southern part where more sales are recorded.
Speaking to ECHONEWS, a ram seller, who simply gave his name as Sunday at the popular ram market in Oke-Afa, Isolo stated that, despite the high cost of rams at the market, people still patronised them.
He said: “A small ram goes for N75,000, medium goes for N125,000, while the big ones are sold for N200,000.
“Though, the prices of the rams are a big higher this year compared to previous years, but we still made sales and the reason is because of the rising cost of goods and services throughout the country.
“The prices of these rams five years ago were comparatively low, the small rams were as low as N25,000, while the medium was N50,000 was around N90,000.”
While the buyers bemoan high cost of rams, others; travellers cried out over increasing transportation fares.
Many Muslim faithful who had planned to travel to their home towns for the Sallah festivities had their plans disrupted as a result of the scarcity of premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol, which hit Lagos, Ogun and other parts of the country.
Some days to the Sallah day, transport fares had gone up by 50 per cent, and more than 100 per cent a day to the Sallah day.
Transporters are known for hiking fares during festivals as passengers pay three times the usual fares or they remained in their homes to celebrate the festival.
One of the Muslims, Taiwo AbdulSalam, who spoke to ECHONEWS said he decided to take his family members to the motor park early in the morning on the festival eve to travel down to Oyo to avoid rush.
“Unfortunately, when we got to the park in Oshodi, the transport fare to Oyo that used to cost N2,000 before Sallah was increased to N4,000 – N5,000. We managed to get that of N4,000 for each of the three of my family members travelling,” he explained.
“We are not enjoying the country as citizens. Government should look into our problems because we cannot continue like this. A lot of us have lost hope in this country. Only God knows what will happen to those who have four to five children with their mother.”
A resident of Ikotun, Mrs. Lateefat Oyekunle who was also travelling with her family to Ijebu-Ode for the Sallah said the present situation may force many people to stay away from home to celebrates the Sallah with their loved ones.
“We are being forced to pay through our noses to travel or stay in one place to celebrate. Because the economic situation of the country is bad and we the downtrodden are the ones most hit by the inflation.”
A furniture, Mr. Abdullahi Ishola, said he could not travelled as planned because he could recoup the money people were owing him.
“As much as I have interest in going home to celebrate the Sallah this year, I couldn’t make it, those who were owing me money did not pay me. And I have to spend more money when I get home.”
A driver, Monsuru Ariyo, told ECHONEWS at Oshodi Terminal 1 that the scarcity of fuel led to increase in the fares.
“Before now, Ibadan transport fare from Lagos was N1,000, but now it is N3,000, while Abeokuta is N2,500 and Sagamu N2,000. Aside the fuel, traffic is another terrible factor causing hike in the fares as we burn the fuel inside holdups,” he said.
A livestock seller, Elizabeth Oloyede said compounding the issue is the rise in the prices of food items.
“At the moment, the price of every other food item has also skyrocketed, making livibgvhard for many Nigerians not only during the festive period.”
Faruq Adesola lamented difficulties while travelling out of Lagos every Sallah period as he complained of the unbearable hardship as a result of increase in the cost of petrol.
He said: “It is relatively harder to travel now, although I travel with my private car. The usual cost of fuel that would have cost me 4,000 to travel toil or in now ranges to,000 and above.
“The cost of interstate travelling via public transport has sufficiently risen due to the current scarcity of fuel and the price of bus fares keeps on rising.”
“Currently Lagos to Ibadan from Berger is between N4,000 to N5,000. Akure is currently N10,000, Osogbo is N7,000, Abuja is also currently N10,000,” stated Lukman Saheed; a bus driver at Ojodu Berger park.
A passenger, Mr . Richard Egbu also complained of the hike in transport fare and the scarcity of fuel saying that it is the average Nigerian that is bearing the brunt.
“I was surprise when I got to the park and discovered that the fare to Ibadan from lagoons now N3,000, we used to pay N1,500.”
