As Muslims all over the world mark the 2014 Eid-el-kabir celebration on Saturday, October 3, the prices of ram and other food items have skyrocketed in some Nigerian cities.
During the Eid-el-kabir celebration, privileged ones are expected to sacrifice ram or its equivalent.
However, in most of the places visited, the prices of ram and other food items seem unaffordable by the middle class citizens.
A ram seller in Kano, Nasiru Dan-Izala, said that the least amount for a ram is 30,000 naira, which is quite high, compared to the prices they sold for in 2013 and this has made patronage low.
Other residents have attributed the situation to the cost of feeding the animals, lack of money in the hand of buyers and the inability of government to improve consumers’ purchasing power.
Some Kano residents, however, said that the fear of insecurity is among the contributory factors to the hike in the prices of ram as personal security control has been adopted in order to remain safe during the festive period.
The current state of insecurity in the country has forced many people to remain indoor as they say terrorists normally take advantage of festive seasons to unleash attacks on innocent people.
Although the Kano State Police Command, in a statement, said that adequate security measures have been set in motion to ensure hitch free Sallah celebration, most of the people in Kano believe that personal security measures might work as well.
