Grace Egila
As Muslims in Kano, the commercial center of northern Nigeria prepares to celebrate the Eid-al-Fitr festivities, an investigation has revealed that residents are complaining about the high cost of foodstuffs and other essential commodities in the major markets around the metropolis.
Stallion Times reporter who went around to get a feel of people’s preparations and expectations for the Sallah celebrations discovered that though commercial activities are at their peak in the major markets, like the popular textile (Kanti-Kore), Singer, Sabon-gari, and Yankura markets, yet buyers and sellers expressed concern over the high cost and increment in the prices of goods and services.
Speaking, Bala Lawal, a shoe merchant said that compared to last year when they had an influx of visitors from nearby states like Jigawa, Bauchi, Katsina, and Kaduna states, this year’s patronage is very poor because visitors did not troop into the state to buy things due to the high rate of insecurity, especially banditry and kidnappings.
According to Bala, he brings his goods from Aba and the cost of transportation is very high, because of that, he has to increase the price of shoes, which he said is not favorable at all, as customers are complaining, but there is nothing he can do about it.
Salisu Khalil is a retailer at the Kanti-Kore market, he said in the past his suppliers sell wrappers to him at the rate of 1,600 Naira and he resells them at 2,000 Naira and makes a little profit out of it, but now he buys the same wrapper at 1,700 Naira which reduces the amount he makes on each sale.
An angry customer, Hajia Lami lamented how expensive clothing materials are ahead of the 2022 Sallah festivities.
She said before this period, the price of a head-tie was within the range of 500 hundred to 700 Naira, but now it is selling at 1,500 Naira.
Hajia Lami furiously complained about the increase in the price of goods and services, adding that she cannot even afford to plait her hair in preparations for the celebration.
Foodstuff traders too are complaining about the increase in the prices of their commodities.
A tomatoes seller, Mallam Rabe at Yankaba market said that in the past few days his tomatoes have been getting spoilt due to the harsh weather and low patronage, worse is that as at same period last year, the wholesale price for a basket of tomatoes was 5,000 Naira but this year it is selling at 8000 Naira because the cost of transportation coupled with the non-availability of fuel and its attendant cost.
“But you see, the truth of the matter is that prices of perishable goods like ours are not stable, they fluctuate depending on season or festive periods,” he said.
Mallam Sani who sells ingredients like melon, palm oil, crayfish, seasoning, dry-pepper, and groundnut oil said: “This period it is very difficult for people to feed because there is no money in the country.
“Before now, I pay 50,000 Naira for transportation to bring my goods to the market but now they have increased it to 70,000 thousand, yet we don’t make sales like before even though it is a season of celebration.”
Another businessman, Mallam Abdulrahman who sells flour and baking materials at Sabon-gari market complained bitterly about how people no longer patronize him because the price of baking ingredients has increased drastically.
According to him, “If the price is cheap people do patronize me but because everything has increased, I can count the number of customers who enter my shop, yet, it is not my fault because before I use to buy a bag of flour from Lagos at 16,000 Naira but currently a bag of flour is selling for 24,000Naira.”
He believes that if there are price-controlled policies or mechanisms, things will be better in the country.
A plea worth noting is the call by both the business owners and buyers on the government to tackle insecurity because it is affecting the economy and people are scared of traveling.
Notwithstanding, Muslim faithful in Kano state are looking forward to the Sallah celebration because Eid-al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting. It is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide.
