By Dayo Johnson, Rotimi Ojomoyela, Shina Abubakar & James Ogunnaike
Over the years, the Eid-el-Kabir is often celebrated amidst fanfare, pomp and pageantry but the reverse is the case this year, following the hike in prices of commodities, occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidies.
Eid-el-Kabir, an Arabic phrase for Feast of the Sacrifice, is considered the holier of the two Muslim celebrations.
During the Eid-El-Kabir, a lot of love is spread in style. The animals sacrificed are meant to be divided into three parts. One part is for the family who slaughtered rams, while the other two, are for relatives and friends and the indigent ones respectively.
Annually, meeting this religious obligation of slaughtering rams to fulfil the religious rites is becoming extremely difficult to fulfil because the prices of rams keep skyrocketing.
Muslim faithful in the country have expressed disappointment over the prices of ram and attributed it to the hike in the price of petrol.
In Ondo State, a survey showed that the price of rams ranges from N120,000 to N300,000.
In a chat with Vanguard, a Muslim faithful, Alhaji, Abdulfatah Babatunde, who retired as Deputy Editor-In-Chief/Acting Head of Lagos Operations of the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, lamented the hike in prices of rams.
Babatunde said: “A small ram of about nine months or one-year-old that one could buy for between N60,000 and N75,000 a few years back, now cost between ¦ 100, 000 and N120000.
“Sellers attribute the high costs to many factors like transport cost, insecurity and cost of breeding local rams.”
Hike attributed to bandits, kidnappers
Another Muslim faithful, Lamidi Ataoja, regretted that this year’s Sallah celebration might be marked without the usual slaughtering of ram by him as a result of a hike in the price.
Lamidi said that his family would not be considering buying ram for the celebration for financial reasons, adding that they will find an alternative.
He said: “I was told that the prices increased because of bandits and kidnappers, who have taken over parts of the country.
“The sellers said that they experienced a series of attacks on the road before getting here and also lost many of the rams on our way down here. So, they said that they have no choice than to spread what they spent in bringing the rams here on the prices they’re selling to us.”
Muslim Faithful should celebrate in moderation —Ekiti Chief Imam
In Ekiti, the Chief Imam of Ekiti State, Dr Muhammadu Kewulere equally bemoaned the high cost of ram in the country ahead of the celebration of 2023 Eid-el-Kabir.
Kewulere, who spoke with Vanguard in Ado-Ekiti, attributed the high cost to the current inflation in general goods and services, adding that it is a general issue no one can escape.
The Chief Imam, who spoke through the acting Chief Imam, Alhaji Isiak Mubarak, therefore, urged Muslim Faithful to celebrate in moderation and not to drag themselves into shame through unnecessary impressions.
His words: “Truly, we all know the situation in the country, there is no way things won’t be expensive. Once there is a hike in the price of things, prices of rams will go up.
“I want to enjoin the Muslim Faithful to celebrate in moderation. If you can’t buy the Ram, do not borrow to buy it. Buy something else that you can afford.
“And for those of us who want to kill rams, don’t buy it to impress anyone because there is no gain from Allah if such happens.”
Similarly, other faithful in the state attributed its increase to the fuel subsidy removal by President Bola Tinubu while some said it was as a result of the economic paralysis.
Yakubu Isiaka noted that the hike in the petrol pump price has made transportation to be somewhat unbearable for traders, thus, the cause of the high cost.
Another respondent, Bilikatu Ilori said the challenges that surround economic stability were the cause of the high cost of ram, noting that once the economy is erratic, it will lead to the detriment of other things.
Ram sellers complain of low patronage in Ogun.
In Ogun State, ram sellers, especially in Abeokuta, are complaining about low patronage, blaming the low sales on the harsh economic situation and the sudden increase in the cost of transporting the animals from the Northern part of the country, which was attributed to subsidy removal.
An investigation by Vanguard revealed that the price of ram ranges from N180,000 to N450,000 in the state.
Reacting to the high price of rams, some Islamic faithful said the situation may deny them the privilege of killing rams for the celebration.
A seller at the popular Lafenwa market, Wasiu Ibrahim said to transport the rams from the North gulped a lot of money.
He said: “In 2022, I spent N700,000 on transportation, but this year with subsidy removal, I spent N1.8 million to transport the same quantity to Abeokuta.”
In a chat with Vanguard, an Islamic faithful, Alhaji Tajudeen Olakunle said the increase in the price of rams will surely affect many homes in this year’s celebration.
He said: “Last year, I bought two rams and each cost N80,000, but this year, I can only afford one because of the outrageous prices. On getting to Lafenwa, the price of rams had increased as the seller told me he could only sell what I bought for N80,000 last year for N300,000 after haggling from N350,000.”
Another buyer, Azeez Oladimeji said he was shocked to hear the prices of rams.
He said: “Last year, I got my ram at N75,000, but this year, the same size as last year costs me N270,000.”
The Secretary-General, Alasaalatu Society of Nigeria, Alhaji Kamaldeen Akintunde, on his part, said: “The recession is still undermining the economic wellbeing of the people, and the inflation is having its toll virtually on monetary value and/or activities.
“It is encouraged to do so, even though it is not absolute. If Rams cannot be killed, such indigent families can explore other initiatives to make their family happy, inclusive of making other meals as a feast for their household and neighbours.”
Outrageous prices hinder us from performing religious rites — Islamic clerics
In Osogbo, a cleric, Mallam Ibrahim Abdullateef, who spoke with Vanguard, lamented that the prices on rams showed that traders, especially the Muslims among them are more interested in profit than helping their brothers to fulfil religious rites. It is also inflating prices of rams during the Eid-el-Adha festival and this is not the right thing to do.
“Secondly, it means that more Muslims may not be able to perform such rites. It is outrageous to slam prices such as N150,000 on an average ram, while big ones are sold for as high as N250,000 in this period of economic crisis. Muslims, who are not able to fulfil the rites due to outrageous prices, are not under any obligation to so do.
“Even Allah did not compel anyone to go out of their means to perform the rites. We should just be prayerful that Allah directs our leaders to build an economy that will be strong enough to benefit the citizenry.”
Another cleric, Usman Saheed, lamented the way retailers suffocate buyers with high prices.
Saheed said: “The prices on these rams are very frustrating. You cannot expect that the size of the ram bought for N80,000 now costs between N170,000 and N200,000. It is really difficult for Muslims to perform the rites of slaughtering rams this year. The prices are just out of rich of an average Nigerian.”
