Sallah : Ram, Pepper prices soar in Ibadan
Hours to this year’s Eid Kabir, some Muslims in Ibadan metropolis are sceptical of the celebration, as cost of ram and other types of animals usually slaughtered for sacrifice have soared beyond the reach of many.
For the Muslim faithful, this year’s celebration has become a dream not coming through for them, as prices of tomatoes, pepper and other ingredients continue to increase astronomically.
The Voice Media Trust (VMT NEWS) went round some markets in Ibadan, Bodija Ram Market, Aleshinloye, Oranyan and Akinyele Markets, and reports that there were a lot of rams with few buyers.
According to one of the ram sellers, Mallam Mohammed Abdulsalam, attributed the hike to cost in transportation from the northern part of the country to the southwest.
Abdulsalam said that he paid N5,000 to transport each of the rams and feeding, which added to the cost.
A buyer, Mr Kamorudeen Ishaq, told NAN that he could not afford to buy ram, so he opted for a goat, which he bought at N80,000 and could not be compared with the ram he bought in 2024 at the rate of N40,000.
“Though killing of ram is obligatory for Muslims, who have the means and capability, if there is no means to do so, opportunity may come next year,” Ishaq said.
He advised Muslims not to stretch themselves financially to slaughter ram for Sallah, and should not borrow for the celebration.
VMT NEWS observed that prices of rams ranged from N200,000 to N1.3 million, while goats were sold from N70,000 upward.
Meanwhile, prices of pepper had soared in Ibadan even before the Sallah, a seller at Akinyele Market, Alhaji Isyaku Mahmud, attributed it to the economic situation of the country.
He said there were vehicles with loads of pepper coming from the North, towards the southwest, but, were stranded at Mokwa, in Niger State, where a bridge collapsed, thereby preventing passage, hence, the high cost.
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Another seller, Ibrahim Haruna, said a bag of Rodo (bonnet pepper) now sells for N170,000 against N120,000 in May, a basket of tomatoes is now N30,000, and a crate is N12,000.
He said that a bag of bawa is sold at N110,000 now, against N40,000 it was sold for, a bag of onion now sells for N72,000 against N50,000 it was sold for before.
At Bodija pepper market, a trader, Alhaja Munirat Ige, complained of the high cost, compared with the number of residents with small resources, which had also affected sales as well.
A resident of Ibadan, Mrs Bashirat Eniodunmo, called on governments in the southwest to assist farmers to grow pepper, because its an integral part of almost all Yoruba cuisines.
Eniodunmo said: “Every year, Muslims spend a lot of their resources to buy pepper, which is always expensive during Sallah, our governments should save us”.
