The low purchasing power of Muslim faithful during this Eid-el-Kabir celebration has made many Kano residents make Chickens a veritable option compared to Cows and Rams.
Most of the Muslim faithful who spoke to Daily News24 lamented economic hardship as the reason why they resorted to purchasing chickens for the Eid-el-Kabir celebration.
Daily News24 observed that major Ram and Cow markets were void buyers as Cows are sold for as high as N1.5M while Rams were sold for as high as N500,000.
Safiya Yahaya, a kano resident said she came to the market with N40,000 to buy one ram as she did the previous Sallah celebration but had to resort to buying chicken because her purchasing power was really low, while the cost of Rams had gone really high.
She added that “The Ram they gave me for N40,000 was so little and can’t reach anywhere for my family so I now have to buy Chickens so that at least I and my family can have enough to eat this Eid, even if the cost of things have really gone high.”
Similarly, Mohammed Bukar said he is managing his resources and to that end, has resorted to buying Chickens in order to provide for his family during the festivity.
“After two days, the Sallah celebration will be over and we will all go back to our normal activities so there is no need to feel so sad that one isn’t able to afford Ram or Cows. We all know that the country’s economy is bad and its ripple effect is evident so we have to manage.
“I don’t want my children to start going from house to house because I wasn’t able to buy meat this Eid, so I have to just buy chicken so that we can celebrate Sallah together.” He concluded.
Abubakar Mai Kaji as he is fondly called told Daily News24 that the hike in prices of Rams and Cows has made his business boom as he now has more customers trooping to his shop to buy Chickens. “I sell my chickens from about N2,500 to about N4,000 and my business has become more lucrative because of the high number of customers I have recorded so far.” He said.
While Abubakar Mai Kaji is happy because of his high sales, Bashir Koki is lamenting because the Rams he bought for sale have been laying around without anyone buying as a result of their high price. “It is very sad that this Eid, no customers are purchasing Rams because of how pricy they have become.” He lamented.
