Post-Yuletide: Kaduna residents breathe sigh of relief as foodstuff prices drop
…Nigerians must change exploitation mentality during festive periods — Ex-CAN Chair
By Austine Emmanuel, Kaduna
Kaduna State is witnessing a significant reduction in the prices of essential food items, bringing much-needed relief to households that struggled to cope with the high costs during the festive period.
A market survey conducted at Kaduna Central Market revealed that the price of a large basket of tomatoes, which had soared to between N40,000 and N45,000 during Christmas, has now dropped to N25,000. Similarly, the price of onions has decreased notably, with a bag now selling for N200,000, down from the previous range of N270,000 to N300,000.
In the case of rice, a 50kg bag that was previously sold for as much as N96,000 during the festive season is now priced at N85,000.
Mallam Bello, a tomato seller at the market, expressed optimism about the recent price adjustments, noting that the reduction has led to a slight increase in sales.
“With the reduction in prices, buyers are starting to purchase more in bulk, and this is good for us as traders,” he said.
Similarly, Mallam Umar Salisu, a dealer in onions at the Mogadishu Barrack Layout in Kaduna’s Bakin-dogo Market, shared a positive outlook.
“The harvest season for onions is here, and this has naturally reduced the price. Alhamdulillah, the market is more favourable now,” he said.
Buyers are also relieved by the downward trend in prices.
Mr. Bashir, a bulk buyer who resells food items to his customers, said, “The Christmas period was really tough for us, but now I can buy more because the cheaper it is, the more the patronage, and this is very good for all of us.”
Although poultry prices remain relatively high due to increased feed costs, residents are hopeful that further reductions in other commodities will ease their economic burden.
One of the residents, Mrs. Alheri Peters, attributed the price drop to increased supply following the harvest season and the reduced demand that typically follows the Yuletide celebrations.
Meanwhile, the immediate past Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kaduna State Chapter, Rev. Dr. John Joseph Hayab, has called on Nigerians to abandon the mentality of exploitation during festive periods.
Hayab lamented that while other countries operate discount sales during festive seasons to make life easier for their citizens, Nigerians often take advantage of the period to exploit one another.
“Let us also speak to ourselves as citizens because there are lots of things we are not doing right. In other countries, shops offer discount sales at Christmas, but unfortunately, in my country, Christmas or Sallah is a time when people exploit one another.
“People are facing poverty, insecurity, and hunger. When they get to the market, the prices bite them so hard that some are forced to seek free food, which sometimes leads to stampedes. We, as citizens, must find solutions ourselves and not rely solely on the government.
“Christmas should not be a time to exploit citizens but a time to celebrate the Celebrant by being generous and kind to our fellow citizens.
“The way we run businesses in Nigeria shows that we even take advantage of situations to exploit others. Let’s solve Nigeria’s problems ourselves. I criticise the government when they are wrong, but I think citizens also need to wake up and do what is right,” Hayab stated.
