Eid-El-Kabir: Nigerians groan over 100% hike in transportation fare
…Traders, buyers lament high cost of foodstuff, ram
…Buhari greets Muslims, gives reasons for food price hike
By Ogaga Ariemu, Abuja
Outside the density of travelers sighted in popular Jabi, Mabushi, Nyanya, Gwagwalada and Zuba parks in the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) owning to this year’s Eid-el-Kabir, residents have lamented 100 per cent hike in transportation fares.
Our correspondent also gathered transportation from Lagos to Ibadan has also increased by 100 per cent amid road block along the express road.
Tuesday and Wednesday has been declared as public holidays by federal government to observe the annual Eid-el-Kabir by Muslims across the globe.
Despite the joyful moments usually occasioned by Sallah celebrations, FCT residents who jostle to catchup with their love ones in neighbouring states such as Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger, Kaduna, Plateau, and other States spoke with Nigerian NewsDirect about their one too many challenges.
The reality check by Nigerian NewsDirect shows that effort made by National Assembly (NASS) to halt the hike in transportation fares did not hold water.
It would be recalled that on Friday July 16th the Ministry of Transportation, Minister of State Transportation, Sen. Gbemisola Saraki disclosed that government planned to develop ways at checking arbitrary hikes on transportation fares during festive periods.
According to Salihu Ahmed, who is residing in Kabusa Abuja, he said he was utterly surprised at the current cost of transportation to Kaduna from Abuja.
He stated that whooping a 100 per cent has been added as a result of the rush for Sallah celebrations.
Meanwhile, Justina Yakubu, residing in Nyanya and a mother of three children said unlike past Sallah festivals, she and her family were compelled to pay more than 90 per cent of the cost they paid previously to Plateau State.
Similarly on the part of Idris Oiza, he diclosed that he was not surprised at the increase in cost of transportation fares as it has become customary in circumstances such as this.
However, Mr Ismail Yusuf who a resident of Kubwa said the hike in the cost of transportation fares made him to jettison the idea of traveling for this year’s Sallah.
According to him, “The economic situation is frustrating, hence my family abandoned the idea of travelling for Sallah.”
He noted that it is better to remain in Abuja than travelling.
No doubt the rate of inflation in the country bites harder on majority of Nigerians who are mostly underemployed, unemployed and some battling with ailing businesses.
According to the latest Consumer Price Index Report, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recently, inflation rate drop 17.75per cent from 17.93per cent recorded in the previous month (May 2021) despite growing food prices.
A survey in some markets in Abuja revealed that most respondents were bothered by the high price of goods and services.
Price checks for ram shows price of N80,000 for small ram, and N150,000 for big ones. However, last year small ram was sold between N45,000 and N80,000, and big ram was sold between the price range of N80,000 and N150,00.
The price of local rice remains within the range of N24,000 and N26,000.
Before this festive season, onion was sold for N600 per basket but now sells for N1,300. Pepper basket was sold for N2,200 now N2,800 and tomato was N2,500 but selling now at N3,000 per basket.
A civil servant, Mr. Adedayo Ibrahim said: “I will not be able to kill ram this year because the price is very high and I have other bills to pay, I will buy cow meat this period.”
Ibrahim urged the government to look into the matter as a national problem.
He argued:” How can the food we produce be so expensive?”
A trader, Malam Ibrahim Tanko, also lamented the high price of goods and services, saying “but it’s not our fault. We sell according to prices that we buy in bulk.”
He said some of the reasons for the high price was due to the high rate of transportation and insecurity among other factors.
In another development, President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated Muslims over their Eid-El-Adha festival, adding that flood and insecurity caused the increase in rams, cows, and other food prices.
In his message marking the Muslim occasion, the President restated the determination of his administration to create a just, harmonious and prosperous country in which the safety of life and property is assured.
This was contained in a press statement titled, ‘Eid-el-Kabir: President Buhari extols the sacrifices of Nigerians, urges patience as government addresses hardships.’
The statement read in part, “Reflecting on current challenges facing the country, the President states that COVID-19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on the economies of all countries, including Nigeria, in addition to the fact that floods have caused large scale destruction to agricultural farmlands, thereby impacting negatively on our efforts to boost local production in line with our policy to drastically reduce food importation.
“This, he explains, has led to food inflation which the government is working hard to address.
“No government in our recent history has invested as heavily as we are doing to promote local production of about 20 other commodities, through the provision of loans and several other forms of support to our farmers.
“Apart from the destruction caused to rice farms by floods, middlemen have also taken advantage of the local rice production to exploit fellow Nigerians, thereby undermining our goal of supporting local food production at affordable prices.
“As an elected president who enjoys the goodwill of the ordinary people that gave us their mandate, let me assure you that we are continuing with measures to bring relief to Nigerians, including making fertilizer available at affordable prices to our farmers.”
The President also noted that the current insecurity in the country “has produced severe and adverse effects on agriculture because farmers are prevented from accessing their farms by bandits and terrorists.
“Let me also use this opportunity to reassure Nigerians that we are taking measures to address our security challenges. We have started taking delivery of fighter aircraft and other necessary military equipment and hardware to improve the capacity of our security forces to confront terrorism and banditry.”
Speaking on the significance of the Eid-El-Kabir celebration, the President appeals to Muslims “to demonstrate the good virtues of Islam through personal examples and practices.
“Taking advantage of the celebration to exploit fellow citizens through outrageous prices of food and rams is inconsistent with fine virtues of Islam.
“As practising believers, we shouldn’t seek obscene profits by making life difficult and miserable for others. We should not seek happiness at the expense of others. Remember that Islam is a religion of charity that urges us to love our neighbour as we love ourselves.
“I urge all Muslims to continue to live in peace and harmony with their fellow Nigerians of other faiths in the spirit of peaceful coexistence. Let us pray for the progress of Nigeria at all times. Let us expose undesirable elements among us who are creating security problems for the country.”
