Hours before this year’s Eid Kabir, some Muslims in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, are worried about the celebration, as the cost of rams and other types of animals usually slaughtered for sacrifice has 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, peppers and other ingredients continue to increase astronomically.

In some markets in Ibadan, including Bodija Ram Market, Aleshinloye, Oranyan and Akinyele Markets, there were many rams with few buyers.

One of the ram sellers, Mohammed Abdulsalam, attributed the hike to the cost of transportation from the northern part of the country to the South-West.

Mr Abdulsalam said that he paid N5,000 to transport each of the rams and for feeding, which added to the cost.

A buyer, Kamorudeen Ishaq, said that he could not afford to buy a ram, so he opted for a goat, which he bought at N80,000 and it could not be compared with the ram he bought in 2024 for N40,000.

“Though killing a ram is obligatory for Muslims who have the means and capability, if there is no means to do so, opportunity may come next year,” Mr Ishaq said.

He advised Muslims not to stretch themselves financially to slaughter a ram for Sallah and should not borrow for the celebration.

Prices of rams ranged from N200,000 to N1.3 million, while goats were sold from N70,000 upward.

Meanwhile, prices of pepper also soared in Ibadan even before the Sallah; a seller at Akinyele Market, 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 South-West, but they were stranded at Mokwa, in Niger State, where a bridge collapsed, thereby preventing passage thereby inflating the cost.

Another seller, Ibrahim Haruna, said a bag of rodo (bonnet pepper) now sells for ₦170,000 against ₦120,000 in May, a basket of tomatoes is now ₦30,000, and a crate is ₦12,000.

He said that a bag of bawa is now sold at N110,000 against N40,000 it was sold for, and a bag of onions now sells for N72,000 against N50,000 it cost before.

At Bodija pepper market, a trader, Munirat Ige, complained of the high cost compared to the number of residents with meagre resources, which had also affected sales as well.

A resident of Ibadan, Bashirat Eniodunmo, called on governments in the South-West to assist farmers to grow pepper because it’s an integral part of almost all Yoruba cuisines.

Ms 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”. 

(NAN)