Yuletide blues: 2 days to Christmas, Nigerians groan as economic hardship escalates

Christmas is in two days. Every year on December 25, Christians and some non-Christians around the world celebrate. Across the world, this season has always been associated with happiness.

Christians commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ during this time.

 

Travelling, preparing special meals, purchasing children’s clothing, maintaining infrastructure like Christmas trees and other decorations, purchasing hampers and unique presents for loved ones, and more are all part of the season.

As “Merry Christmas” cries fill the air, many people also make a lot of money during this season.

However, according to Saturday Sun, not many people are grinning this year.

The nation’s raging inflation rate shows for many people, this Christmas won’t be a merry one.

Our correspondents went round the country to find out how inflation has affected food items, cost of transportation, and Christmas infrastructure.

The story of inflation, declining purchasing power, low patronage, lamentation and so on, are the same from Lagos to Oyo, Enugu to Benue and Adamawa States.

LAGOS

In Lagos, VIVIAN ONYEBUKWA, reports that prices of commodities have kept on rising every day, including food items.

In Ijegun area of Lagos, a pack of Spaghetti noodles that was N250, now costs N800. A bottle of red oil that was N350, now goes for N1,200. Same for a bottle of locally made groundnut oil.

Residents of Lagos said rice has become gold and food for the rich only, as one derrica of rice is N1,100 as against N350, while a 50-kilo bag of rice now costs as much as N54,000 or more depending on the brand.

It was discovered that beans is not cheap either. A derrica is N800 instead of N250 that it used to be, while a paint is sold for N3,500, instead of N1,300.

Onion sellers also give excuses that this is not the season of onions. As a result, a tiny piece is sold for N100 each. Before now, one could get as much as 10 of it for N200.The big sizes could hardly be found.

Ngozi Okafor, who sells food items at Ijegun Market, complained of scarcity and continuous rise in the costs of food items. She appealed to the government to do something about food scarcity in the country.

In the same vein, Jane Ekong, a private school teacher, decried the high cost of living in the country.

OYO

In Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, OLUSEYE OJO reports that market men and women are lamenting the low turnout of customers, while residents of the city are also lamenting high cost of things. They said they have decided to cut down their expenses.

Mr. Gibson Oluwatobi Aletile, who sells Christmas trees and other decorations at Dugbe, said: “The Christmas tree that we used to buy for N10,000 last year is now N15,000. The one that we sold for N20,000 last year, is now N30,000 or thereabouts. The difference is much.

“But sales have dropped because patronage has reduced. I have called many of my customers, and majority of them said getting food to eat during Christmas is more important to them than buying Christmas trees.”

Mr. Favour Atanda also sells hampers at Dugbe. He said market forces have made cover price of hampers to be more expensive than that of last year. The small size that is now being sold for N6,000, he stated, was about N3,000 in December last year.

“We have hampers for N7,000. The big hamper goes for N50,000 or N65,000. The one we sell for N50,000 now was N30,000 last year, and the one we sell for N65,000 now, was around N40,000 or so in December 2022. We are also battling with low patronage,” Atanda said.

At Mokola Market in Ibadan, Alhaja Asiata Ganiyu, who sells live chickens, complained of low patronage. She said the prices of live chicken range from N4,500 to N10,000. The prices of turkeys, according to her, range from N10,000 to N40,000, depending on the size.

At Bodija Market, a congo or module of foreign rice is either N2,100 or N2,200, while local rice per module is N1,500. A measurement by one tin of milk of foreign rice is N240. A 50 kilogrammes bag of foreign rice ranges from N52,000 to N59,000.

Mrs. Asiat Adesire, who sells vegetable oil at Bodija Market, also lamented the low turnout of customer this year. She attributed the development to high cost of commodities. According to her, a five-litre vegetable oil that was sold for N5,500 in December 2022, is now N9,000, while 25 litres that was N25,000 last year, is now N39,000.

Two onion sellers at Bodija Market, Mohammed Bello, and Musa Ibrahim decried high cost of onions, saying the food item has never been as expensive as it is at present in the history of Nigeria.

On transportation, findings at different parks in Iwo Road and Samonda, revealed that Ibadan to Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti State, is N4,000 by bus, while Ibadan to Akure in Ondo State by bus is N3,500.

The cost of transportation from Ibadan to Ife, Osogbo and Ilesha, all in Osun State, is N1,700 by

Ibadan to Abuja by bus at Iwo Road is N16,100, while it is N20,100 by car. Benin City in Edo State, which was N5,000 in December 2022, is now N10,000. Also, Warri in Delta State, which was N10,100 last year, is now N13,500, while Bayelsa from Ibadan, which was N12,500 last year is now N20,100 at present. In the same vein, Ibadan to Port Harcourt, which was N12,100 in December 2022, is N20,100 now from Iwo Road. Onitsha in Anambra State is N14,000 by bus from Ibadan at present.

At private car transport companies at Samonda in Ibadan, findngs showed that Ibadan to Owerri in Imo State is N20,000; Ibadan to Aba and Umuahia in Abia State is N22,000; Enugu is N18,000; Ebonyi is N20,000, Nsukka is N20,000; and Awka is N16,000; while Ikot-Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State is N25,000.

One of the drivers in one of the companies at Samonda, told our correspondent: “The cost of transportation will still increase. We have not started carrying passengers to the South East or South South for Christmas and New Year festivities. When we begin, the cost will increase, such that the place we are carrying now for N18,000, may go up to N25,000 by then.”

A clothes seller at Gbagi Market also lamented low patronage. The story is the same for a tailor at Akobo in Ibadan, who said customers have not brought clothing materials for him to sew.

A cross section of Ibadan residents said everything has become very expensive, and they have cut down their expenses.

BENUE

From Makurdi, our correspondent reports that prices of goods and services have skyrocketed in various markets in Benue State and particularly in Makurdi, the state capital.

A trip to some of the markets in Makurdi and its environs; including Modern Market, Wurukum Market, High Level Market, Wadata Market, and North Bank Market, showed that prices of major food items have risen, compared to what existed in the recent past.

At some of the motor parks, transport fare had already been decided following the recent subsidy removal and may likely shoot up if the fuel price goes up.

As residents lament the hike in prices of items, traders have also been complaining of low patronage, despite stocking their shops with goods.

At the Modern Market, a rice seller, who identified himself as Godwin Ogbonna, stated: “You know this is Christmas season and what some of us do is to get a loan and stock the shops, so that we can make sales and repay the loans. But the way it is, we have stocked the shops, but we are not seeing the customers.”

He, however, consoled himself that there is still one week to Christmas, saying: “We are expecting that a week or few days to Christmas, the customers will start coming in.”

At the various markets, it was gathered that a bag of 50kg rice, which hitherto sold for N38,000 and N40,000, now sells for N60,000 for foreign rice and between N44,000 and N48,500 for local rice. The 25kg of rice that was N20,000 for foreign and N18,000 for local, and N20,000 now sells for N30,000 and N22,000 respectively.

A bag of pepper has risen from N12,000 to N18,000 and N20,000. A four-litre rubber paint goes for N1,800 and N2,000, just as a basket of tomatoes has risen from N15,000 to N20,000.

A food stuff seller, Mallam Yakubu Mohammed, also disclosed that a bag of onions has risen from N78,000 and N85000 to about N120,000.

At the High Level Market, a trader said since the removal of fuel subsidy and increment in transport fare, prices of turkey, chicken and fish have continued to rise from N3,500 to N5,000 for a kilo of turkey, from N2,000 to N3,000 for a kilo of chicken and from N2,000 to N3,100 for canned fish.

At the Wadata Market, a mature goat is sold for between N30,000 and N40,000, depending on the size.

Meanwhile, the cost of transportation has not changed much for now.

The Benue State Governor, Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia, had purchased 100 new buses for the state transport company, Benue Links, as part of palliatives to ease the transport needs of the people.

Our correspondent gathered that the move may likely stabilise transport fares in the state. Some of the drivers said the fares have not risen for now but a possible fare hike would be possible if there is an increase in fuel price.

Some of the residents, who spoke to our correspondent expressed pains at the high rate of increase in prices of items in the market.

“The prices of items, food and other materials, have gone way beyond the reach of the poor man and unfortunately, salaries have not increased. We are just struggling to ensure that we put smiles on the faces of our family members,” John Aondona said.

ENUGU

Our correspondent in Enugu reports that as Christmas festivities draw nearer, residents of the state have lamented the high cost of food items and other accessories in the state, which could be attributed to an unprecedented inflation rate in the country.

A market survey conducted by Saturday Sun showed that a ‘painter’ of beans is sold for N3,500, a painter of Garri goes for N1,200, while the same measure of crayfish is sold around N3,600.

A carton of tin tomatoes goes for N21,000, while a carton of noodles is sold for N8,500. A bottle of palm oil is N1,000, while a litre of groundnut oil is N1,700. A 50kg bag of local rice is sold for between N43,000 and N45,000 depending on the type of rice.

Also a bag of Semovita costs N10,000, while a bag of onions costs over N110,000. A kilo of beef costs N3,500. The same goes for a kilo of goat meat. A sizable live chicken costs between N10,000 and N15,000.

A resident, Chinyere Udeh, said that the high cost of foodstuffs in the market will affect her plans for Christmas. Udeh, who is a mother of two children, said that unlike previous years, her family would not travel to the village for Christmas.

Another resident, Chika Mamah, also decried the high cost of things in the market. He said that with the current situation, the excitement that naturally comes with the season would not be there.

“I doubt if Christmas this year will be like other years. Everything is costly now. This is not even about food. Money no longer has value. The N30,000 I went to the market with last week could not get the few things I wanted to buy.

For Chidiebere Onyia, the current high cost of food stuffs and other materials would have no effect on the coming festivities.

“I don’t know about others, but I’m eagerly waiting for this Christmas. Fortunately, 25 December is my birthday. So, I have reasons to celebrate. I understand that things are difficult now but the celebrations must go on.”

ADAMAWA

In Yola, some vendors selling fresh ingredients at the Jimeta Modern Market Yola, including Muhammad Mai Tatase, said the prices of tomatoes, red bell pepper, and pepper, popularly known as “atargu” have fallen a bit, compared to the amount they were sold two weeks ago.

A measure of small plastic basket of tomatoes and pepper is currently sold for between N2,700 and N3000, while the red bell pepper is sold at N2,600.

Muhammad said because of the economic hardship in the land, he has not been buying the ingredients in bags the way he used to do. According to him, he has been going to market these days to buy what he could afford in small quantities.

Also, meat sellers at the market said consumers could get meat with as little amount as N300 upwards and that a live cows is sold currently from #200,000 upwards, depending on the size.

At the grain market, it was reliably gathered that a bag of rice is now sold at N53,000 to N55,000, Garri at N22,000, and maize at N36,000.

Meanwhile, 25 litres vegetable oil is sold at N39,500, and five-litre at N8,700, according to Yahaya Abdulkadir, a shop owner.

He stated that sellers of the commodity don’t get the products in bulk like before because of the price hike, especially during this Christmas season. The customers, he said, are also complaining of the economic hardship in the country, which has affected their income and purchasing power adversely.

Speaking with some consumers at the market, they mentioned financial constraints as a major challenge, which left them stranded at the market, due to the hike in the prices of commodities.

At Sangere Northeast Commodity Market, popularly known as ‘Kasuwan mata’, which usually holds every Wednesday, prices of livestock were astronomically high.

Goats were sold at N20,000 and above compared to last year when one could get the same goat from N7,000 upwards.

A local chicken is now sold for between N5,000 and N7, 000 compared to last year when it could be got for between N2,500 and N4,000. A hybrid broilers chicken is currently sold at the rate of N10,000 to N15,000 upward. The vendor recalled that last year. it was sold between N3,000- N6,000.

Grains sellers in the market also complained of the low patronage because they said the prices of grains have increased between last week and this week . They said a measure of maize last week was sold at N815, but this week, it is N1,000. They attributed the low patronage to increase in price.

ANAMBRA

A day to Christmas, it’s looking like a bleak celebration for many residents of Onitsha in Anambra State, as prices of essential food items has hit the rooftops.

Information gathered by our correspondent who visited several markets where food items are sold in quantities in Onitsha like Ose Okwodu Market, Ochanja market, Grain Seed Dealers Market, Obosi, Afia Nkpor market and bridge head goat market revealed that prices of goods have skyrocketed in triple proportions.

A bag of Nigerian-made 50kg rice sells for between N48, 000 and N55, 000 depending on the make. The least local rice at Ose sourced from the water lands of Anam in Otuocha part of Anambra State sells for N39,000 to N40,000 with a bag measured in 12 painters.

A bag of semovita previously sold for N7500 now sells for N10,000 . A bag of iron beans sells for N85,000 at the Grain Seed Dealers market. Those who retail in cups sell for N150 per cup and N3400 per painter.

A basket of tomatoes sells for between N28,000 to N48,000 depending on the size of the basket and the quality of the tomato seeds. A dealer in tomatoes, Victoria Edet told the reporter that the price is a bit stable now because the one sold for N28,000 per basket used to sell for N40,000. Victoria also said a small bag of pepper previously sold for N8,000 now sells for N24,000.

At Ochanja market, old layer chickens previously sold for N3, 500 now sells for N5,500. Parents cock sells for N15000 while turkey sells for N22,000 to N32,000. The seller, Ikechukwu Uba said that the cost would definitely increase by 24th December. He attributed the rising cost to the high cost of animal feeds and transportation cost.

At the bridgehead, goats previously sold at N50,000 to N60,000 now sells for N100,000 to N140,000.

Transport fares also have doubled within the last few weeks when fuel prices increase from N550 to N680 in Onitsha. Buses plying locally now take N200 per drop at the nearest bus stop while Onitsha to Awka that was previously N700 now goes for N1,500. Onitsha to Enugu is N2000/ N2500 depending on the seating arrangement of four seats or three per row.

Respondents who spoke to our correspondent expressed sadness that the cost of living has spiralled out of the control and management of the common man while government offers no hope or respite for the people.

Chineme Okoro, a bus driver told the reporter that he battles everyday to meet up with his household expenditure because buying of fuel almost takes the whole chunk of money he realises.

As of Thursday, there was no single Christmas tree standing anywhere within Onitsha metropolis unlike before that the state government decorates strategic places including the popular Upper Iweka with various flashy items for Christmas.

A dealer in Christmas decorations at Onitsha main market, Isaiah Ngonadi told the reporter that he did not have any Christmas tree in his stock, as there was no demand for such from customers.

“It is only those who feed well and are not hungry that ask for Christmas trees this time. Even the fireworks are not in demand unlike before where every neighbourhood is rattled by the sound of the bangers by now,” he said.