Eid-el-Kabir: Ram sellers lament low patronage

Ram sellers in Kaduna State on Monday expressed regrets about the low sale they had recorded, barely a week to the Eid-el-Kabir festival.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, many ram selling points which include Zango, Bachama road and Rigasa markets in the Kaduna metropolis have many rams that remain unsold for days.

Alhaji Rabo Mohammad, who sells his rams at the Bachama Road market, told NAN that the ram sellers had never had it so bad.

Mohammad, who came from Sokoto, with rams, said he sold only five out of the 50 he brought to Kaduna two weeks ago.

He said, “The economic situation has contributed to the low patronage and it is affecting even our pockets. There is still hope, as the festival is one week from now, we pray to make some sales before then.

“Returning the animals to Sokoto will be a great loss to me because of the expenses involved.”

Mohammad said the prices of the animals ranged from N25, 000 to N120, 000.

Another ram dealer, Baballe Yaro, also labelled the current economic recession as the main factor responsible for the low sales recorded so far.

Yaro said, “The current economic meltdown has now become a threat not only to ram sellers but also to the entire business activities in Nigeria. The Federal Government should do something urgently to address the suffering of the masses.

“Although people want to buy rams for the festival, they cannot afford to due to the prevailing economic situation in the country.’’

Yaro said the price might eventually crash as many traders would not want to return with the animals.

He said some of the traders bought the rams from the Niger Republic, Sokoto, Zamfara and Katsina states.

“But there is hope since we have one week before the celebration if all civil servants will have their salaries before Sallah,” Yaro added.