Lagos, Nigeria — As the 2025 Eid al-Adha celebrations dey come up, many families full of joy don turn to disappointment as ram prices don waka pass anybody wey no dey careful! For Kara Market wey dey along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, we fit see say gree and smile don catch road wahala. Meat wey suppose sweet our mouths don turn bitter as many piple dey leave market with empty hands (no be so e suppose be na!).
“Last year, I dey sell this size for N300,000,” Abdullahi Musa, one ram seller wey don sabi the game for years, yarn. “This year, if you no get N500,000, you no fit even touch am. Me sef dey surprise as e be. Everything don double! From feed to transport, na wah!”
So wetin dey happen wey prices don beat record? According to Smartpreneur report, large rams wey suppose cost between N180,000 to N350,000 for last year now don dey fly well over N1 million! And forget small-small sizes, dem don also follow am run. Those wey use to cost N100,000 to N190,000 now dey hold ground at N200,000 to N500,000. (Naija inflation no get respect o!)
Families now dey face hard choice — na ram or na rent? Mr. Segun, wey get four kids from Agege, don explain say, “My pikin dem dey ask why we no get ram this year, but I don tell dem say we go just pray and chop rice, and dat one go do.” Some families dey even use goat and chicken as alternatives just to keep party going.
Experts talk say the price increase na because of economic wahala and security issues. Nigeria inflation rate stand at 23.71% for April 2025 according to National Bureau of Statistics. Fuel prices don blast transport costs, making everything dey rise like groundnut for hot oil. Plus, the wahala between herdsmen and farmers don scatter supply chain everywhere — even na Niger State wey people dey fear to move their cows, na so dem dey jaga-jaga!
To add salt to injury, new players for the market dey hoard rams like say dem dey play monopoly. Abdullahi don complain say, “These new traders dey keep animals for warehouse and wait till last minute to sell am! Na serious wah!”
As a result, we dey see say many Nigerians dey scale down celebration. Bello Akinwale, wey get five children from Ogun State, talk say, “Before, we dey slaughter two rams and cook for the whole street. This year? Na boil yam and stew we dey chop.” Talk about scaling down, dem dey call some people “Silent Sallah” now, no plenty big-party wahala, just calm prayer and moderate eating.
Even sellers dey feel the heat from this situation. Ismaila Yakubu, one of the market sellers, don explain say, “I don sell only five rams this week! I suppose don carry my third truck by now.” Na so frustration dey full the air, as traders dey suffer too — if their animals no sell, na total loss be that.
Yet, despite all this wahala, many Muslims still dey hold onto the core values of Eid – sacrifice, compassion, and faith. No be all spirit fit quench, even when the season dey hard. Na so e be for Naija, we sabi survive!
