The Ramadan season is here again! As usual, the tempo of shopping in and around major foodstuff and fruits market within the Lagos metropolis is on the upswing, as Muslims shop for items for the yearly fast. When The Nation Shopping visited some of the major markets in Lagos, such as Mile 12, Oyingbo, Ojuwoye-Mushin, Badagry, and Idumota, among others, the upsurge in human traffic in those markets could hardly go unnoticed.
Shoppers, mostly Muslims were seen trooping in and out of such markets to purchase items, mainly foodstuffs and fruits. These markets, it was found, have been busier in the last one week with patronage increasing by the day. According to the traders, sales are picking up with more customers buying up most of the items on display. Indeed, the markets have come alive, riding on the crest of the spirit of the Ramadan season.
For instance, at Daleko Market in Mushin, a suburb of Lagos state, the leader of the market, Alhaja Rafatu said traders have been making huge sales since last week because Muslims are buying Ramadan items. “We at Daleko Market always look forward to seasons like this to make more money. Those of us who had our stalls burnt to ashes last month now have reasons to smile again. We are pleased with the rush and high patronage we get from customers far and near,” she said.
A foodstuff trader at Balogun market in Lagos Island Local Government Area, Kudirat Sanni said at the weekend that customers now patronise her more than they have in the last three months when sales was very discouraging. “Ramadan rush has started again. It comes once in a year and I always look forward to it,” she said.
Another trader, Shade Ifedapo, a pepper and tomato seller at Sabo Market in Ikorodu said sales have been very different these few weeks. According to her, “Customers now come to buy pepper, tomato and other items in large quantities regardless of the hike in the price of these items at times like this.”
She disclosed that small quantity of tomato which used to sell for N50 now sells for N200 while a small quantity of pepper originally sold for N50 also increased to N100 with reduced quantity. Shade explained that when these items are sold at exorbitant rates to the end user, it is also sold at exorbitant rates to the trader who is buying to resell. “Yes, we sell to make profit. But we cannot afford to lose after spending so much money to buy from producers and wholesalers. That is why we sell according to what we buy,” she stated.
One of the traders at the market, Taiwo Johnson, said he wishes that the huge patronage the market is experiencing presently would last for some time, even after the fast.
While stating that in the past, Muslims would buy in bulk before the fast and when they are fasting, he said patronage would reduce until when it is time for them to conclude the fast. “I have noticed a fluctuation in the patronage of Muslims before, during and after their yearly Ramadan fast” he said.
The story is the same at Oshodi Market. One of the traders in the market who spoke to The Nation Shopping, Zugwai Duniya said Muslims don’t want to be caught unawares as they stock their homes with staple food items to prepare for the fast. He said: “It is better to
prepare ahead because when Ramadan eventually starts, food items and fruits would become costlier than they are now.”
Duniya added: “People are complaining that these items are on the high side, but they should be used to it by now. They should know that we anticipate periods like this. They should also not forget that we sell based on the price we buy,” he said. Hameed Abu, a middle-aged stall owner, also said that he has been selling seasonal fruits for twenty years now and that business has not been bad. “I have to deal with about 300 customers every day. I can sell fruits worth more than 30, 000 a day; watermelon is the most patronised” Abu said.
Traders at the popular Agege Market also have cause to cheer. Haji Abdullah, a trader, said that this year’s Ramadan business is better than last year. She said despite an increase in the price of almost all food items, her sales did not go down. She said Muslims patronise her stall more every Ramadan because they can’t do without their basic needs for the fast. While some consumers complain of the hike in prices, others say they are use to it.
At Ebute Market in Ikorodu, a customer, Fiyin Adedayo, who was seen buying food stuffs and other items said Ramadan is about to start and as usual, she stocks her home with food items and fruits a week to the fast so that she can have enough to share. “I am used to Ramadan prices and I’m not bothered,” she said.
At Mile 12 Market, Hakeem Usman, a customer who religiously follows the family tradition, said that without stocking his house with these items, he finds it very difficult to buy when fast starts. “I prefer buying all necessary items my family needs for the fast early enough. It has become a part of our heritage as devoted Muslims,” said Usman told the Nation Shopping.
However, foodstuff and fruits are not the only items of choice for Muslims during such season. Ramadan accessories such as Hijabs (Head Scarfs), Khimar (Hijabs with hands), Abayah, jalbab (long flowing gowns for women) and many more from retailers, who stock them, also enjoy increased patronage.
For instance, Adejoke Ahmed who sells Islamic items at Yaba Market said she has been making huge sales from the sale of the Holy Quran, Mausalah (prayer mat), Tesbah (rosary), prayer kettle, house decorations, posters with Allah images and verses from the Quran. Same for Alhaji Nurudeen Gbadamosi, who sells Islamic discs at Idumota Market. He has been making bumper sales this season as shoppers are patronising his Al-Qunut CDs (prayer discs) and Islamic Nasheed (Islamic poems).
A sales person at an Islamic store in Ikeja, Medinat Raman said it has become a tradition for the store to record very high sales when it is Ramadan. “It is not new to us here that when Ramadan is around the corner, more people, mainly Muslims patronise us,” she disclosed, noting that Hijabs, Khimars which are coverings for Muslim women while praying during Ramadan is the most demanded among items in stock.
However, Akanni Abdulazeez, a shopper, complained that the price of the same quality of hijab he bought for his daughter last year has increased by N1, 250. “I am shocked! The price difference this year is killing and I doubt if Nigerians can cope. We can’t even afford our daily meals,” he said.
The shoppers are however, not deterred by the slight price adjustment. For them especially theMuslims, Ramadan is an annual ritual, which is why ahead of the fast, Muslims are expected to distribute gifts to the needy in line with the Islamic injunction of giving to the less privileged, which is mandatory to enable them observe the fast.
The Nation Shopping learnt that during Ramadan, food consumption pattern changes, as some Muslims who are used to patronizing ‘bukas’ eateries and restaurants, begin to prepare their early morning and evening meals themselves, either for convenience or to cut cost. Majority of them who can afford to stock their homes with necessary items do so before the fast begins.
The Ramadan shoppers are encouraged by traders from the north who have promised that they will ensure that products like pepper, tomato, onions and other staple food items are available in various Lagos markets regardless of the insecurity challenges the northern states are facing presently.
Mallam Musa is one of the northern leaders at Mile 12 market. He told The Nation Shopping that staple food items might be very expensive but won’t be out of stock. “People should bear with us because of the Boko Haram issue our states are facing now. It is not easy travelling to these places to transport food items or fruits to Lagos. We take lots of risk and endanger our lives. That is why we sell them at exorbitant rates,” he said.
Musa further disclosed that many traders have moved down to Lagos to secure their lives. “So, we practically buy these things also from few mallams who are farmers and who don’t mind to take the risk of travelling to the north to cultivate,” he pointed out, adding that these days, traders are at the mercy of their fellow countrymen. “We buy what is available most of the time or rather, what our brothers agree to sell to us” he said.
