Reparations for this year’s Christmas are being seriously hampered by low cash flow, high prices of goods and skyrocketing transport fares across the country, according to investigations yesterday.
All these are coming in a period of economic recession that has hit every strata of the society.
Situation reports monitored over the last one week showed that the low flow of cash caused mainly by delayed payment of salary to workers in the public and private sectors of the economy has forced many potential shoppers from doing the needful.
Traders complain of low patronage while those who managed to do Christmas shopping are lamenting the high costs of goods and food items.
Kaduna
At the popular Sheikh Abubakar Gumi, Kaduna Central Market, for instance, the price of a medium sized chicken, which is the most popular commodity for Christmas now ranges between N1,600 and N1,800 as against the former N1,200.
A bag of rice sells for between N17,000 and N20,000.
Banking halls and Automated Teller Machines (ATM) points in Kaduna metropolis were filled to the brim yesterday as customers went to withdraw cash for the holiday.
Monday and Tuesday are work free in the country.
Saidu Musa, a chicken vendor at the Gumi Markey said: “This Christmas period is not like before. By now in the past I would have gone to the farm up to five times to bring in more chicken for sale.I’ve only made two trips since Tuesday and I still have many fowls in my cage.
“We are aware that our fowls are expensive, but it is not our fault. It is what we bought that we are selling.
“Like me, I sell whatever I buy with profit of 25 per cent. So, if I get it cheap, I sell cheap too, but if I get it at higher price, I still put my 25 per cent profit,” he explained.
On his part, Mr. Peter Gabriel, a shopper, told The Natio: “Let me tell you, if I had sent my wife, I would have said she is trying to save some money for her personal use.
“In fact, am just realising that she deliberately tricked me to come myself so that I can see things for myself. Things are just too costly.
“But it is Christmas period. We can’t explain to the children that they will not eat fried rice and chicken.
“Now, the best we can do is instead of buying many, we’ll just buy a few that we can afford.
“May God help our dear country out of these difficult times.”
Bus fare from Kaduna to Lagos increased from N7000 to N8000.
Abuja
A trader at Garki market in Abuja, Madam Stella Ukaegbu, complained of low patronage.
Madam Stella who sells Christmas gift items at the market said: “It is worse than last year. People are not buying fireworks, even the children are not buying!
“As you can see, we didn’t stock much too. Now I am praying that I can even sell off these few that I was able to stock.”
Hajia Musa Aliu, a civil servant said: “There is little or no money in the system and inflation is staring us in the face.
“Palm oil for instance has gone up by over 200 per cent, so also is groundnut oil. A keg of 5 litres of palm oil, which at a time used to sell for N1,200, is now selling for N4,500 while groundnut oil is now N4000. So where is the celebration?” she asked.
The chicken and turkey section of Garki Market, when visited, seems like an area only the very daring could approach with confidence!
The healthy looking birds were inviting, but the purchasing power spoke differently. Here, Mallam Aminu a major player, said fowls sold for N2000 for the big ones while the small ones sold for N1500. A turkey costs a minimum of N19,500.
While there is abundance of tomatoes and pepper at all the markets visited, Ogbonna who sells grains at Garki market says, “people are not buying things. There is no money.
“We have brought down the price of a bag of rice from N20,000 to N18, 500, still people are not buying. Instead, they are buying in smaller re-wrapped bags.
“People don’t have money to buy foodstuffs in large quantities as it used to be in previous years.”
Bonanza for transporters
However, the transporters, those who ply interstate, are having a boom these last days to Christmas.
According to Simeon Nwosu, a manager of a popular transport company in Utako area of Abuja, “business has been dull all these past months, but we thank God for this Christmas season.
“Though people did not start traveling early for Christmas, it is still a good business now for us as more and more people are traveling by the day.”
A bus trip from Abuja to Lagos which hitherto used to cost N5,500, is now officially going for N8,500 and N10,000 for the Sienna buses. But the truth is that, it is not available.
The buses have been booked ahead by the residents, who had long planned for the journeys back home to their families in different parts of the country mostly the east, Lagos and Ibadan.
According to Simeon, “The buses have been booked ahead, and as you can see, we have passengers who sleep at the parks, waiting to board a bus the next day.
“And each of the popular transport companies have fewer buses to ply the roads on long journeys these days.
“The spiral effect is that the cost of traveling to farther distances like the east and Lagos have been hijacked by the forces of demand and supply which has taken over the market.
“I won’t be surprised if we are forced to start charging N12,000 by tomorrow morning.
A walk around other markets on the outskirts of Abuja city was equally revealing .
Traders complained of low patronage.
Before now, the price of rice (Caprice which is considered to be amongst the best) used to be about N12,000, but now in the market, it is sold for N19,000.
A carton of frozen chicken, which used to sell at the rate of N8000 now sells at the rate of N12,000 while a kilo of beef, which used to be sold at the rate of N750 is now N1400.
When our reporter engaged one Mrs. Okpara in a conversation to know the situation of things, she said: “My sister, this is not the change we hoped for. In the past, I used to share rice and vegetable oil to members of my family and friends, but as it is now, I find it difficult to even buy a full bag for the family.
“Things are indeed very hard right now and I hope next year will be better than this. Nothing is affordable anymore and my husband’s salary has not been paid for months. Those we turned to for help have the same story to tell. The situation is the same everywhere.”
Second-hand clothes to the rescue
Another woman who was seen around where fairly used clothes are sold explained that the situation in the country has made her resort to buying fairly used wears for herself and her children.
Defending her actions, Mrs. Tinuade Bello explained that it is economical to buy fairly used wears, adding that they last longer.
According to her; “Buying okrika (fairly used clothes) or whatever name people call it is wiser and cheaper considering the situation we have found ourselves in as a country.
“If you calculate the price of buying already made wears or buying of real traditional attire before you consider the amount the tailor will collect from you, you will understand what I mean.
“Also, there is every possibility that tailors will disappoint one, unlike this case where I am at liberty to choose from so many options.
“All I need to do is to just buy detergent, wash and iron them well because some of these clothes actually look really new, you can hardly know the difference between Okrika and brand new because they are sometimes first grade.
Not time for luxury
Mrs Bimbo Adeusi-Okpabi, a dealer in luxury fashion items in Lagos acknowledged that there has been a lull in the demands for luxury item caused by the recession.
“I think the only sector not affected is the food sector. It has been an all-time low for designer items.
“I sell luxury bags to clients, but apart from those I supply to in big offices, many people prefer to patronise mobile shops who display goods in car booths.
“I have also noticed that people are streamlining to a particular item instead of what is obtainable in the past where people want to get new hair, clothes, shoes and bags for Christmas.
Learning period
“I think the only good side to the recession is that there have been a demand for locally made fabrics like Ankara,” she submitted.
Mrs Charity Ejike, a dealer in food stuff in the Ojuelegba area of Lagos told The Nation that the recession has affected the quantity of food items that can be purchased with a particular amount.
“I wouldn’t say there is recession but I’ll call it a period where we are being taught to value/appreciate whatever we have and not turning it all to wastage considering the fact that fingers are not equal.
“I was at Makoko market to purchase Croacker fish for my client. I usually purchase 6-7 pieces for N4,000, but by last week it had gone up to N10, 000.”
Esther Oshipitan, a physiotherapist at the Ogun State Teaching Hospital said she is more cautious in her spendings.
“There is no space for impulse spending this time around. Even the prices of toiletries have skyrocketed, not to talk of food and gift items for friends and families.
“We should also consider the fact that January is usually a long month. This is why this Christmas will be an all-time low.”
Mrs. Cecilia Egunlusi, a dealer in rice at Bisi Market in Ado Ekiti said: “Sales have been very poor this year, and this is due to the high cost of rice, especially the imported one which jumped from about N10,000 to N22,000 per bag.
“The situation was further compounded by inability of workers to receive their salaries as and when due. Civil servants who have not been paid cannot buy from us and this has really affected us.
“Those of us who are selling local rice are getting better patronage because of its relatively lower price.”
Mrs. Comfort Adeniyi, who sells chicken at Erekesan Market also complained of low sales.
She said a medium size fowl which used to cost between N1,500 and N1,800 now goes for between N2,500 and N3,000 which he said so many customers cannot afford to buy.
A seller of hampers along Iworoko Road, Mrs. Dupe Adeyemo, described the business climate as “gloomy and unfriendly.” She described the present situation as the worst since she had been in the business for the past fifteen years.
“Customers are nowhere to be found in the last one months when we took the last stock. People that usually come to our shop just come to price it and that will be the end of it all.
“Because of the recession which hit the country earlier in the year, I ordered for limited stock but yet, there are no buyers. This is the worst experience I will have in the last fifteen years I have been in business.”
