- With less than a week to the Eid-el-Kabir celebration, preparations for the annual festival have kick-started
- Traders from southwest have trooped to the north, Katsina in particular, in search of rams
- Investigations revealed that prices of rams and other wares are still relatively fair at the moment
As the 2018 Eid-el-Kabir festival draws close, preparations have reached intense pitch in Katsina state with many ram traders hawking the animals in the state capital and surrounding towns of Batsari, Malumfashi, Charanchi, Jibia, Daura and Funtua, among others.
The Punch reports that many traders from other parts of the country, especially from Ilorin, Ibadan and Lagos, were also seen combing surrounding towns and villages in Katsina in search of cheap rams to be resold in their respective states.
The newspaper said that prices of rams as well as other consumables, commonly used during the festival, were still stable as of press time.
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NAIJ.com gathered that prices of rams in Katsina ranged between N24,000 and N65,000, depending on the size and the bargaining power of the buyer.
A ram seller, who gave his name as Kasali Yekini from Ibadan, said he and his colleagues, some of whom were from Lagos, had been to Batsari, Maiadua, Charanchi, Baba-mutummu and Kongwolam towns, in search of cheap rams.
He said they were able to get some animals which they were taking to the southern part of the country for sale.
Yekini, however, declined to disclose how much he purchased the rams, declaring only that “the market is fair.”
Further investigations showed that a bag of the popular Tomato brand of rice still cost N12,500 while a 25-litre vegetable oil goes for N10,200.
Bus fares to Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna ranged from N6,000;N3,000 to N1,700, although there were indications that they might go up on the eve of the festival.
An official of the state chapter of National Union of Roads Transport Workers Union, who pleaded anonymity, however, ruled out fare hike during the festival, insisting that the union frowned on it during the period.
Many passengers were seen at the central motor park, travelling out of the city for the celebration.
A visit to major markets and shopping centres, including the central market, Kofa Marusa, Kofa Kwaya and Green House, also showed a huge number of shoppers buying clothes.
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NAIJ.com previously reported that the Sultan of Sokoto and president general of the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA), Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, declared Sunday, August 12 as the first day of the Islamic month of Dhul-Hijjah.
This was contained in a statement released on Sunday, August 12, by the deputy secretary general of the NSCIA, Prof Salisu Shehu.
The statement said, after due consultation with scholars, the National Moon Sighting Committee (NMSC) and the Fatwa Committee of the NSCIA, it was decided that the dates of Dhul-Qa’adah be adjusted to make Sunday, August 12, 2018, the 1st day of Dhul-Hijjah, 1439AH.
By the Sultan’s declaration, this year’s Dhul-Hijjah 10, which is Eid-el-Kabir celebration day, would be Tuesday, August 21, 2018.
Eid-el-Kabir: Why the ram killed must not exceed three days in your house - On NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng