… Lament high food prices, transport fares
… Fuel scarcity responsible for high fares – drivers, passengers
‘… Insecurity will largely affect celebration’
With less than 24 hours to Christmas the prices of food items and transport fares are out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians. In this piece, BENJAMIN SAMSON and PAUL OKAH examine factors responsible for soaring prices as many opt for low key celebrations.
For many Nigerians, the Christmas season is a time to be merry, a period to give, share love and receive same. It is usually a season for giving to friends, families, loved ones, colleagues, as well as the less privilege.
Also, many Nigerians, especially those from the southern part of the country often travel home to celebrate with extended family members.
However, less than 24 hours to the 2022 Christmas expectation of many appears be gloomy owing to the astronomical hike in the prices of food items, escalating insecurity and persistent fuel scarcity among other factors.
High cost
Cost of food items such as rice, vegetable oil, frozen and live chickens, tomatoes, pepper and other condiments, which are essential for Christmas and New Year celebrations are beyond the reach of many.
Not a few Nigerians lament that the high cost of food items was forcing them to buy little with huge amounts.
A visit to some of the major markets in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, and other parts of the country, showed that the prices of these items have risen as most consumers blamed the government for the surge in prices.
A market survey at the Old Garki Market in Abuja revealed the prices of both foreign and local varieties of rice had increased astronomically. For instance, a 50kg bag of rice that used to sell for N33,000 now sells for N40, 000, to N45,000 depending on the quality.
Speaking to our correspondent, a hair dresser in Abuja, Tochi Nwankwo, said the cost of food items in the market had gone beyond the reach of many Nigerians.
She lamented that staple Nigeria food such as rice and others had gone up, noting that the same thing applied to other condiments.
“With the way things are, I can’t even travel this year due to the increase in petroleum prices. I am calling on the government to come to the aids of the suffering masses,” She noted.
Another FCT resident, Mathew Shekwoza, who said he had resigned to fate and the reality of the economic situation, told our correspondent that to avoid depression, he would celebrate the yuletide season with whatever he could afford for his family.
“I will prepare like every other Christians despite the difficult economic situation we found ourselves in. We just want to see tomorrow with hope. The cost of commodities keeps soaring without the government looking into it. No market control and bites hardest for the common man,” he said.
Similarly, when our correspondent visited the Mararaba Market in Karu Local Government Area in Nasarawa state, many groceries traders lamented the rising prices of goods in the country which had adversely affected sales especially during the festive season.
A foodstuff seller, Mrs Grace Musa, said, “Food is more expensive this year than last year. It is so expensive that we cannot buy it in the market. “The people that would normally buy a plastic bowl of rice struggle to purchase a tin of rice now. When I engage people to know whether they will be able to share food in the spirit of the yuletide, their response is usually negative.
“A bag of rice last year was in the range of N20,000 to N24,000, but this year the price is from N40,000 and above. We buy the big bags at N40,000 or N45,000. The situation has caused sales to become slow.
“We plead with the government to do something about the escalating prices of foodstuffs. The prices of garri and yam flour have gone up astronomically. The plastic bowl of cassava flour is now N800, it was N400 last year, while yam flour is now N1,500 instead of N800 the previous year.
“Families are struggling, to the extent that they cannot afford to buy what they naturally consume in their homes. They have reverted to buying small portions in the hope that they will be able to manage it.”
Similarly, a pepper and tomato seller at the market, Hamidu Abubakar, said a basket of pepper used to sell for between N13,000 and N15,000, but was now selling for N28,000 to N30,000.
He said that a basket of ‘orodo’ pepper, which was N5,000 two months ago and around N3,000 last year, had now risen to N28,000.
Similarly, a frozen food depot owner, Mr Lanre Makinde, said his company had decided to stop stocking up on frozen food items because of the unbearable high prices.
He said, “We have decided not to stock up our freezers because of the way the prices are going up. The prices are skyrocketing by the day.
“Chicken was around N1,300 per kilogram, but presently it is being sold for N2,400. As for fish, it increases by the day. Fish was very cheap last year. Sardine was as cheap as N700 per kilogram, but right now, it is N2,200 per kilogram. A cartoon of fish is around N38,000 now, but last year it was as low as N20,000.”
Security factor
Blueprint Weekend checks also indicated that escalating security challenges being experienced in most parts of the country was a big part of why the Christmas celebration may be bleak for many.
For Abuja-based businessman, Mr Peter Adebayor, insecurity, high cost of living and other factors prevented him from travelling to his country home this yuletide.
He said: “I won’t be travelling home this Christmas because of many factors, especially the issue of insecurity. I come from Ogun state and the bad news we keep reading online and in newspapers are very discouraging. Nowhere is safe anymore. It is just as if hell has been let loose in Nigeria. If it is not kidnapping, it would be armed robbery, ritual murder and others.
“The economy has also not been fair. Every day, the cost of living keeps skyrocketing. I honestly don’t know where we are headed as a country. Every day, you go to the market and see that the prices of goods are increasing. How can someone plan in such an economy?
“Travelling home for Christmas will be needless as one will end up spending more than necessary, apart from being kidnapped or killed by marauding gunmen.”
Fuel scarcity
Likewise, the queues for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) popularly called petrol in many cities, including Lagos and Abuja, is taking a toll on motorists, who have hiked their fares.
Passengers at Utako Motor Park in Abuja told our correspondents that they paid twice the fare for their journey to Enugu.
One of the passengers, Joyce Utu, said the fare to Enugu had doubled stating: “Although I know that during periods like transport fares increase, it is not like what we are seeing now. Before now, when I am travelling to Enugu the fare used to be between N10,500 and N11,000, but today I paid N20,000.
“We urge the government to do something about this scarcity of fuel because it is the main reason why the fares have increased astronomically.”
Also, a driver at the park, Chigozie Agu, said petrol price had jumped to N270/litre, from N175/litre.
He said, “Many people feel we drivers are being greedy, but that is not so. By 4am this morning, I was already on a queue at the filling station. It was around 8am that I got my tank filled. Naturally, the fares would increase as we have to go through a lot to buy fuel and at high cost too.”
However, Emeka Ndaguba, who boarded a vehicle going to Owerri this morning from Abuja, accused transport companies of extorting passengers and making things difficult.
He said, “I am travelling to Owerri and I paid N24,000. It is outrageous, because it is our people that are using this season to extort us. I know fuel prices are high but that is not a reason to hike the price of the fare.”
On his part, a driver, who pleaded to be anonymous, explained that the hike in price was company policy and they had to abide by it, adding that the security challenges in the South-east also contributed to the hike.
He said, “Travelling by road in Nigeria is no longer safe, especially to the eastern part of the country. We take a lot of risks getting people to their destinations.
“Fuel price is also an added problem. Meanwhile, people even book and pay upfront just to get seats despite the hike in fares.”
For Ayodeji Salami, an indigene of Lagos state who resides in Suleja, Niger state, this year’s yuletide will be the first he was going to celebrate in Niger state, in his five-year stay in Suleja.
He said, “Since I came to Suleja for the NYSC programme five years ago, up till now that I am working, I have not celebrated any of the religious festivities in Suleja because my family is made up of mixed religious beliefs.
“Then, I had less financial obligations to attend to, unlike now that I have my young family to care for. The cost of transportation alone has made me have a change of plans and experience yuletide celebration in Suleja.
“I have discussed this with my wife and we settled to stay in Suleja and celebrate the yuletide here because we expended so much on transportation cost alone, when we travelled home together for the last Sallah.
“There was an increase in transport fare then due to the high number of passengers who are travelling home. So, you can imagine what the transport fare would be now, with the attendant high price of petrol.”
Family meetings, politics call
However, Mr. Nathaniel Okon, who said he would have avoided travelling for the yuletide, disclosed that family meetings and political activities would make him travel home no matter how short his stay would be.
He said: “There is no way I will miss travelling home for Christmas. It is a season to have fun, meet friends, and have family meetings, among others. In fact, this year’s celebration is particularly important to me because of political activities.
“The senator representing my district in Calabar will be sharing items for empowerment, so I won’t like to miss out.
“I am an active participant in the political activities of my state, so I will leave Abuja to spend a week or two at home for political meetings.
“This Christmas, money will flow from politicians because of the new bank policy. The buried money will be ‘exhumed’ for sharing because they will become useless by next month. I want to be there to get my own share, so this Christmas is a perfect example of using a stone to kill two birds.
“Apart from political activities, I have family meetings and village age grades I belong to. Starting from December 26, it would be meeting upon meetings, because Christmas is just the perfect time for all of us living in Abuja, Lagos and other places to come home so that we can discuss issues affecting us.
“I also have weddings, child dedications, traditional marriages and other social functions I was invited to. So, there is no way I can miss all that. Whether there is enough money or not, Christmas happens once a year, so we should learn to socialise and have fun.”
Expert paints gloomy picture
In an exclusive interview with Blueprint Weekend, the Board Chairman, Amaka Chiwuike -Uba Foundation (ACUF), Dr Chiwuike Uba, said that insecurity would largely affect the celebrations.
He said: “The 2022 Christmas celebrations will be constrained by insecurity, poverty, unemployment, high inflation, oil prices, food and transportation costs, among others.
“The depreciation of the naira is another factor that will make it harder for many people to enjoy Christmas in light of the weakening purchasing power of the naira.
“As of December 21, 2022, naira has depreciated by 9 per cent and 36 per cent against the dollar at official and parallel market rates, respectively, compared to the respective rates in December 2021. This is compounded by the spike in goods and services prices caused by the high inflation rate, which stood at 21.4 per cent in November 2022.
“Food inflation of 24.13 per cent not only indicates the unaffordable nature of food products, but also reflects the unavailability of food. What is Christmas without food and money to buy presents for relatives and the needy?
“Most travellers cannot even afford transportation fares to their respective destinations due to increased transportation costs.
“In October 2022, compared with October 2021, transportation costs in the six regions increased by an average of 92.2 per cent. Specifically, average transportation in the North-central region increased by 86.39 per cent, Northeast by 94.1 per cent, North-west by 92.80 per cent, South-east by 94.43 per cent, South-south by 92.75 per cent and South-west by 94.44 per cent.
“Fuel prices increased by 20.81 per cent in November 2022 compared to the price in November 2021. In fact, in Enugu, where I live, the price of PMS increased by 54.2 per cent, from N168.67 a litre in November 2021 to N260 a litre in November 2022. In the same vein, diesel increased by 191.14 per cent, kerosene increased by 145.68 per cent and gas increased by 39.31 per cent.
“According to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics, prices of foods show that between October 2021 and October 2022, average price of 1kg onion bulb increased by 32.56 per cent, 1kg rice (local sold loose) increased by 17.45 per cent, 1kg of tomato increased by 30.79 per cent and average price of 1kg bean (sold lose) increased by 17.95 per cent. Similarly, the average price of a bottle of palm oil rose 33.22 per cent and that of vegetable oil increased 33.99 per cent. Like other Christmases in the past, prices of goods and services are expected to increase further during the Christmas season.
“The big question is: how many people have the resources to buy these items – food, petroleum products and/or even pay for security and tariffs for transport?
“Many Nigerians are currently jobless or underemployed, with an estimated unemployment rate of more than 50 per cent. The truth is that the 33 per cent unemployment rate published by the NBS two years ago may not be the current unemployment situation in Nigeria.
“Transporters will definitely increase transportation fare during the Christmas season to make more profit. Insecurity is another factor that will impact the 2022 Christmas celebration due to the high incidence of crime in Nigeria.
“Kidnapping for ransom, armed robbery, aggression, terror, homicide, piracy, maritime crime and others are widespread in Nigeria. Neither roads nor railways are secure.
“Many communities are under piles of ruin from herders’ attack, kidnapping and banditry from different secessionist/separatist groups to the extent that people are afraid to visit such communities for fear of attack.
“Only the living celebrate Christmas. A lot of people would rather stay in their homes than face security risks.”
