Easter is looking gloomy for most Nigerian families, as many cannot afford to celebrate the way they ought to, Sunday PUNCH reports.READ FULL CONTENT>>>>>>
Easter, mostly celebrated by Christians, is seen as a season of sharing and caring for families.
It involves a lot of eating, drinking and outing, but many families do not see themselves enjoying the season because of the hike in the prices of goods and services, which the weakened naira can no longer purchase.
More Nigerians have continued to lament the hike in commodity prices in the country despite the naira regaining its value.
The hike in the prices of goods and services has also been attributed to the naira to dollar exchange rate.
Recently, the Central Bank of Nigeria released $10,000 to each Bureau De Change to be sold at N1,251/$1, with a view to strengthen the naira.
The apex bank directed each BDC to sell the dollars to eligible customers at a rate not exceeding 1.5 per cent above the purchase price, implying that each BDC was not expected to sell above N1,269/$1.
Despite these interventions by the apex bank, the prices of goods and services have remained on the high side.
A father of four in Ikosi, Ketu, Lagos, Pastor Ginikachi Onuoha, told Sunday PUNCH that the Easter season was one when he cooked a lot of food and shared with the less privileged.
But this year, Onuoha said he could not even afford to comfortably feed his family or buy them new clothes for the season.
“It was yesterday (Thursday) that my wife was asking me what we are going to cook for Easter. I just laughed and told her to manage what we have. Even the kids were asking me if they wouldn’t wear new clothes; I didn’t know what to tell them.
“I had to struggle every day to feed my family. I am into fulltime ministry. My wife is just a tailor. It is just too much load for us to carry. The season is not looking like Easter at all,” he said.
A woman, Mrs Selene Togba, who sells fish at the Bonny Cool Beach in Rivers State, said the season did not look like the Easter period she was used to.
“Before now, you would see people trooping in and buying things, but the market is so empty. You will not even believe that people are celebrating. It is a gloomy holiday for us all,” she said.
Food prices in Abuja
In Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, a pack of spaghetti that sold for N850 two weeks ago now sells for N900 as of Friday.
Also, a bag of 50kg Nigerian rice sold at N65,000 two weeks ago now sells at N70,000.
A bag of sachet water is still selling at N500, and a sachet of water sells at N50.
A yam seller popularly known as Mama Goddy in Bwari Market, Abuja, said the high cost of transportation and scarcity of yam in the market had contributed to the increased cost of the produce.
She also narrated how difficult it was for her to afford a bag of local rice sold at N65,000 in February and wondered how she’d buy the same commodity now that it was selling for N70,000.
Why are so many people buying pre-loved clothes and accessories?
Ogun state
Also, a carton of Spaghetti was increased from N7,000 to N15,500.
Another foodstuffs wholesaler, Emma Azubike, lamented the continued increase in foodstuffs.
He said, “Nothing has changed my brother. In fact, the prices continue to increase. The problem is that where we buy from, they have not changed too; you cannot expect us to change.”
He further explained that the price 10kg of Semovita had not changed from the N14,500 it was sold in December, adding that a carton of Golden Penny noodles still sold for N6500.
A fish seller identified as Mary also lamented that the prices of fish had continued to soar.READ FULL CONTENT>>>>>>
Punch Newspaper
