With less than two days until Sallah, ram sellers across Edo State are facing a commercial crisis. Buyers are staying away while livestock prices continue climbing out of reach.
Our reporter visited the 2+2 Ram Market in Eyaen Community, Benin City on Wednesday. The findings painted a grim picture for traders hoping for pre-festival sales.
Large rams are fetching between N600,000 and N800,000 at the market. Medium-sized animals go for N400,000 to N500,000, while smaller ones range from N200,000 to N300,000.
Mallam Aliko Haruna chairs the market association. He expressed frustration about the lack of customer interest despite long hours of waiting.
"We are just sitting here waiting for buyers, but they are not forthcoming," Haruna told our reporter. According to him, no customers arrived all morning, forcing traders to sit idle.
He noted that affordability remains the core issue affecting demand. "There is no market this year," he lamented.
"People are complaining that there is no money."
Haruna emphasized that quality has suffered alongside sales. Any ram priced above N200,000 would barely match a goat's size, he argued.
Fellow trader Amodu Abdullahi compared this year's performance to last Sallah period. He'd sold over 10 rams by this time last year, but was still struggling with just two.
"Those who came left without buying," Abdullahi said. Multiple interested buyers walked away after checking prices, he explained.
Prospective customers consistently cited affordability concerns with merchants. "All of us sitting here are sellers," Abdullahi noted, "and we are hoping to get buyers before the end of the day."
Muhammed Ismaila blamed transportation costs for inflated prices. Bringing livestock from northern Nigeria to Benin City has become increasingly expensive, he said.
Even potential buyers acknowledged the impossibility of purchasing. Isah Muhammed came to the market looking for options but left empty-handed.
"Ram prices are too high," Muhammed told reporters. He'd identified an animal priced at N250,000 but couldn't justify the expense.
Market observers worry the trend will continue through the festival period. Without intervention or price adjustments, many traders may record historically poor sales.
