Bleak Christmas looms as transporters, food sellers hike fares, prices

It’s just a few days to this year’s Christmas, the high cost of foodstuff and transport fares may alter the plans by most Nigerians to have a memorable celebration; TOPE SUNDAY writes.

On Wednesday, Christmas will be celebrated all over the world and Nigerians would also mark the day to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. But for some Nigerians, the celebration might not be as they would have loved it as a result of certain factors, which range from high cost of foodstuff, hike in transport fares, to low patronage of goods.

Across major towns in Nigeria, transport fares have been increased, and prices of foodstuff have also skyrocketed due to the border closure and other factors. Similarly, traders are complaining of dull market a few days to the celebration.

Transport fares

Major motor parks in the country have been witnessing the influx of passengers. Surveys conducted by Blueprint Weekend revealed that transporters have already increased fares. A breakdown of the new fare regime shows the increment of as much as N1, 700 and N2, 000.

As at the time of filing in this report, our correspondent gathered that Abuja -Lagos is now N8, 000, Abuja to Owerri, N8, 500; Abuja to Onitsha, N6, 000; Abuja to Enugu, N5, 000; Abuja to Awka, N8, 000; and Abuja to Port Harcourt, N8, 200.

Before this season, it was learnt that Abuja to Lagos was between N5, 500 and 6, 500; Abuja to Port Harcourt was between N6, 500 and N7, 000.

This development did not go down well with some of the passengers, who described it as “uncalled for.”

Passengers lament

An ICT expert, Mr. Don Collins, who spoke to this medium at one of the motor parks in Mararaba, Nasarawa state, near the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), expressed shock over the ‘new’ Abuja- Port Harcourt fare, saying that the last time he visited the city, he paid N6, 500 and asked what could be responsible for the increment.   

Collin, who hails from Imo state, pleaded that the fare should be reviewed in order to allow more people to travel to their towns for the Christmas celebrations.

He said: “I am going to Port Harcourt for an assignment. I was really shocked when I came here (the motor park) this morning and they told me, the transport fare is now N8, 200, while I normally pay between N6 500 and N7, 000. This is something else.

“We are not really happy because one is paying N8, 200 not really for any other thing, but for the Christmas period. They are charging this high and I know now that in three days’ time from now someone going to Enugu might pay up to N10, 000. This is wrong. We are not moving forward in this country. This is what we call public embezzlement. So, it’s not really nice.

“The price is very high, because I am always on the road and as at last week, it wasn’t like this. I paid like N7, 000. We need to do something about this.  Some people want to travel but the price is resisting them from doing so.” 

An Imo state-bound passenger, who identified herself as Ms Festus, also decried the new transport fare, saying that it was between N5, 000 and N6, 000 before the season, and expressed displeasure over the new N7, 700 fare.

“The price level is very high and it’s not like this before. But this is happening because of the Christmas season. Before, the transport fare was between N5, 000 and N 6, 000, but now it’s N7, 700. 

“Last Christmas, they charged about N10, 000 during the season. And this period too it’s still the same thing. I chose to travel now because it’s convenient for me,” she said.

Transporters’ reason

Justifying the hiked transport fare regime, Mr. Peter of Chukwuemeka of Romchi Mass Transit, Mararaba, told our correspondent that the fare was increased to accommodate passengers’ luggage.

He said: “One of the reasons is because of the luggage. You know when people travel home for Christmas they go with plenty loads and we use load to cover up for the seats. We carry 15 passengers per bus. We don’t want to jam-pack our passengers, and because of this, we carry three passengers per seat.

However, Mr. Angus Chienoka of Onyenwe Motors, said the fare hike was due to the bad roads and the traffic situation on the roads, stressing that his passengers spend almost two days from Abuja to Lagos because of the development.

“We increased fares because the roads are bad and because of the season, we have huge traffic on the way. For just going to Lagos, we spend almost two days on the road, and when you get to Berger by 7am before you will enter Lagos it will be around 3pm or 4pm.

“Also, from Okene to Ibillo, there is no road. So, sometimes we pay extra money for drivers for fuel and they go through Ekiti state. Same thing for the East, if you are going to Onitsha, the Okpella road is very bad. Because of this, we go through Enugu and there is also the need to pay extra money for them to buy more fuel,” he said.

Foodstuff prices not left out

Aside from the hike in transport fares, another factor that may cause bleak Christmas is the effect of the border closure on the prices of the food items.

Checks by Blueprint Weekend revealed that prices of frozen foods have skyrocketed. As at the time of filing in this report, a carton of frozen chicken and turkey, which hitherto sold for between N9, 000 and N11, 000, respectively, now sells for between N13, 000 and N15, 000.

With this development, traders told this medium that it was possible that the prices might be higher in the days ahead. Marketers, however, blamed the increase on the closure of the land borders, saying that the decision has constrained them to source the items locally.

Also, a survey of markets in Kubwa and Mararaba revealed that prices of the food items have slightly increased. For instance, the price of a bag of rice has been fluctuating, and the sellers attributed the development to the non-availability of foreign rice.

A trader in Mararaba market, Umar Suleiman, who deals in foodstuff, said: “One bag of rice is now N37, 000, but we sold it for N35, 500 before. We don’t have foreign rice in the market now. We only have local rice; so, I will be talking about the local rice.

“One mudu of rice is N500 now, while before this time it was between N400 and N450. Semovita is now N350 now, but it was N300.The reason for the increase is that there is no foreign rice in the market, so prices of rice and other foodstuff have increased.”

Another survey in one of the markets in Kubwa shows that a mudu of rice now sells for N800; a bag of rice is between N15, 000 and N25, 000. Also, a five-litre of groundnut oil is sold for N3, 000. The survey further revealed that a basket of tomatoes is now sold for N8, 000 instead of its previous price of N7, 000.

A yam seller, Abba Yusuf, also told this medium that the price of yam is now on the increase.

He said: “The price of yam has been increased because of the Christmas season. We don’t normally get yams easy like before, one tuber of yam was sold for between N500 and N600, but now, it is between N700 and N800. While five tubers were sold for between N2, 000 and N2, 500, they are now sold for between N3,000 and N3,500. That is how we sell yams now. The increase is not down to us, but to the people we buy from. Sometimes, we buy from the farmers directly and now it is no longer rainy season.”

Low patronage

Amidst hike in the prices of commodities, traders are also complaining about the low patronage.

Reports by the NAN indicate that dealers in children’s wears in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, were disappointed with the low patronage after restocking their shops in anticipation of bumper sales for the yuletide.

Mrs. Mary Onu of Modern Market, who lamented the poor sales, however, blamed it on the economy of the state.

“People are not coming to buy items because of the economy. Salaries are yet to be paid. Those who come, offer lower prices for the wares,” she said.

She also said even though the prices of the clothes had not increased, patronage was still low.

Onu said boy’s wears such as shirts and trousers were sold between N10, 000 and N15, 000, while those for girls were sold for between N12, 000 and N15, 000.

Mr. Fidelis Okpara also of Modern Market also complained of low patronage even as the customers blamed the trend on lack of funds.

Okpara said the prices for children’s clothes ranged from N15, 000 to N18, 000 while those for infants ranged from N10, 000 to N12, 000.

Mrs. Moronike Kola, who owns a boutique for children wears, however, said most of her customers belong to the affluent class who could still afford the prices.

She said female clothes ranged from N20, 000 to N25, 000 while shirts and trousers for boys ranged from N17, 000 to N20, 000.

Mohammed Musa, a trader at Wadata market who deals in fairly-used children clothes, said though customers come in to buy, they prove hard bargainers.

Musa said though he tried to lower his prices to accommodate the complaints, only a few could afford to buy.

He said he has clothes that range fromN3, 000 to N5, 000, depending on customers’ ability to purchase.

Another dealer in fairly-used clothes, Miss Theresa John, said customers were not coming as expected.

She said the few that came proved “very hard bargainers” which usually left her with “very small profit at the end.”

According to her, she sells children wears between the rate of N3, 500 and N5, 000.

A customer, Mrs. Doris Terfa, said the high cost of ready-made clothes pushed her to buy clothing material at a low price to sew for her children for the yuletide.

“The material I bought at N900 per yard is better than some of the clothes sold at exorbitant prices in the market for children, and I will sew the design of my taste which will not be up to N3, 000,” she said.

In a similar scenario, some hair stylists in Enugu metropolis expressed worry over low patronage being expressed in their business few days to the Christmas celebration.

A cross-section of the stylists said many prospective clients had shifted from braiding their hairs to wearing artificial braided hairs, wigs and weave-on.

They blamed the “unpleasant” development on the harsh economic realities in the country.

A hair salon operator at Mayor Market, Ms Chidimma Osondu, said the long duration of wigs and weave-on made them more preferable to weaving and braiding of hair.

“This development of preferring wigs to ordinary braiding and fixing of weave-on by most of our customers is worrisome to many hair stylists.

“The long duration of the wigs, artificial braided hair and increase in the price of hair-do have made our customers to look for alternatives. The situation is unpleasant and negatively affects our means of livelihood. It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to pay our bills, including the shop rent,” Osondu said.

Another hair stylist, Miss Blessing Umeh, blamed the low patronage on erratic power supply in the area.

Umeh said clients usually complained about the marginal increase in the cost of doing their hair, when we use generator during power outage.
She said that re-touching with public power was N200, but N300 with generating set.

“This often scares customers away to cheaper alternatives, which are ready-made wigs and braided hair,” she said.

A male hair stylist at Agbani, Mr. Paul Ebuka, said fixing of weave-on, which cost between N600 and N800 some weeks ago, now goes for between N1, 500 and N2, 000.

He said washing of hair that used to cost between N100 and N150 “is now N200.”

Ebuka said the price of weave-on and other materials for braiding had also gone up.

A customer, Miss Ozioma Nwankwo, said many ladies now prefer ready-made wigs to having to sit in a salon “because it saves them time.”

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