Eid-el-Kabir: Muslims in Ondo express frustration over mellow celebration amid economic hardship

As Muslims around the world celebrate Eid-el-Kabir, some Muslims in Ondo State have revealed that they have not had it this bad in recent years.

While lamenting how they opted for a low-key celebration, the Muslim faithful stated that the economic situation hindered their plans.

According to some of the Muslims, the cost of commodities in the market, particularly ram, goat, and cooking ingredients, affected them.

Speaking with DAILY POST in Akure, an Islamic cleric, Quadri Jimoh, stated that this year’s Eid-el-Kabir was the first in the last 11 years that he could not afford to kill a ram.

“My brother, how do I want to do it? This is worse. I have been killing ram since 2013 constantly and conveniently, but this year I dare not.

“Where will I get money to buy a ram worth between N200,000 and N350,000? I just cannot afford it. The sizes that they were selling for that amount were the ones I used to buy between N70,000 and N80,000.

“Just to let my children know that we are celebrating, we decided to buy frozen chicken. Even the amount we bought for rice, tomatoes and pepper was crazy. I don’t know how long we will continue with this.”

Another Muslim faithful, Jamal Hassan, maintained that he had never missed going to his hometown in Kwara State to celebrate Sallah with his family, but the situation changed this year.

The federal civil servant said, “Since I was posted to Akure, I have never for once celebrated Ileya (Sallah) without my family.

“When I calculated how much it would cost me to drive to Kwara, I had to think twice, coupled with the amount I would spend over there. How much am I making? I had to send the little amount to my mom, and I apologized that I would not be able to make it down.

“The impact of the hardship in the country on people is now alarming. People are going through a lot at the moment.”