Arewa PUNCH investigations also reveal that even as the residents sustain high hopes preparatory for the Christmas festival, the one common sing-song on their lips have been “Baa’kudi” (meaning no money.)

Our correspondent noted that the implication of the above is that while the residents are lamenting their poor purchasing power, which is hindering them from effectively meeting with their daily family needs, so also is the situation impacting negatively on product sellers in the markets.

The Secretary of Traders Association, Katsina Central Market, Mansir Yusuf, who also sells cosmetics, lamented that inflation has sent 80 per cent of his customers away in 2024.

According to him, “over 20 years of doing business in Katsina State, this year’s challenge is different like never before. The inflation has crippled our businesses. Traders are afraid of going to markets because of the increase in commodities. There is no day I will go to the market without getting new prices of the same goods since the coming of this present administration. Though some schools of thought are saying it is because of global change, I disagree with them because our inflation in Nigeria has taken another dimension.

“Customers are not patronising us well again because there is no capital. Before we could get over 100 people in the shop but now we hardly get 20 people. This means inflation has sent 80 per cent of our customers away.

“Government can tackle this inflation if it so wishes because it has the power and I’m assuring you, we marketers will join hands for the betterment of our country. We are ready to contribute to the growth of the economy of the nation. The North economy is failing by the days. The government should consider bringing down the dollar rate,” he advised

Also speaking,  another trader, Yushau Aminu, said compared to the previous years where during the Yuletide season they witnessed a beehive of sales lamented that this year’s sales and patronage has been different. This, he attributed to the current hardship being faced across the country.

Aminu noted, “We used to sell with excitement in this market whenever there is Sallah, Christmas or New Year celebration and you could see the excitement on our faces because we are happy even our customers too.

“The current hardship in the country has no doubt caused a lot of damage to our daily income as businessmen with families.

“We are expecting a change of things before sallah, but the government will have to be proactive to address the hardship,” Aminu advised.

A phone seller, Ahmed Missu, wasn’t left out of the lamentation as he also cried out that more and more citizens can not afford foodstuffs due to hardship which, according to him, has ruined many businesses, including his own.

He spoke with Arewa PUNCH, “My name is Ahmed Misu, and I sell phones and accessories in the main market. We are just here as part of the market strategies. If not, there is nowhere else we can go. So, we stay here and remain hopeful of patronage.

“There is hardship in the land because people can’t even afford to buy foodstuffs, talk more about buying handsets. My business is just there for show sake. It is expected that the government will come to our aid, especially here in Katsina.”

A foodstuffs seller who lamented the substantial decrease in his business patronage compared to the previous years said, “I have been in this business for a long time, but the level of patronage this year has not been encouraging.

But alhamdulillah, God is helping us to feed our families, though not as before.”

A customer who only gave her name as Mrs Joy told our correspondent at the Katsina Central Market that if the government can bring down fuel prices, the masses will have a sigh of relief. “I came to buy ordinary garlic, and they are telling me half mudu (measurement bowl) is N10,000. I opted for the N2000 version, which ended up going for N1300 as against my initial plan to buy mudu.

“The prices of foodstuffs in the market are also very high, especially in Katsina State. This is not what we saw when we came in 2019. When we first came here, things were good but now, you can’t buy anything. Things are now very expensive.

“We were supposed to travel for Christmas, but considering the high cost of fuel, we may not travel. It is not easy to travel, though my children will complain, but they don’t have any options other than going by the reality on the ground because in the past years, we did travel. This year, I don’t think we can afford to travel.

“The only thing the government can do to cushion the effect of the hardship is to bring down the prices of fuel because it is the prices of fuel that are affecting the foodstuffs. This is so because even when the farmers produce their crops in the villages, they will convey them to the market with vehicles. So, we can not do without fuel. That is why the government should look into it and then bring it down so that the poor masses can breathe.”

Arewa PUNCH, however, observed a small turnout of buyers around the gold trinkets and jewellery seller’s shop. A closer visit to the shop revealed that most of the women were haggling prices over the sales of their gold jewellery with the shop owner.

One of the women who offered to speak, Hauwa Bala, disclosed that many of the women have formed the habit of disposing off their gold ornaments and jewelry whenever they are cash strapped and especially during major festive seasons when they need to make their immediate  family members feed well and look good.

Hauwa narrated soberly, “Do you think we’re happy to always visit this shop on Fridays, or during the festive seasons to sell our gold?It is a very painful thing for us to do, but we do not have a choice but to sell them and feed our family members.

“Remember that many of us have large family members, including the extended family members who must visit us during festive periods when we cook very large and different food types.

“We have realised that many of our husbands can’t carry the load alone. So, that is our way of assisting them.

“Don’t forget that for some of us, our husbands bought these gold for us when things were good for them while many of also also inherited some of these gold jewelry from our mother in-laws, so when need to assist our husbands by selling them and when things get better, we will replace them,” she narrated.

Our correspondent truly confirmed the presence of women in large numbers patronise the shop transacting gold business.

https:// punchng. Com/katsina - woman-barter-jewellery - for-last-ditch-Christmas - shopping /