Christian, Islamic clerics task marketers on hike in price of commodities during fasting

As the holy month of Ramadan is fast approaching, Muslim clerics in Kaduna have called on marketers and food crops sellers in the country to review prices of commodities that were raised in view of the recession that the country is going through. And in what appears like solidarity with their Muslim counterparts, Christian clerics have also joined the campaign.

The general overseer of Evangelical Ministry Kaduna, pastor Yohanna Buru, who frowned at selfish attitude exhibited by traders during Yuletide period, said majority of marketers usually take the advantage of the seasons to increase price of commodities, thereby compounding the hardship poor citizens are already experiencing.

“It was observed that in each and every year, marketers take the advantage of the holy month in extorting from the public and this is not really good.

“God is angry with such marketers, and as such, there won’t be any God blessings from the money they make through such dirty gains,” Buru said.

According to him, clerics from both sides have mapped out plan to discourage deliberate increment in prices of commodities. “We have set up a group of clerics comprising 10 pastors and 10 Imams for campaign and to visit unions of marketers and sellers in some part of Northern Nigeria.

“The objective is to open talks between clerics and marketers, while appealing to the unions to inform their traders not to make deliberate increment of prices of goods and service during Ramadan.”

Pastor Buru recalled that, “during the last year’s Ramadan, I personally took a campaign with the theme “Cut-down-your-prices “to some local markets in Kaduna state, so that they could talk to their members on ways to cut-down prices.

“All this was to enable the poor men break their fast with their family happily, and this year, we are stepping up the effort by organising another campaign team.”

While urging traders to remain transparent in transacting business during and after Ramadan period, Mallam Gambo abdullahi from Barnawa also urged marketers not to intentionally hike the price of commodities or engage in the sales of adulterated goods, reminding them, “one day, you will meet Allah and account for all your deeds.”