By Wole Mosadomi, Minna.
Minna- Ahead of the Ramadan fasting, the Etsu Nupe, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar has called on traders across the country to use the Ramadan period to lower prices of foodstuffs rather than hike them.
Speaking with Journalists in his Wadata palace, Bida, Niger state yesterday, the Royal father also admonished the well-to-do in the society to use the period to assist the less privileged not only during the period but always.
The Etsu who is also Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers called on the traders to fear God and conduct their businesses in consonance with the Islamic injunctions and consequently assist their neighbours.
“As the holy month of Ramadan kicks off, traders should feel the pains of the ordinary people and cut down costs of food items so as to receive Allah’s blessings in their businesses.
“Those who may be thinking of hiking the prices of their goods during Ramadan should know fully well its consequences before Almighty Allah on the day of judgment.”
“It is worrisome to see how traders deliberately increase prices of their goods such as grains, fruit, beverages, and other condiments during Ramadan when the reverse should be the case and I therefore appeal to all categories of traders across the country to in the spirit of the month reduce the prices of their goods in order to reap the full benefits of Ramadan because this is a sacred period and a time to seek God’s face through fasting,” the Etsu Nupe remarked.
Alhaji Abubakar said, “this is the period wealthy Nigerians should strive to assist the less privileged in the society by providing them with food items and cash to ease their hardships especially by using their God-given wealth to assist the poor and the widows because this will go a long way to alleviating their sufferings.