Cost of living crisis reshapes Eid spending in Nigeria

Eid al-Adha preparations in Nigeria are being reshaped by economic strain, with families cutting spending on travel and celebrations. In Abuja, an Islamic teacher who previously traveled to reunite with extended family or hosted a ram sacrifice this year plans to celebrate with whatever is available. Parents and community members who usually support a madrassa are struggling, and tuition payments are not being made. The pressure extends beyond schools into bus stations and markets, where people weigh whether to travel or stay. A graduate in Abuja under the National Youth Service Corps abandoned plans to go home because transport costs are too high, and there is uncertainty about whether an animal can be slaughtered this year.

"“I have concluded that we will just celebrate with whatever we have,” he told Al Jazeera. The annual Muslim festival, marked by communal prayers and the ritual sacrifice of animals, is approaching amid deep economic strain in Nigeria. In Abuja, rising food and transport costs are quietly changing how many families are preparing for Eid. Akanji said even parents and community members who usually support his madrassa are struggling."

"“Most of them have not even paid,” he said, referring to tuition fees that help keep the school and his household running. The pressure is not confined to the classroom. It shows up in bus stations, in markets, and in the small calculations people make before deciding whether to travel or stay."

"Nafisa Ibrahim from Ogun, currently in Abuja doing a mandatory one-year programme for graduates under the National Youth Service Corps, said she has dropped her plan to go home for Eid. Transport costs alone made it impossible. There is also no guarantee her family will even be able to slaughter an animal this year."

Read at www.aljazeera.com