Some ram sellers in Epe town in Lagos on Tuesday expressed satisfaction with their sales of rams few days to Eid-el-Kabir.
A Correspondent in Epe reports that many ram selling points, including Oke-Oyinbo, T-Junction and LASU Epe Campus Road had few rams on ground.
A lots of buyers were still trooping into the ram markets to buy.
Alhaji Mohammad Salisu, the Head (Seriki), Ram Sellers Association, Oke-Oyinbo Market, Epe, said that the ram sellers had never been this happy in a long while.
“We started selling rams two weeks to Eid-el-Kabir, this year we have witnessed more people, and more expected.
“The huge patronage has forced us to call on our people in Ijebu-Ode ram market to bring more to Epe, ” he said.
Salisu, who buys rams from Kano, said he had sold all the 60 rams he brought.
“I am expecting more rams today from Kano. The patronage this year is better than last year, ” he said.
He said prices of the rams ranged from N45, 000 to N150, 000.
“I did not add too much profit to the prices of my rams, I sell them at affordable prices,” he said.
Another ram dealer, Abubakar Danyaro, said that security challenges in the country did not affect the price of rams.
“We bought and sold at affordable prices, but some of our customers still complain that it is on the high side.
“But I told them that they can’t compare the price of 2018 to 2019. The prices this year is better, ” he said.
Danyaro said that it was his belief that most of the residents of Epe do not joke with Eid-el-Kabir festival.
“They buy rams very well in this part of the Lagos State. Since five years that that I have been selling rams in Epe, I have yet to return home with any ram,” he said.
Alhaji Musa Aliyu, another ram seller, disclosed that some of the traders brought their rams from Sokoto, Kastina, Niger Republic, Sokoto and Zamfara states.
“Many of the traders have gone back to their various destinations because they have finished selling their rams.
“The ones you see selling are the traders that just received new stock some days ago.
“Many of the rams you are seeing have been bought by one person or the other.
“Some buy and keep the rams with us to feed, and they will come for them a day or two days to the festival to take them,” he said.
Confirming that prices are better this year, he said: “I have sold a ram of N45,000 this year and I have sold the one of N145,000.
“People may be complaining of the prices but as a dealer, I know the rams are not costly compared to last year,” he said.
Alhaji Yusuf Atoyegbe, a ram buyer, said that the price of rams this year was reasonable compared to last year.
“The size of ram I bought today for N90,000 was sold for N105,000 last year.
“I do not think the prices are high, as you can see, people are buying in numbers,” he said.
