Fuel price surge drives up Eid sheep costs in Nigeria

Economic hardship, rising petrol prices linked to the Middle East conflict, and insecurity have pushed up the cost of sheep in Nigeria ahead of Eid-al-Adha celebrations.

At Kara Market, a major livestock trading hub located along the Lagos-Ogun border, traders on Friday complained about slow sales as thousands of sheep stood under heavy rain.

The market receives large numbers of animals daily from northern Nigeria, where most livestock is raised, as Muslims prepare for the annual festival.

Traders said insecurity in some parts of the country was affecting the supply chain.

“Sometimes people don’t come to the market to sell to us because of fear,” one trader said.

According to SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based risk consultancy, more than 2,100 civilians lost their lives in violent incidents, including terrorist attacks, during the first quarter of the year.

A buyer, Ibrahim Kosoko, said the high prices forced him to settle for a cheaper option.

“I was told to bring 1.2 million naira for a sheep that is not very big,” shopper Ibrahim Kosoko said. “I had to look for something I can afford.”

Kosoko eventually purchased a sheep worth about 400,000 naira in a country where the monthly minimum wage stands at 70,000 naira.

Rising transport costs

Many traders travel over 1,000 kilometres to markets in southwest Nigeria, where demand for livestock rises sharply before the Muslim celebration. However, transportation expenses have more than doubled.

While transport fares usually increase during festive periods, traders said this year’s rise in petrol prices — linked to the Middle East crisis — has worsened the situation.

Some Nigerians planning to travel home for Eid celebrations are also reconsidering due to the high cost of transportation. Petrol prices have climbed from about 850 naira per litre to over 1,320 naira in several parts of the country, compared to around 195 naira at the beginning of 2023.

“I will need to spend at least 80,000 naira on travelling to and from my hometown with my child,” said 40-year-old civil servant Taibat Bashir. “That’s not something I can afford.”

Bashir also noted that increasing violent attacks in Kwara State, some linked to jihadist groups, had reduced her interest in travelling.

Livestock traders also described rising transport costs as a major challenge.

“Truck drivers collect about 2.7 million naira from us to transport our livestock down,” said Abubakar Dauda, 33, from Adamawa State.

Dauda explained that the amount is nearly three times what he paid for the same service in 2025.

“We even spend up to 300,000 on police checkpoints and taxes to every state we pass through,” he said.

Dauda, who sources most of his sheep from Chad, added that exchange rate instability had further increased import and sourcing expenses, leading to higher market prices.

Despite the economic strain, Kosoko said people would still find ways to celebrate the festival.

“It is not compulsory to buy sheep for Ileya,” he said. “If we cannot afford one, we will find ways to celebrate regardless.”