Ramadan: Sultan of Sokoto laments high and still-rising cost of food

The Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar III, has lamented the high cost of foodstuffs as the Ramadan season fast approaches.

The Sultan also warned traders against deliberately increasing food pricesand other essential commodities and services during the period, telling them to be fearful of the day of judgment.

He also called on the government to devise a way of deliberately reducing the prices of foodstuffs to cushion the hardship being faced by Nigerians.

Sultan Abubakar, who is also the President-General, Nigerian Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs, said this at the closing ceremony of the week-long 2022 National Qur’anic Recitation Competition hosted by the Bauchi State Government in collaboration with the Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.

He said: “Ramadan is coming and the cost of living in this country is going higher. I would like to use this medium to call on all market people, who sell things, to be fearful of what the Almighty Allah will do to them when they get to Him on the day of judgment.

“Instead of increasing the prices of foodstuffs and other necessary things, please try to reduce them to get the blessings of the Almighty Allah.

“The cost of foodstuffs is high and it’s going up and up; the government has to do something to have this very serious challenge tackled.

“I was in Abuja yesterday (Friday) with President Muhammadu Buhari at the inauguration of a Masjid before coming here and the Imam made the same comment.

Read also: Air force official, others, sued for allegedly torturing Abuja family

“With the President sitting in the Masjid with us, I think it is left to all of us in authority to see how we can work together and bring this rise in the cost of foodstuffs to a minimum and an affordable level where all of us can have a successful Ramadan with ease.“I believe it’s not too much to ask our government, after all, we elected you into office, to serve us and not for us to serve you.”