The family of Abeni Oluwaseun, 34, only eats twice a day these days. “It gave me an ulcer,” says this mother of three children through tears, who cannot make ends meet as a result of the high inflation that Nigeria is experiencing. The salary of 22.5 euros of her husband, David Olayinka, a teacher at a private school, is no longer enough to support the family, so Oluwaseun has started working as a shop assistant. He has also changed markets: he now goes to that of the grand mufti (Muslim jurist) of Yorubaland Dawood Imran, head of the Sunni group Jamaat Taawunil Muslimeen from Iwo, in the Nigerian state of Osun (west of the country), where the woman lives.
Oluwaseun discovered through Facebook, a social network that Imran frequently uses to communicate publicly, that the price of products in the now called Grand Mufti Market were lower than in other stores and that anyone, regardless of religion, could go to him. “When I arrived, I bought a kongo [nombre local de un pequeño cuenco medidor de alimentos básicos en la región] of cassava flour at 0.55 euros, compared to the 0.71 it costs outside the market. I decided to buy more kongsbecause I could get them cheaper,” she says enthusiastically.
Africa’s largest economy is going through a difficult time due to the heavy-handed policies of the current president, Bola Tinubu, who has eliminated fuel subsidies, and the fluctuation of the local currency, the naira, which has plummeted by up to 70 %, according to a Bloomberg report. At the same time, inflation has increased greatly and, according to the National Statistics Office, the annual rate last June was 34.19%.
With a highly devalued currency and increasingly high prices, the cost of living has skyrocketed. The Integrated Phase Classification (CIF, in Spanish, CPI, in English), the tool that measures food insecurity worldwide, estimates that nearly 32 million people in Nigeria—equivalent to 16% of the country’s population—are in the phase 3 of a 5-phase scale, meaning they are acutely food insecure.
The Government cannot interfere in this market, because we are the owners
Dawood Imran, head of Jamaat Taawunil Muslimeen
“The Government cannot interfere in this market, because we are the owners. God willing, we hope to have a large farm whose products will feed the entire nation and compete with those of the general market that inflicts so much pain on the people. Whoever wants to sell here has to be willing to reduce their price to ours, because Islamic principles are respected here. [que prohíben inflar los precios]”Imrán informed the public in Yoruba language, the language of the region, in an 18-minute video broadcast on Facebook.
The market square is situated in Darul-Hijra, a separate area of Iwo town, about 51 kilometers from the State capital of Osogbo. It is a small space that does not reach one hectare, covered with vegetation and located between the houses in this area, which opens five times a week.
“This market focuses on the implementation of measures to stabilize and regulate the prices of essential goods and services,” explains Adeboje Lukman, spokesperson for the office of the grand mufti and secretary general of the market. “The main objective of the market is to guarantee fair prices and avoid exploitative practices by sellers.” He adds: “The reason why people in the community called it ‘Islamic’ before is that it was the initiative of a Muslim. But its name has been changed to ‘mufti’s market’, which is the title of the founder of the society.”
The market director supervises the work of other authorities, such as the general secretary, who documents activities, and 11 working groups, which ensure that recommended rates are applied. To do this, they carry out rounds to avoid unnecessary price increases and guarantee the affordability of products to consumers. The recommended prices in the market are decided after observing and collecting data on the prices of goods in other markets in order to identify anomalies and trends. All administrators are members of Jamaat Taawunil Muslimeen.
“The last resort”
Dhikirullahi Hussein, 28, also found what he considered a fair price in the grand mufti’s market. In June he went to buy rice and yam tubers at an old market, but the high prices of basic foodstuffs, which exceeded his budget, meant that he returned home empty-handed. He tried the new market, and with the little money he had, he was successful. “I bought six large tubers for 2.7 euros. With that amount you can only buy three outside the market. Now we come to buy here, it is still the last resort for us,” said Hussein.
Although many experts praise the move to try to set lower prices, they point out that Nigeria’s problem is deeper because this market too cannot free itself from fixed costs. “It is a laudable initiative and this type of gesture must be encouraged,” says Bamgboye Adeniyi, tax advisor and economic analyst at Empyrean consultancy in Lagos. “But if we look at the value chain, the cost of production and transportation are constant factors, unless there is an agreement for the people or there is philanthropic support from supportive Nigerians,” the expert tells EL PAÍS for point to one of the origins of the rising cost of living. However, he adds, if this initiative could be reproduced in other parts of the country, “many hardships would be reduced.”
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