“I have slaughtered a ram every year since 1976, but this year I can’t do it, I just can’t do it.”
Like many other Muslims in Nigeria, 78-year-old Mallam Kabiru Tudun Wada is not celebrating Eid al-Adha as he normally would due to the cost of living crisis.
Muslims around the world traditionally slaughter a ram or other animal on Eid al-Adha, in memory of the Prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his own son when God commanded him to do so.
The meat is used to prepare a large feast for the whole family, as friends and neighbors visit and eat the food each family has prepared.
Clergy also recommend that some of the meat be distributed to the poor and needy.
“In recent years I could afford at least one ram, but things have never been so tight,” Mr Wada told the BBC in the city of Kano, the largest city in northern Nigeria, where the vast majority of the people are Muslim.
Nigeria is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in a generation, causing widespread hardship and anger.
Annual inflation – the average rate at which prices rise – now stands at over 30%, the highest rate in almost thirty years. Food costs have increased even more: by 50%.
An average ram now sells for 100,000 naira (£50; $63), which is out of reach for many.
Another Nigerian, Mallam Auwal Yakasai, 66, said the only way he could afford to slaughter an animal for Eid this year was to find a friend and share the costs.
‘We have a camel so we can slaughter together.
“For many people, things are so tight and for some an arrangement like this is the only way they can make the sacrifice.”
Muslim cleric Idris Garba Sokoto told the BBC that slaughtering a ram, goat or camel on Eid is one of the most beloved acts a Muslim can perform for Allah.
“Islam traces the origins of animal slaughter on Eid back to the prophet Ibrahim, who had a dream and was about to sacrifice his son before God intervened with a ram which he slaughtered instead. Since then it has become a religious practice.”
“For cows and camels, up to seven people can pool money, buy and slaughter them together – Islam allows that,” the cleric said.
But for many Muslims and other Nigerians, basic food is their top priority right now – not an animal that some consider a luxury.
Shamsu Mohammed, 54, said that even if someone gave him the money to buy an animal, he would be more likely to buy cheaper food to supply his home.
“Slaughter is not obligatory, as Islam says, it is for those who have the means. For those who can’t afford it, it’s not necessary.”
Ahead of Eid, the ram markets are normally packed with people choosing which animal to buy and take home to their families. Normally, people take pride in choosing the largest and most impressive animal.
But this year it is very different.
Ibrahim Balarabe Wambai earns his living by selling rams and normally his entire year revolves around Eid.
According to him, the market is very different this year.
“Last year I sold 15 rams, but this year I only sold seven.”
The Nigerian government says it is doing everything it can to turn the economy around.
About 15 million poor households receive a cash transfer of 25,000 naira ($16; £13) per month, but these days that doesn’t go far.
As millions of Nigerian Muslims return from visiting mosques, the prayer on the lips of many will be for the situation to improve so that next year they can not only slaughter an animal but also buy new clothes.
More Nigeria stories from the BBC:
Why the Nigerian economy is such a mess
People are turning to ‘throwaway rice’ for food
The Nigerian professor who makes more money with welding
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