Harmattan: Bauchi Residents Lament As Traders Hike Sweaters, Cardigans’ Prices

Some residents of Bauchi State have complained about the high prices of sweaters and cardigans as the harmattan season affects them.

Residents in Bauchi told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday that sweaters and cardigans have become expensive.

Mr. Ismail Raji, a father of three, said he could not comprehend why the prices of cold-resistant outfits would shoot up at the time they are mostly needed by both adults and children.

According to him, sweaters and cardigans were sold at affordable prices depending on the quality a couple of months ago.

“For someone like me who has three children, I wanted to buy some for my children then when it was affordable, but I did not have enough money to buy.

“Now that we are in the cold season, I was shocked to realize that more than N2,000 has been added to each of the sweaters,” he said.

Another resident, Grace Waziri, also complained about the high cost of hooded sweaters, saying that the ones she bought two months ago at the rate of N14,000 are now sold at the rate of N16,500.

She, however, called on the government at all levels to establish mechanisms to continuously monitor and regulate prices of goods and services.

When NAN visited Wunti Market, one of the most popular markets in the state, most of the sweater and cardigan sellers blamed the increase in price on the exchange rate of the Naira against the dollar.

Clement Ebuka, one of the sellers of the items, said that a sweater was sold at the rate of N5,500 a couple of months ago but is now sold at N6,500.

Also, Emeka Chukwudi, who sells cardigans, said that a hooded sweater, which was sold at the rate of N14,000 a few months ago, is now being sold at the rate of N16,500.

“We thought by January, prices of things would go down, but to our surprise, it’s getting higher by the day.

“You know once the dollar increases, prices of everything also increase, and that is what is affecting us, as well as the cost of transportation to the places we get our goods from,” he said. (NAN)