Excessive heat aggravated by climate change and unprecedented observation of the important religious exercises of Ramadan fast by Muslims and Christian Lent all in the month of March, have negatively affected business activities in the North-East.
Since early March, the temperature in most parts of the North-East region has risen from around 35 degree Celsius (°C) to about 44°C, forcing many business owners, customers, buyers and clients to remain indoors for the most part of the day. This has significantly affected business and sales, especially products other than food items.
During Ramadan, in the north, generally, people do not engage in active work because of the strait, and the hot weather has compounded the situation.
Sun rises as early as 8am in most parts of the North-East and sets as late as 6pm. The six North-East states include Adamawa, Borno, Bauchi, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe.
Emmanuel Okafor, a motor spare parts dealer in Maiduguri lamented over poor sales. “Many people aren’t coming to ask for spare parts. People don’t like coming anytime from midday because of the heat from the sun, and this is a fasting period for both Muslims and Christians,” Okafor said.
Musa Gujja, a building materials merchant in Maiduguri, decried that the heat wave and fasting contributed to low sales recorded since the beginning of March.
He said: “It’s 42 degree Celsius at the moment in Maiduguri, and it’s expected to go above 45°C. Our sales have dropped unimaginably. The weather and fasting have contributed greatly to low patronage.”
Business Day Correspondent in Taraba who went around the city gathered that traders who sell meat, fresh fish, fruits and perishable items look at the weather as unfavourable as they keep recording low patronage.
Some narrated their ordeals as they continued to lament the weather conditions, describing them as unfavourable.
Checks revealed that the temperature in the state in the last three days ranged between +39°c minimum and +44°c maximum while relative humidity ranged between 20 to 36 percent across the state
Lamenting the condition, Usman Maikifi, a fish seller at Mayo Gwoi Market Jalingo, said the weather condition had affected sales of fresh fish in a manner he did not expect, saying it has negative impacts on frozen businesses.
“We no longer keep our fish for sale at a later time. Once you continue keeping the fish, it gets rotten. This has made us sometimes beat down the price even below the actual cost price just to remain in the market. The excessive heat is extremely affecting our business.”
Likewise, restaurant owners have said that both Ramadan and Christian fasting affected their business by not having enough customers for their food again.
Some said the fasting is not only for Muslims but also some Christian churches like Roman Catholic and others, and that it aggravates the lack of patronage, which has ultimately affected them.
A businesswoman in Bauchi, who runs a restaurant, said that she no longer cooks up to a quarter of what she used to cook due to the fasting.
She said, “almost every year like this time, we normally record very low patronage from customers.”
The Mama Angel Restaurant services further said that her business is not only affected by the fasting period but also the weather that is very hot because people go for cold things rather than hot food.
Erratic power supply worsens the situation
Unstable power supply has been one of the biggest challenges, some have resorted to using solar energy to enable them to stay in business.
The situation has been exacerbated by the lack of access to basic necessities like electricity and high-cost petroleum products.
Many residents have been forced to rely on makeshift cooling systems, such as wet towels and hand-held fans, to try and beat the heat.
Electricity supply has been epileptic in most parts of the state, with few areas enjoying power supply, while most of the areas are left with 2 to 3 hours of power supply within 24 hours.
Residents described the extreme heat and the scorching sun as “living in a furnace,” “hell is leaking,” and “We’re doing everything we can to stay cool, but it’s just not enough.”
The heat wave in Adamawa State is just the latest example of the devastating impact of climate change in Nigeria. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and increased frequency of extreme weather events- all taking a toll on the country’s ecosystems and communities.
As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, the people of Adamawa State are already living with the consequences, especially for the Muslim faithful observing the month of Ramadan.
It’s a stark reminder of the need for urgent action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support those on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
Poultry farmers express frustration
Meanwhile, poultry farmers have attributed heat waves to the setback in businesses and disease outbreaks, while livestock have been struggling to survive in the blistering heat.
Adda Muhammad, a poultry farmer, pointed out the devastating effects of the heat waves on her poultry business.
“I lose more than one hundred birds daily; that not alone, the remaining ones remain stunted; this period is really frustrating our businesses,” she lamented.
Ummi Abubakar, another poultry farmer, stressed, that aside from losing several birds daily, buying feeds for the remaining ones is the most challenging. “This is just like a waste of money.” She lamented.
Hajiya Fatimah Fugu, another poultry farmer in Damaturu, lamented, “I have invested heavily into this business; the birds are not growing, and the Sallah is around the corner. I am deeply worried about this development. I was told the weather is affecting the growth of the birds. It is scary.”
Vegetable sellers also affected
Mallam Isa, a fruit seller, said they are running at a loss because their goods get rotten before they arrive, and sales have also been down.
This also extends to those selling fruits; they lamented that with the month of Ramadan, fruits have become more expensive, making it difficult for an average man to afford which results in reduced patronage.
“Sometimes, I am forced to throw away rotten fruits because no one will buy them; I have lost N30,000 just today because my oranges, watermelon and bananas have gone bad. It is terrible.”
Mixed reactions as heat wave bites harder
Despite the hot weather conditions, daily living continues with some offices and institutions adjusting working hours to manage both physical and spiritual obligations.
The hospitality business is not left out of the waves of low patronage; Eze Obina, a barman at Police Command Mini Shop in Jalingo, said the sales have decreased dramatically, not as he expected.
He stressed that the fun seekers were absent as a result of the religious exercise, noting that in the previous years, they had more sales than what they are selling at the moment during the heat season and fasting period.
He identified the current economic hardship as one of the reasons for the partial increase in sales of drinks at his joint.
Meanwhile, Abubarkar Salajo, who sells meat in Mutum Biyu, the administrative headquarters of Gassol Local Government, said that the season was doing more harm than good to his business.
He could keep his unsold meat till the following day, but it had become practically impossible these days as it decays very fast.
He said, “The situation is even worse because we don’t have consistent light in this town. Although we pay regular bills, the people in charge of light hardly give us light. So, there is no way you will even think of refrigerating your meat to have it safe the following day.
“Again, the Ramadan period has also caused us low patronage. Most of our customers are fasting, and you don’t expect high patronage as the level of consumption of meat has also dropped.”
Abdulkareem Yakub and other Gombe residents predicted that the weather might become hotter in the coming weeks.
“We go out in the morning at about 7am and close at 11am or 1pm due to sunshine. The heat this year is not much. We sit outside under the shade and enjoy a little breeze. It’s better compared to last year where we have to drench ourselves with water and others to reduce the impact of the heat.”
Ibrahim Haruna, a resident of Gombe, said, “There’s a big difference with what we experienced the previous years.” He advised those who are fasting to stay hydrated after breaking fast to avoid fatigue.
Aliyu Mamman, a Maiduguri resident, said that the weather is hotter than compared to previous years and that it is even more challenging and unfriendly.
“It is hot and extremely hot here in Maiduguri; the business activities are affected. I would like to advise our people who are observing fast to live a healthy lifestyle by staying hydrated after breaking fast to avoid fatigue, headaches and other health issues,” he said.
Medics give healthy tips
Elachi Graham, deputy head of Clinical Services, Federal Medical Centre, Jalingo, disclosed that apart from sunburns, exposure to Ultraviolet heat could trigger skin cancer and other health challenges.
He advised residents to, as much as possible, stay indoors if they have nothing to do under the sun and to look for other protective measures to avoid the negative effects of the harsh weather.
Cyril Awoyo, a medical doctor, stated that during the heat wave period, children and the aged are the ones mostly affected, which is a result of dehydration and could lead to the point of fainting and even loss of lives, especially hypertensive patients.
He stressed that frequent taking of a lot of water to stay hydrated is the best way to stay healthy and survive in the region during the heat wave period.
While commenting on the safety of babies and breastfeeding mothers who are practising “baby-friendly”, Cyril advised that mothers should ensure they take a lot of water to stay hydrated. “As long as the mother takes a lot of water, it can be very safe,” he added.
Climate change requires collective effort to mitigate its effect
As communities in mostly northeast of the country continue to record abnormal heat waves, climate change experts have warned that the trend could lead to low farm yield which would ultimately hamper efforts at achieving food security.
Speaking, Usman Aliyu, an environmental activist and the Borno State Director General Great Green Wall, warned that the effects of heatwaves experienced these days are clear evidence of the impact of climate change.
He stressed that climate change is real and requires a collective effort to combat its devastating effect; while farming is affected by climate change, agricultural activities also contribute to the problem. He advocated for regenerative agriculture practices to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Usman also lamented several crop farmers in the region suffered huge losses as a result of arid zones or desert encroachment affecting a portion of the state.
He said, “This is evidence to know and understand that climate change is real, also, it has a great effect on agricultural production. So, heat waves have a direct impact or effect on agricultural production.
“This is because this excess heat resulted in the weighting of crops and plants in general. So, the rate of evapotranspiration is extremely high under this weather, especially in the arid zone areas, which include Borno State.”
Usman warned: “So, this excessive heat has a serious effect on agriculture generally, not only Maiduguri but in the whole world where maybe places on the polar region, you will see there is also melting of ice caps, which resulted to erosion or mass wasting.
“This mass wasting also contributed to the depletion of vegetation, crop production and food insecurity. We must rise to defend the nature by ensuring more trees are planted in society to arrest the climate crisis, we are currently experiencing in this part of the world.”
