A shockwave is sweeping the dining tables in the densely populated Dutse and Lugbe area of Abuja.
Turkey meat, a popular staple among most households, now costs a whopping ₦11,000 per kilo, leaving consumers and small-scale business owners in a daze to source alternatives.
Before President Bola Tinubu’s inauguration, the same turkey was sold for between ₦2,500 and ₦3,200 per kilo. That is a mind-boggling 300%+ hike in less than two years. Turkey is now one of the many “luxury proteins” on the ever-expanding list for most Nigerians, particularly those who reside in low-middle-class communities.
We went out on the Dutse and Lugbe markets to hear some residents’ and traders’ reactions to how this price increase affects them and their businesses.
Chika Okonkwo, a Lugbe resident and civil servant, did not hold back, saying: “This is ridiculous. I would purchase a kilo of turkey for my family members on weekends. These days, even a kilo is more than our two-day food budget. What do we do? Government policies are certainly not doing anything positive for the common man at all.”
Musa Abdul, a Bolt driver staying in Dutse Alhaji, sounded equally frustrated: “Everything has doubled or tripled — fuel, transport, now food. I have not been able to recall the last time I had turkey. Even chicken is getting too pricey. We’re now getting by on beans and eggs whenever we can.”
Queendaline Nwosu, a school teacher and a mother of two, explained that she had had to change the diet of her whole family: “We would make peppered turkey for Sunday rice; these days, it’s either ponmo or nothing. The way things are, even ponmo will become a luxury soon. It’s not about the turkey only—everything is increasing while our salaries are not.”
While consumers grumble, food sellers are also not left behind by inflation.
Mama G, owner of a thriving roadside eatery in Lugbe, described how the increased price has also affected her business: “I used to sell turkey and rice for ₦1,200 per plate. Now, if I include turkey, I will have to sell at ₦3,500, or else I will sell at a loss, and nobody will buy. So I stopped selling turkey completely. I just use small beef or eggs now.”
Ahmed Salisu, a Dutse frozen foods shop operator, unveiled the supply side problem: “I used to purchase cartons of turkey between ₦40,000 and ₦50,000 and sell them out in hours. Now, a carton costs almost ₦200,000. The consumers are annoyed, claiming we are raising prices ourselves. But we are just coping.”
The common message is grim: inflation is cutting deeper than ever before, and most families’ dinners have become agonizing. Turkey, that weekend delicacy, is now a luxury few can afford.
As food inflation aggravates in Nigeria and purchasing power dwindles, citizens wonder what their next meal will be. If ₦11,000 turkey is today’s reality, what of tomorrow?
