Many Nigerians marked Easter 2026 with empty plates and skipped festive staples as economic hardship deepened nationwide. Market traders in Osun, Ondo, Ekiti and Oyo reported slumping sales, with some forced to discard spoiled poultry due to erratic power supply. Eniola, a frozen chicken seller in Osun, said epileptic electricity damaged stock and left her unable to cover loans taken to keep her business afloat. Sakirat, a rice trader in Ilesa, saw her 50kg bag price jump from ₦56,000 in January to ₦60,000 by Easter, forcing her to sell only three bags during the holiday. Daramola Johnson, an Osogbo resident, told reporters his family skipped meat entirely, relying on usual meals while he juggled unpaid business loans ahead of school resumption. The United Nations estimates over 35 million Nigerians face acute hunger by 2026, with 5.8 million in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, while the FAO warns 34.7 million will face food crises by mid-2026.
Eniola's spoiled stock and unpaid loans show how Nigeria's power failures punish small businesses twice—once in wasted inventory, again in debt that lingers long after the holiday. The fact that a carton of chicken now costs ₦54,000 forces families to choose between protein and school fees, a brutal arithmetic that will define 2026 for millions.
