As residents of Calabar make last ditch preparations for Christmas, calitown.com can reveal that the Cross River State capital is a beehive of activities.
On the Murtala Muhammed Highway, the major road into the city, vehicular traffic is heavy and traffic wardens are having a difficult time controlling the number of vehicles on the road. The situation is no different at the Eleven Eleven roundabout where for several hours, a gridlock has been in place. A source pointed us to the fact that alot of people have entered Calabar and this is visible everywhere.
Watt and Marian markets, at the time of filing this report, were still witnessing a steady stream of people making last minute purchases. The situation has shot up the prices of a few things, considered essential items for the celebration. Rice, groundnut oil, chicken etc, have all hit roof top. A full grown broiler which on a normal day is sold for between N1,500 to N1,700, is being sold for between N2,500 to N3,000.
James Ekpo, a trader at Watt market told calitown.com that “it is normal that at this time of the year and especially with Christmas to celebrate, the prices of most of these items will go up, it is for a while”. But Grace Ushie was wary that “when the prices of things go up in our markets, they never come down and it is the reason why there’s always hardship in January”.
Most buildings are wearing a new look and the city centre has been expertly decorated for Xmas and the 2013 Calabar Carnival.