Business
Updated: November 27, 2020

Hisbah Board Ban Use Of "Black Friday" In Kano State

By Olalekan Fakoyejo
November 27, 2020
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Globally recognised sales festival moniker, Black Friday, has been banned in Kano State, following a warning from Kano State Hisbah Board, a sharia enforcement team, to Nigerian radio station, Cool Fm, to desist from using the name within the state.

In a letter seen by AllNews shared online, The Kano State Hisbah Board said the tag "Black" shouldn't be used on Friday, as the day is considered holy among muslims in the state. The Hisbah Board said Kano State is a muslim populated region, so Cool Fm branch in Kano State should forfeit the word "Black" in the sales festival moniker.

The Hisbah Board said it received complaints about the conduct of Black Friday Sales. The Hisbah Board labelled the use of "Black" on a Friday as "immoral activities", and will monitor Cool Fm to ensure it complies with its order and maintain peace and stability in the state.

"In view of the foregoing you are requested to stop the calling the day as Black Friday with immediate effect and note that Hisbah corps will be around for surveillance purposes with a view to avoiding occurrence of any immoral activities as well as maintaining peace, harmony and stability in the state."

What You Need To Know

Black Friday is a sales promotion tag used by companies offering products at a cheaper price. Several companies, especially ecommerce companies engage in Black Friday. Jumia, Kongo, Alibaba are some of the companies that offer Black Friday sales - the name has been in existent for several decades.

The name is not to disrespect the muslim faithfuls, but rather, a call to action for individuals to purchase costly goods at a cheaper price. Despite selling at lower price, retailers record huge profits due to high number of patronage on the special day.

The name Black Friday is used for shopping season, and not an immoral activity. On Black Friday, low income earners can afford to purchase goods that ordinary they can't afford because businesses slash their prices - this usually doesn't affect the profit of companies, instead doubles their profit as demand rises.