It is barely 12 days to Christmas but the usual excitement that fills the air is no more. The spirit of Christmas in Nigeria keeps dying with each passing year.
By now, shopping should have been in top gear, tailors busy, and transport companies servicing their fleet and acquiring additional ones to meet the huge demand of passengers travelling to various parts of the country for the festivities.
Well, the reverse seems to be the case as many families are weighed down by the huge burden the harsh economy placed on them, a situation that gets worse as Christmas gets closer.
“What is there to celebrate with the suffering in the country, the minimum wage cannot take workers home, and cruel capitalists are taking advantage of the situation to impoverish many. Look at the fuel situation. Forget Christmas, let the year just end,” Mathias Otubu, a father of three, said in anger.
Truly, while Christmas portends merriment, this year, the season leaves a lot to be desired by many people who are weighed down by the economic realities of our time.
Instead of joy, the traditional and unimaginable price hikes, is bringing sadness to many this festive season.
“How can you celebrate Christmas with an empty pocket? It is even difficult to kill chicken now, then rice is now gold at almost N70,000 for a 50kg bag. It is survival now and not merriment because the poor cannot afford it,” Uchemmadu Okongwu, a banker, said.
He argued that while some organisations are increasing staff salaries in view of the inflation-induced high cost of living, many small businesses, employees of private firms and even civil servants are struggling daily with meager salaries, with no respite soon.
“How do you expect this set of people, who constitute a huge chunk of our population to celebrate? I think Christmas is bringing sadness to many people this year, especially those who used to live large and cannot do so again because of the economic reality of the country today. Many families will have no rice to cook that day, children will not wear new cloths and you expect the families to be happy?” The banker asked rhetorically.
But what worries Jide Ogunlesi, an Abuja-based senior civil servant, is the high cost of transport fare. Considering the over 200 percent anticipated increase in fares this festive season by the capitalist transport companies, Ogunlesi decried that those who dream of travelling for family reunion, for a holiday or mere travel for change of environment, may not have such dream materialise this year.
“Like the swiftness with which fuel stations adjust their pump price at any official increase of prices, the transport companies are doing the same now, but in a more ruthless manner of daily increase of fares from the second week in December till the first week of the new year. The unnecessary hike in fare is criminal and it has become a tradition,” Ogunlesi decried.
The concerned father, who can afford a return flight ticket from Abuja to Lagos, argued that what is the essence of travelling for the festive season when many other family members you wish to meet may not visit because of the high fares in both road and air transportation.
While one can, out of generosity, pay for other family members’ fares, Ogunlesi lamented the impact of such goodwill on the pocket and also the fact that it will become a tradition as family members will now rely on your assistance even when you don’t have the means again.
“Things are very hard now, it is only a politician that can undertake such a ‘Father Christmas’ responsibility. I think people should scale down to what they can afford and skip festivities or travelling this year if they cannot afford it,” he said.
Christmas clothes are out of it as most tailors are less busy due to low patronage occasioned by the harsh economy.
“Who is sewing new cloth again if not aso-ebi, when fairly-used cloth is cheaper. Due to the cost, many people do not care about what they wear now as long as it is cloth,” Sadiq Jimoh, a tailor, lamented.
Taking a critical look at the hike in the prices of food items in the market, especially rice, Anderson Ikediashi, an economist and entrepreneur, noted that celebration will be low key across many families this festive season.
He based his reason on the fact that salaries, no matter how big, have never been enough, the current low purchasing power has impacted businesses with low patronage and inflation has made any amount you bring to the market less valuable.
He insisted that at almost N70,000 per 50 kg bag, rice is out of the reach of the poor and out of the Christmas menu for many.
“I have tripled the amount for family upkeep, yet my wife said it is not enough. I have taken out time to sample the market and I was shocked at how women manage to buy things in the market nowadays. Prices have skyrocketed and earnings keep dwindling,” the economist said.
While the price of rice, the most consumed staple on Christmas Day, is unimaginably high and out of the reach of many, prices of other food items also needed for entertainment during the festive season are also high.
From tomatoes, pepper, oil, meat and to chicken, one needs good money to get these food items this season and many cannot afford them.
A kilo of chicken goes from N3,500, live chicken from N15,000, 4 litre of oil from N7,000, then rice and meat are untouchable.
Moreover, no drink is cheap again including sachet water and even as all manner of carbonated drinks fill the market, their prices are still high.
The poor, the hardest hit
“Let us not laugh over the issue because it is serious and people are hungry. We have experienced a steady hike in the prices of things in the country in the last three to four years. Nothing is coming down and earnings are not increasing for many. This season will witness many having little to eat and a few, as usual, having varieties on their table. It is sad that the government has done little to curb food price inflation and the poor are the hardest hit in the situation,” Ikediashi decried further.
Go for low-hanging fruits
But the way out for Damilola Oni, a consultant gynecologist, is to scale down to what one can afford.
“I worked for the government for over 15 years and I am now running a thriving private hospital. What I always tell patients is to go for what they can afford except there is no cheap option.
“You should not kill yourself to impress others or even family at Christmas. If you can afford it on low key, good, if you can skip it and live like every other day, better.
“If you cannot buy rice, cook yam, noodle or whatever you can afford and eat. Christmas will come and go. Live a normal life and don’t give in to pressure from anyone because the cost of healthcare is even worse now,” the medical consultant urged.
She also thinks that the season comes with a lot of risks for travellers, hence travelling should be when it is very necessary now.
“From December 20th, the whole of the country will be out there for festive travels, all the cars, both good and bad on the same roads, and the risks are very high. Stay back if the reason for travelling is just to see family members. Do video calls, send pictures, call and chat to save yourself and family members travelling with you from the huge risks out there,” she said.
(Business Day)
