The yuletide season is a period Christians set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is usually marked in a special way. For Christians, there is no other festive season ranked above it, especially as it ushers in the New Year. Also in this period, many Nigerians engage in various activities to celebrate and make the yuletide special.
LEADERSHIP Weekend spoke to a cross section of Nigerians on what their plans are and how they will celebrate the holidays.
In Abuja residents who bared their minds on how they plan to spend this yuletide season were optimistic.
For Jessica Danlami, the CEO of jayclassythrift, an online thrift store that deals with ladies dresses, she will be visiting friends, family members and loved ones.
“It’s a season of love so I will be visiting few friends and family during this period and I’m also planning to have a private picnic for myself. I will also be resting a lot because it has been a great year,” she said.
Mr Terver Richard, a civil servant, said he would be visiting an orphanage to donate some food items and spend time with kids in the orphanage.
“I will be visiting an orphanage home to drop of some food items, other goodies and also spend sometime with the children, I like taking part in charitable deeds, and I feel the Christmas period will be a good time to do this,” he said.
Another Abuja resident, Etekamba Etuk aka Eteks, an On Air Personality (OAP), noted that due to the nature of his job as a media professional, he usually spends the yuletide season at work, but he acknowledged that he would still be spending time with loved ones and also attend some events.
“I usually work but I plan to attend events and spend good times with loved ones, there are also a few gardens I have in mind for a hangout, like Playzone, Jav and I’ll also be at the Christmas village,” Etuk said.
Ekere Tabitha, a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member who resides in Abuja but currently serving in Oyo State, said she doesn’t have much plans for Christmas because she doesn’t intend to coming to Abuja from her state of service. But she hasn’t seen her family in a while, so she eventually decided to be in Abuja.
“I don’t have any plans for Christmas because I didn’t plan coming to Abuja initially, but it’s been a while since I saw my family. So I’ll just go to church, come back and stay indoors and probably sleep. I’m not going anywhere,” she said.
On how she plans to spend the yuletide, a health worker, Chinazam Degaulle, said, “Considering the fact that I work in a clinic, I really do not even have time for anything, apart from doing the work I have here in the clinic.
“I really do not enjoy Christmas, yes, it might interest so many, but I don’t even have time for what people call fun during this period, because I am always engaged in a lot of activities.
“I miss my family and all my loved ones, but I believe that family time will still come up and I am going to have the best time with everyone in the new year.”
The government commenced the payment of December salaries and pensions since Monday to make workers and pensioners comfortable.
A few days to the Christmas, residents of Oyo State decried the high cost of essential commodities.
Speaking with Weekend LEADERSHIP at different interviews, some of them noted that the celebrations might be bleak.
A civil servant, Oluwole Adeolu who lamented the socio-economic situation in the country, said the festival would come and go without the usual festivities attached to it.
He said the situation is so bad that one can hardly have two square meals a day. According to him, prices of essential commodities like rice, pepper, vegetable and palm oil have gone beyond the reach of the people.
Also speaking, a trader at the Bodija market, Mrs. Bolajoko Tiamiyu, blamed the high of food on the hike in fuel price which led to high cost of transportation.
She expressed concern that the cost of transportation has adversely affected sales, adding; “Hardly do we make profits.”
She exonerated traders on the high cost of goods in the market and called on the government to do something tangible to alleviate the suffering of the people.
A transporter, Adekilekun Lawal who noted that there was nothing to celebrate, said the hike in prices of petroleum products was responsible for the economic crunch in the country.
While noting that there is hunger in the land, he said many now shun public transport due to the high cost.
According to him, commuters have restricted their movements as a result of the hike.
On whether people will travel for the celebration, they were undecided.
Akwa Ibom Residents Lament Bleak Yuletide
The usual excitement associated with the season appears absent in Akwa Ibom, including the birth of Jesus Christ’s jingles on television and radio, checks by our correspondents revealed.
For most residents of Uyo, the state capital, this year’s Christmas will go down as “less-fancied and unattractive, because the financial power that used to engender interest to join the fray remain far-fetched.
Although Governor Udom Emmanuel has commissioned the expansive Udo Udoma field usually tagged ‘Christmas Village’ during the yuletide, the arena has been turned into a huge campaign ground for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), with pictures of Umo Eno, the PDP governorship candidate, adorning the complex with other party insignias, wooing the people to join the train in 2023.
Besides, the state government has contracted out the duty of illuminating major spots in the capital with neon lights, Christmas graffiti and other images depicting the season, the signs, according to residents, would not drive their urge into the frenzy of free spending “because of lack of deep pockets in view of the harsh economic realities occasioned by the new currency regime.”
“The system has been tightened up by the new currency policy, and it behoves on me to adopt a controlled spending method to survive this era with my family. And because of this, I have cancelled my plan to travel with my family to Anambra State to spend the season with my people,” Pastor Onyema Nwankwo told our correspondent.
“I would have loved to travel out of Uyo to spend the time with my uncle in Abeokuta, Ogun State, but the economy at the moment won’t permit that because the fuel price hike has forced transporters to raise fares. So I will rather remain, perhaps next season things could improve.” Akaninyene Udofia, a University of Uyo (UNIUYO) undergraduate laments.
At the vast Ibom Plaza sit-out within the Uyo City centre, people were seen sitting in isolation to sip beer, unlike the normal occasions in time past when it used to command big crowds of mostly young and average residents converging to catch fun.
“I think the Christmas has been postponed because this is not usually the atmosphere. Everything that used to define this once-in-a year event have gone up astronomically. I can’t buy rice at close to N50,000 a bag and clothes for my children, it’s honestly a very pathetic thing that this Christmas is a gloomy one.” Imaobong Daniel, a house wife lamented.
Observations by LEADERSHIP Weekend in Abia State indicated that residents are split into three broad divisions in their preparations for the Christmas.
The first are those who have gone on full swing shopping for whatever their families need, the second are doing it moderately, while the third are complaining of lack of resources and high prices.
At one of the malls in Umuahia, the state capital, Mrs Gladys Uche, who was seen loading her purchases into the booth of her SUV, said her family had no reason not to celebrate the period in full.
“How else can we show our appreciation to God for the good things He has done for us this year than to join others in celebrating the season of the birth of our saviour,” she said.
Similarly, an earring wearing young man with tatoos on his arms said he had bought new clothes for his parents, siblings and friends, adding that he had also placed order for two goats for the occasion.
Speaking differently, Anthony Igwe, Kalu Omokwe and Abraham Okon said they had limited their budgets for the period to their basic needs mindful that they will have bills to settle in January.
Fortunately for Omokwe, an electrical engineer, he has made arrangements with some of his colleagues in his office to buy a cow and other items his family will use during the period.
“I would have loved to be extravagant but restrained by the fact that in a matter of days, school fees for the children and house rent and other expenses will be due for settlement without excuses,” said Igwe.
According to Mrs Helen Njoku, the situation on ground has forced her and her husband to make do with their old clothes, “but you can’t convince the children to take the same decision”.
“We’ve purchased new dresses and pairs of shoes for the four of them. In the same manner, we have bought two chickens for Christmas and the New Year. Haven’t we done enough?” she asked.
However, for James Orji, Kasarachi Michael and Martin Duke, rising inflation in the mist of stagnant salaries and low business patronage have made them to opt for low profile celebration.
“By this time last year, my family was already fully prepared for the celebration. With the situation on ground, we will make do with what we’ve hoping that next year will be better,” said Orji.
According to Elder Ronald Eziokwu, a pensioner, what can he plan for while he is being owed gratuity and arrears of pension even as he is being challenged by ill health.
