Follow Us on Google
This year’s Christmas celebration is coming at a period of serious economic hardship. It is going to be one of the bleakest Christmases ever celebrated in this part of the world in recent times. With a 50kg bag of rice selling at over N60,000 and escalating cost of other food items, not many Nigerians will be able to comfortably celebrate the Christmas feast.
Without the government addressing the current scarcity of the naira, the currency’s poor showing at the unified exchange market rates and cost of petrol, cooking gas and other essential commodities, Nigerians will celebrate the New Year with great difficulty. The nation’s inflation rate is becoming unbearable. Forget the official figures being routinely released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). If you really want to know the inflation rate in the country, ask for the price of a tin of milk, Bournvita or Milo or a loaf of bread. Even the price of akara and foofoo have risen too.
The price of virtually every commodity has risen by over 400 percent. And if you want to know the value of the naira among other international currencies, never depend on the official or government rate, that one is artificial, the real rate is the Aboki rate or the black market rate, which to me is more realistic than the official rate which is very hard to obtain. I wonder how millions of poor Nigerians will celebrate this Christmas with a bag of rice selling above N60,000. Agreed that some brands of rice are also being sold for N59,000. Even at that, the price is still high. That does not also make it affordable. What about the price of a chicken, goat or cow? They are all on the high side. The same goes for the price of fish, whether fresh or dry. Apart from transporters who are making a fortune out of the very bad situation, there is no sign that the Yuletide season is around the corner. The hampers are very scarce.
Where they used to fly around in droves, you can scarcely see a few these days. It is a sign that things are hard and people are just responding to the situation the best way they can, even if it means cutting-off the Christmas hampers budget. Unfortunately, the airlines are milking many South-East-bound travelers dry by unfairly increasing their fares during Yuletide and other festivities. That business philosophy that leaves Abuja fare the way it is and increased the South-East routes astronomically because it is Christmas season must be changed.
There is no logic to justify it other than profiteering at the expense of your customers. If other routes remain unchanged, the basis for hiking the South-East routes does not arise. The concerned airlines know themselves. There is even no point mentioning them here. Their owners should do the right thing and stop profiteering from the pains of their people, their customers. Every bad action has its consequences.
There is little or no difference between this Christmas and Christmas in a war situation. Perhaps the only difference is that there is no war in Nigeria. Across the country, everyone is complaining about the hard times. The rich are complaining and the poor are equally complaining. The politicians are lamenting and the voters are also lamenting over the bad economic situation caused partly by this government and the government before it, which mismanaged the economy.
I don’t know if INEC officials are lamenting over the situation they put all of us or those in the judiciary, who interpret the law from the point of technicalities alone. The government should slash the price of rice by 50 percent so that the poor can celebrate this Christmas. It should slash the price of chicken, fish, snail, stock fish, vegetable oil, yam, onions and pepper by 50 percent so that the poor can really breathe.
Let the government slash house rents by 50 percent as well so that the poor can sleep well. I hope these prayer points will reach President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and Senate President Godswill Akpabio and others. Nigerians are suffering. Some of them cannot breathe well. Many of them need urgent palliatives to overcome the excruciating pains of fuel subsidy removal. They need lifeline to over the impact of the unification of the dual exchange rate.
Christmas, which is a celebration of Christ coming to save mankind, should not be celebrated in anguish. It should be celebrated with great hope and happiness. There is even no point to wear mournful faces, when we are celebrating the birth of the son of God. It is an occasion for joy, love and happiness. It is contradictory that many Christians in this country will not celebrate this Christmas with joy and happiness because of the government’s harsh policies. Many companies are leaving Nigeria for the same reason. Many more companies may leave Nigeria soon for the same reason.
Are we really developing or under-developing? I am just asking a simple question. Have we failed as a country? Are we failing as a country? What are the signs of a failed country? Is there anything wrong with the country? Why is Nigeria the way it is? Is there any hope for the country? Will Nigeria overcome its current problems?
These are the questions I want our leaders to address their minds to as they celebrate the Yuletide season. These are the issues that ought to bother them whenever they are taking any decision. Let our leaders draw lessons from leadership examples of Jesus Christ, whose birth over 2000 years ago we are commemorating. The selfless nature of Christ leadership will make them good leaders. The exemplary nature of Christ leadership will make them excel. The Charismatic nature of Christ leadership is what they must imbibe to succeed.
There is no doubt that with good and exemplary leadership, Nigeria can be a better place for all citizens. Our major challenge has been lack of responsive leadership. We need leaders that will take truth telling as major part of government business. We need leaders that will prioritize justice, equity and fairness. We need a country we shall all be proud of and not the one where the youths will be migrating in droves to Europe and America.
We need a country where our health workers will earn competitive wages and have conducive work environment that will stop them from seeking for greener pastures abroad. Nigeria is blessed with abundant human and material resources to make all these things happen. But our leaders must lead and show examples. We need leaders that will galvanize and motivate the people to positive actions on development and nation-building.
