Today is December 1 and Christmas is just 24 days away. However, if you go to the markets in Lagos, particularly the major markets like Balogun market, located on Lagos Island, where people shop for clothes, shoes, bags and all the other things that people need to celebrate the Yuletide, you do not get the feeling that the season has set in.
So many can recall the past sweet and enjoyable Christmas experience they had while growing up or after attaining adulthood. Back then, about this time, the excitement of the coming Yuletide would be thick and the atmosphere charged with expectation of the forthcoming merriment and the reunion with relations, especially for people who prefer to travel back to the village to celebrate the season.
The weather would announce its presence for the season, even with the special flowers that spring up just for the season. One could also hear school children go into rehearsals in preparation for the season. Christmas is mostly an enjoyable period that brings the year to an end and ushers in a new one. It comes with various activities, but mostly fun. Now, I understand why a Catholic Bishop declared that burial ceremonies should not take over the joy of Christmas celebration. “Families, if you do not bury your loved one by 19th December, the Catholic Church will not participate in the funeral. We will resume burial from the second week of January. The Christmas celebrations must take its place,” the bishop said.
With about 24 days left, a very sombre feeling has enveloped this period. All thanks to the bad economic situation in the country. Everywhere you turn, there is just nothing about this time that should give anybody reason to be cheery. Since the country has been caught in the grip of ridiculous high cost of petroleum products, the naira is still finding it very difficult to stand erect before almost all foreign currencies especially the USD, pounds and Euros. Even the Ghanaian Cedi and CFA are both making ‘shakara’ for the Naira. And the situation is giving the citizens a terrible nightmare because these foreign currencies have kicked away the Nigerian currency. Initially, it was almost kissing the feet of the dollar, which proudly stands ramrod straight, like a celebrity basking in the flashlights of paparazzi at a red-carpet event.
With every drop recorded by the naira against the dollar, the prices of foodstuff, other processed goods and services in the country shoot up unimaginably.
That a bag of rice has risen to a whopping N100,000 is not funny at all. What do we say about other foodstuffs? A carton of frozen chicken is N48,000.00 while groundnut oil costs N115,000 per 25kg. This is the best one can get in the market currently. How many workers have had their salaries increased to match the present cost of living? It is a situation that brings hot tears to the eyes.
Now, at petrol stations all over Nigeria, the official rate of one litre of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) is N1,025 while other independent marketers sell at prices they wish. Most families from the Southeast as a ritual would love to travel to meet with their families and loved ones. It is an annual exodus that empties the urban areas, where they reside in large numbers. I wonder how people from the Southeast will cope with the rapidly rising cost of transportation.
In the recent past, the Lagos-Southeast interstate bus fare that used to be N15,000 now costs as much as N38,000 – 24 days to Christmas. This is bound to go much higher closer to Christmas day.
More troubling is the story making the rounds that they fixed price of PMS will remain even as Dangote has intervened in the situation. It is scary news.
Also feeling the pinch of the moment are the hundreds of thousands of men and women who sell special Christmas materials.
Mrs Jemilat Mustafa, who I met at the popular Oke-Afa plantain market, along Isolo-Ikotun road, is representative of the situation of most traders. I found her expressing her pain. The amount of money she came to the market with to buy plantain was just not enough – all thanks to the unpredictable change in prices. The latest increase in inflation was triggered by the rapid rise in the prices of diesel and petrol, leading to increases in the cost of transportation, whether by road or air. “Now that the cost of transportation has eaten deep into the minute gain of the trade, how will I make it up?” she asked rhetorically.
She is not alone as other wholesalers and retailers are in the same boat. One of the busy wholesalers in Balogun market, Mrs Grace Uwe also informed that the government is not doing enough as import duties and tariffs have eaten deep into their businesses. “I have been in this business for the last 20 years. In fact I took it over from my mother when she retired. As a young student I used to come and help her out. By the end of October, retailers would troop to clear our shops to stock theirs. Some would deposit money and come back for their goods later. Then, importation was easy. Our goods arrived at the expected time, which created a smooth chain of happy business flow. Today, only a few customers have visited us and high prices drove them away.
“There is a need for the government to intervene and give importers a soft landing. With just 24 days until Christmas, we have nothing to sell in our shop. The special children’s Christmas clothes we usually import from China, Dubai and the UK have gotten out of hand because of their prices. Customers come to the market to window shop, go back almost empty handed. The government should help us.
Iya Farouk is a known trader at the popular Mile 12 market in Lagos, where she sells fresh tomatoes and pepper. The prices of these two major ingredients of stew and different foods popular during festivities continue to rise on account of the insecurity in the northern states. Also scary is the cost of vegetables like cabbage, cucumber, carrot and green peas which are usually compulsory during the festive season. The price of tomatoes within the year almost drove women nuts. Even though it has shown a slight reduction in prices, the fact that you cannot get N100 pepper in the market is not a palatable story.
In the wake of this unsavoury situation, the question comes this key question: what should be the right attitude for the season?
Dear Nigerians, as we look forward to the Christmas which is coming with all the drama and excitement as well as anxiety for people not financially well heeled, there is need to bear in mind that the day will pass like the preceding years. My simple advice is that we should all brace up and keep in mind the evergreen advice given by renowned gospel minister, Robert Schuller, in his bestseller: “Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do.”As you step into the first week of December 2024, I want to remind you of this word of Scripture: “With God all things are possible.” The Almighty can turn things around for you. Do not give up.