By Agatha Emeadi and Christy Anyanwu
Easter is here, a season highly revered and celebrated in the same proportion in Christendom. About this time each year, revelers pour out into streets and other places of entertainment to have fun. Some stay at home to celebrate while some others visit their neighbours and relatives to mark the occasion.
But much of the celebration and the fun that go with Easter and occasions like it are gradually fading away. Stories around them seem to be a story told in the past. Most people can no longer afford to do so.
Over the past months, the economy had taken a dramatic turn for the worst. A vast number of Nigerians can hardly celebrate. They can’t afford to do so. Celebrating like they used to do in the past seems to be no longer possible; what everyone is experiencing this season is a tragic reminder of how far south things have gone.
In the build up to this season’s celebrations, indicators had emerged that this year’s celebration would be low key. This was further confirmed when our correspondents went to town to feel the pulse of the people.
According to findings, very many people are in low spirits. They have no cash to power their celebration and activate their joy. The economic hardship sweeping through the country is adverse. Very little cash is available to many people. Cost of goods and services has gone up many fold. Anger, despondency and frustration rule and seem to have got the better of many.
At Mushin market, our correspondent encountered Mrs Agbeke Goloba, a shopper. She was at the facility to get the best price for a paint bucket of rice from the dealers at the market.
“I am confused,” she opened up to our correspondent, adding “I was here to get some stuff for the family to mark Easter. To be honest with you, the prices of everything are out of this world. They are still as high as anything. I came here with a budgeted list; yet I am almost stranded.”
Mrs Goloba explained that she had had to walk in and around the market to see if she could get a cheap buy without success.
“The traders all seem to have held a meeting and affirmed high prices. Not one of them is selling a kobo less than the other. And for anyone who brought very little money to the market, N20 means a lot.”
Continuing, she said: “Here, a carton of frozen chicken is selling for N49,000.00 while Turkey goes for N62,000.00. The prices for different qualities of bags of rice vary. Yet, no is affordable.”
Then she added: “As it were, we are choking; like they say, we can’t breathe anymore.”
When our correspondent visited a social park at Idimu area of Lagos where fun lovers always flock during the festive season, the manager of the facility, Mr. Edmund, painted a gloomy picture of the level of patronage of the facility.
“I have been working here since 2016. By this time, fun seekers would have come to make deposits to use the park. Some parents and fun seekers would come and book spots for their children. Of course we have a lot of entertainment for the kids – a dancing field, mini-swimming pool area, bouncing castle, ice-cream and pop-corn stand, and inanimate horse riding among other things. We also have various things for adults.
“Days before every festive season, we used to be very busy. We would receive notices from our clients who would be coming here. They would book in advance and make part payment; we would prepare for them. Most families would come with their children to be entertained. But right now, we have not seen anybody. Or maybe they will show up on Easter Sunday, who knows.”
When our correspondent asked him to explain the reason for the situation, he responded thus: “Madam, are you not in this country? I know it is a lack of money; the prices of things are too exorbitant; even when our park services remain moderate, we still experience low patronage.
“In 2017, when we started, we charged N1,000 per child and N2,500 for three children which included free ice-cream. Last December we charged N3,500 per child and N10,000.00 for three. Most of the fun-seekers declined from the gate. So, it has not been easy managing the place without our usual crowd. Instead of 20-25 families, we now see 8-14 families. The economy has dealt a blow on our entertainment generally.”
The days have not been rosy for people selling clothes this season, including Mrs. Ebere Ekpunobi, boutique owner.
“Nobody is buying anything these days” she said.
“We thank God for Christ; we thank God we still have life. But, as for celebration, this country is not it anymore.
“I have different boutiques, on the Island and Mainland.
“It has been approaching two weeks since I sold anything significant. Nobody wants to buy anything anymore. People are more focused on food and what to eat at least to be alive first.
“I work mainly at our Apapa boutique most times. During and after the last Muslim fast, we sold almost nothing.
“We said Easter would be better; we are still seeing the same trend. We are still having the same terrible experience.
“In the past, after the Muslim fast, the market used to boom; parents would come out to buy clothes for themselves and children, but the times right now are different.”
She also painted a gloomy picture of sales among petty foodstuff traders around her.
She said: “I’m inside my main shop right now; we have sellers of foodstuffs outside our shop. I can see that they too are not selling anything.
“When I came in, from my Island boutique, I met some of them sleeping. They were complaining bitterly, saying it seemed that people were starving for Easter.
“I had reasoned that perishable goods move faster, but now, it is no longer true. Truly, I found out that people are starving now not by choice but because they don’t have money to buy food to eat. People are managing to get going. I never had this kind of experience all my life as a business woman. It is too bad now. It’s a terrible experience.”
Buttressing Mrs Ekpunobi’s claim, Mrs Loveth Mbachu, a trader at Ijora market, told our correspondent that “things are not as they used to be.
“Before now, it used to be ‘push-me-I-push-you,’ at this Ijora market,” highlighting the human traffic that used to characterise the market in those good old days.
Continuing, she said: At that time, people used to buy like one carton of chicken. You would see cars packed with shoppers for chicken and turkey all over the place.
“But now, they tell you to share one carton into four places.”
Then adding a twist to her narrative she said: “Nowadays, we see more men in the market. Maybe their wives are angry that they don’t give them enough money and tell them to go shopping themselves.
“This morning, all the markets are filled with men, pricing and buying foodstuffs. Maybe their wives told them to go and buy things themselves. This Nigeria will kill people ooo.”
An artist, Angel Tee, who came in from Dublin, felt the state of the economy firsthand and had something to say about it.
“I came to Nigeria for my younger sister’s wedding in the East. I’m based in Dublin, Ireland.
“The celebration was a quiet one and I observed it. I guess it was because of the state of the economy. I feel for people a lot. You know why I say that? Things are very expensive.
“I’m not complaining, but I’m considering people that don’t have enough.
“The cost of living here is crazy and I saw it. If you can’t buy enough with N30,000 to make a pot of soup, then what would someone with N10,000 buy?
“I don’t know how the underprivileged are coping. It wasn’t like this when I left this country some years ago. I honestly don’t know what we can do to solve this situation. It’s terrible.”
Onetime First Lady of Akwa Ibom State,
Udy Umondak, said for Easter, she would only be visiting the cinema to watch a movie.
“I’m going to the movies to watch ‘The Chosen’ at the cinema. It’s a Christian movie, maybe for N5,000. I will take my grandson to watch the movie along with me.”
With hope flagging especially for the poor, she said “it’s only God who can help in this kind of situation. The children don’t care if there’s a bad economy. Yet you have to give them some fun this Easter.”
Even when there is a low, a lady hair stylist, Alabama Idowu, said her clients came forth to make their hair.
“People are still making hair. I’m not having low patronage this period.
“All we need at a time like this is divine favour.“Yes, some people complain that the country is hard, but a lot of people are still buying houses and cars.
“I live in the Randle area of Surulere, Lagos. Some houses in the area are up for sale and people are paying for them. Let’s just pray that we will get our own favour,” she said, ending it all on a divine note.