The yuletide seasons of Christmas and the beginning of a new year bring with it, nostalgia for celebrations, vacationing and fun. However, for many Nigerian households, this year’s celebration will not follow the robust fun fare and celebration galore that is associated with the season, writes Jumoke Olasunkanmi.
‘Tis the season to be jolly.…,” goes one of the popular songs which sets the tone for the period of merriment that characterises Christmas.
But as the festive season approaches, the song on the lips of majority of the people seems to be, ‘Tis the season of lamentations,’ as prices of household commodities and foodstuff continue to rise under President Bola Tinubu’s mandate of ‘Renewed Hope.’
With the inflation rate at 27.33 percent and over 133 million people living in multidimensional poverty, according to the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics (NBS), there is little reason to be jolly.
Last December, Nigerians thought things couldn’t get any worse than the point the economy was in under Muhammadu Buhari. Little did they know that their financial woes was just a tip of the iceberg.
”How do we celebrate when everything is expensive?”
“With the way everything is expensive, I don’t think anybody will be celebrating. It will just be a normal day. It’s not Christmas yet and they are already selling chicken for N12,000. With the way everything is, how are we supposed to be celebrating anything? Even last year when we all thought things were hard, it wasn’t as bad as this,” a retired civil servant, Mrs. Aisha Ganiyu, told African Health Report (AHR).
For her, the holidays would be gloomy as she has nothing planned, unlike the previous years, due to the high cost of commodities in the market.
Food inflation, according to NBS data, stood at 31.52 in October, over 7.8 percent higher than what was recorded in the previous year. It rose again for the 11th consecutive month, reaching 28.20 percent in November 2023, according to the latest report from the agency.
Compared to October 2023, where the headline inflation rate stood at 27.33 percent, November witnessed an increase of 0.87 percent. On a year-on-year basis, the inflation rate in November 2023 was notably higher, marking a 6.73 percent increase compared to the same month in 2022.
This means that the purchasing power of the average Nigerian has decreased significantly as the price of essential commodities such as food items continues to increase.
‘Nothing left after buying food’
Stella Okon, a petty trader in the Federal Capital Capital (FCT) shares Ganiyu’s sentiment. She noted gloomily that after spending all her earnings on food, she barely has anything left for festivities.
“Of course, Christmas celebration will be low key this year because everywhere is hard, there is no money. Even my youngest child understands that. Almost all of my profit goes into buying food – not that the food is enough sef, we still have to manage. I could not afford to save, I stopped all my contributions months ago so there is nothing to use for Christmas or New Year. We will just do it anyhow.”
Okrika to the rescue
Okon added that despite working for a whole year, she could not afford to get new clothes for her children so like many others, she will be buying second-hand thrift clothes popularly known as ‘okrika’.
“Clothes are even more expensive than food. Imagine new jeans for this boy (pointing at her 10-year-old son) is N8000, shirt is around the same price and then to buy gown for my two daughters. Where will I see that kind of money? I will look for correct first grade for them, wash and iron it well.”
Thrift clothes seller, Comfort Akhigbe, also confirmed that there has been an increase in the number of people substituting new clothes for used ones as her sales have doubled since the beginning of the month. She was, however, quick to add that even the price of the clothes have been rising like other commodities.
“With the way dollar is now, bale is very costly so we have increased the price we sell the clothes. But it is still cheaper than new clothes so many people are buying okrika for the Christmas season. As long as it is clean and neat, people are buying it. Even people that used to say they cannot let their children wear okrika to go out are now buying it for Christmas.”
She noted that though sales have increased, her profit margin is not as it should be because price of bales keep increasing due to dollar – naira rate fluctuations.
“A bale of children mixed clothes is currently N360,000 and I’m sure that by the time I go to the market again, it would have increased. Prices keep going up and you will keep adding from your profit to buy the next bale,” she lamented.
Family reunions aborted by high transportation cost
All over the world, Christmas is the time for family reunions and Nigeria is no exception. All year round, people look forward to the holidays to travel home to their families and reunite for the holiday. For many, this tradition is as sacred as it is sentimental as it is the one time in the year where they can all be together as a family.
However, with the over 200 percent increment in fuel price by the Tinubu administration in July, many families will not be able to sustain this tradition this Christmas.
In October 2023, the average retail price for petrol rose by 222.92 percent when compared with the the previous year, according to data from NBS. Similarly, core inflation, which refers to all items except farm produce and energy, also rose to 22.58 percent, a 5.12 increase from the 17.46 percent recorded in October 2022, with the highest increase seen in road transportation.
For many families traveling interstate, this price difference means they can no longer afford even the fare of road trips. Segun Rahmon, a barber in the FCT, told AHR that he will be unable to visit his family home in Ogun State as he has always done yearly as a result of the high transport fare.
“Instead of spending N25 to N30,000 just to go home, I’ll rather send that money to my parents so they can use it for something else. I want to go home because I have missed my family members. My parents and other extended family members will be there but it is just not wise to borrow money just to travel home,” he lamented.
Similarly, John Adeosun, a National Youth Service Corps member serving in Abuja, will also be spending the holidays away from family because he cannot afford the hiked transport fare. “I will be spending Christmas and New Year here. It’s the first time I’ll be spending the holidays away from my family but I don’t have a choice. I’ll need to budget at least N50,000 to go to Lagos and come back.”
Fun, entertainment spots will record decline in patronage
The usual funfair and merriment associated with the Christmas seasons will undoubtedly be affected by the current economic realities in the country. The widespread financial strain has led to restricted spending on basic necessities like food, clothing and housing. This means that the usual Christmas outings associated with the season such as visits to amusement parks, eateries, cinemas, and the likes will see a significant reduction.
People will most likely shift to parks where they can pay little to sit and have picnics with their families and friends.
Damilola Olasunkanmi, a concerned parent, shared her thoughts with AHR. “I always take my son out for Christmas and new year. Every year, we try out new places. It’s like making memories with him and we just have fun. This year, we might just stay at home because after spending so much on food, clothing and all the expenses that will come with the new year, there is no space for extravagance at all.”
But one needs not allow Tinubu’s economy to steal the joy of Christmas, the little available resources could be judiciously used to enjoy the holidays till the dark clouds blow away.
African Health Report wishes all our esteemed readers a happy holiday.
