Between Fireworks and Firestorms: How Lagos Survived Christmas to New Year
Korede Abdullah 
LAGOS, Nigeria – Christmas morning in Lagos arrives not with silence, but with sound. Music spills from neighbours’ windows, church bells compete with mosque calls, and generators hum beneath laughter and prayer. By 5 a.m. on Christmas Day, Alimosho — one of the city’s most densely populated districts and home to this reporter — was already awake, dressed in celebration yet burdened by quiet worries. Children paraded in new clothes, churches overflowed, and greetings flew across compound fences. Joy was everywhere, but so was anxiety.
For many Lagos residents, Christmas to New Year is not merely a festive interval. It is a test of endurance — a season that magnifies the city’s contradictions: abundance and scarcity, laughter and grief, community and chaos. Korede Abdullah, writes.
Faith, Food and the Cost of Celebration
Churches across Alimosho filled beyond capacity as families clutched Bibles and handbags with equal urgency. “We thank God we are alive to see this Christmas,” said a middle-aged worshipper outside a Pentecostal church, adjusting her headscarf. “But everything is expensive. You celebrate with wisdom.”
That wisdom was most evident in the markets. Across Lagos, stalls were busy, but conversations were tense. Prices of staple festive foods — rice, chickens, tomatoes and cooking oil — surged sharply. A medium-sized chicken that sold for ₦12,000 weeks earlier now cost nearly double.
“We are not wicked,” said a trader at a local market. “Fuel cost, transport cost, everything has gone up. Even with the Dangote refinery reduction, we are still feeling it.”
Many families adapted quietly, scaling down feasts and choosing modest meals overelaborate spreads. Celebration, this year, meant survival first.
Traffic, Tempers and Small Comic Relief
Movement across Lagos during the festive period tested patience. From Alimosho through Oshodi and along major corridors, traffic gridlock turned short journeys into hours-long ordeals. Transport fares rose without warning, sparking arguments between passengers and drivers.
In one incident that briefly lifted spirits, a commercial bus conductor forgot a passenger’s bag on the roof of the vehicle. Shouts erupted, panic followed — then laughter, when the bus stopped and the bag was recovered intact. In Lagos, humour often arrives as relief after a near-disaster.
Streets That Refuse to Be Silent
Despite the strain, Lagosians refused to surrender joy. In Alimosho, Agege and Mushin, youths organised street parties with booming speakers and improvised dance floors. Neighbours shared food, drinks and stories late into the night.
When power outages interrupted some gatherings, mobile phone flashlights took over. “No light, no problem,” one reveller laughed, waving his phone above his head. Community, once again, filled the gap where infrastructure failed.
Children, Fireworks and the Thin Line of Safety
Children experienced the season through fireworks, knockouts and late-night freedom. But the noise and danger unsettled many parents.
On Kayode Onafuye Street in Igando, a loud knockout startled an elderly woman, triggering panic before neighbours rushed to calm her. “These children don’t know fear,” one resident complained. “One day, something bad will happen.”
The warnings were not unfounded.
Tragedy on the Expressway
The festive mood darkened with news of a fatal road accident on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway involving heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua. His SUV crashed into a stationary trailer, killing two of his friends.
The tragedy sent shockwaves through Lagos and beyond, reigniting conversations about reckless driving, poor road safety and the deadly mix of speeding and alcohol during festive periods. For the families affected, celebration gave way instantly to mourning.
Firestorms in a Season of Light
Fire outbreaks became another grim hallmark of the season. Across Lagos, blazes linked to electrical faults, cooking accidents and candle misuse destroyed property and claimed lives.
On Lagos Island, a devastating fire razed the Great Nigeria Insurance (GNI) building, which housed several shops stocked with goods worth millions of naira. More than eight people reportedly died in the inferno. Survivors described the loss as overwhelming.
“We lost everything,” one affected trader said, standing amid ashes. “This was supposed to be a season of joy.”
On New Year’s Day, another fire broke out in Ikotun, destroying four electronics shops beside the GUO Transport Company terminal. Washing machines, television sets and power generators were reduced to scrap. According to Africa Health Report findings, residents acted swiftly to prevent the blaze from spreading before the Lagos State Fire Service arrived.
“They came on time,” a nearby resident said, praising firefighters. “If not, the whole area would have gone.”
No casualties were recorded, though the cause — suspected to be an electrical fault — was yet to be confirmed. The incident followed similar outbreaks, including a recent fire at the Army Arena Market in Oshodi.
Emergency Services Under Pressure
Hospitals and emergency responders faced intense demand. Doctors treated accident victims, burn injuries and alcohol-related cases, while ambulances struggled through congested roads. Firefighters worked extended hours, often arriving at scenes where residents had already formed human chains with buckets.
While many Lagosians commended the dedication of emergency workers, they also urged authorities to improve response times, public safety education and infrastructure.
Detty December: Glitter and Grit
Even amid hardship, Lagos shone. The annual “Detty December” celebrations transformed the city into an entertainment capital, drawing diaspora Nigerians and tourists to concerts, beaches, clubs and lavish weddings.
From Victoria Island and Lekki to Ikeja and mainland neighbourhoods, nightlife pulsed until dawn. Afrobeats concerts sold out, hotels overflowed, and social media glittered with images of luxury.
Yet behind the lights were familiar challenges: gridlocked roads, inflated transport fares, heightened security and soaring food and accommodation costs. The season revealed a city split between spectacle and struggle.
Crossover Night: Hope and Hesitation
As the year closed, Lagosians marked crossover night in different ways. Many attended overnight church services, praying fervently for protection and prosperity. Others stayed home, wary of fireworks and late-night risks.
Fireworks lit the skyline, but for families mourning lost loved ones or ruined livelihoods, the New Year arrived quietly, heavy with reflection.
A City That Endures
Christmas to New Year in Lagos is never a single story. It is laughter over shared meals, tears over sudden loss, resilience forged in traffic jams and compassion found in crisis.
From Alimosho to Lagos Island, the season reminded residents that celebration demands caution, that joy exists alongside vulnerability, and that survival itself is often the greatest gift.
In Lagos, the year may change, but the spirit — stubborn, communal, unbreakable — endures.
About the Author
Chukwu Obinna 
Oluwatobi Adu 
Mirian Gom 