Christmas is celebrated all over the world irrespective of the prevailing circumstances, however, the usual pomp and pageantry that marks the season appears to be missing as Nigerians amidst the resurgence of the Covid-19 pandemic and onslaught of economic recession. SAMSON BENJAMIN and PAUL OKAH report.
The celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas is a time to set aside the troubles of the year and focus on the positive. The Christmas season also rounds up the year with many, Christians and non-Christians alike, spending lavishly and even over shooting their budget in celebration.
In Nigeria, the prices of foodstuff and other essential commodities usually hit the rooftop, far beyond the reach of a lot of people but most people brave the odds to have remarkable celebration.
This year’s Christmas is a different and came with peculiar twists. Besides the fact that the year has been a rollercoaster ride for most countries, especially with the Covid-19 pandemic taking its toll on most, it doesn’t hold much pleasant memories for many Nigerians.
For many Nigerians it has been a pandemic year that kept non essential workers indoors for five months leading to loss of jobs and collapse of many businesses. This is as increase in Value Added Tax (VAT), fuel price, electricity tariff, and economic recession have united to rob Nigerians of joy that would ordinarily make Christmas and New Year celebrations memorable.
Covid-19
Following the first case of Covid-19 in the country every sphere of life took a completely different turn in line with the laid down protocols to avoid the spread of the pandemic.
Christians had to settle for a low-key Christmas, like every other celebrations held earlier this year, considering the rising Covid-19 cases in the country.
Specifically, last week just days to Christmas, 5,176 fresh Covid-19 infections were reported, the highest weekly figure so far.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the last time such a high figure was reported was between June 21 and 27 when a total of 4,269 new cases were recorded.
At that period, the country had reached the peak of the spread as the figures went down in subsequent weeks to the point of recording less than a thousand fresh cases.
Apart from breaking previous records, last week’s figure represents a 26 per cent increase from the previous week’s record of 3,820.
This significant increase ushered in the second wave of the virus which was officially declared by the Chairperson, Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Boss Mustapha, on Thursday last week.
Partial lockdown
In a bid to contain the second wave of the infection the task force (PTF), Monday, announced partial lockdown with new measures to check the spread of the virus across the country.
Speaking at a press briefing in Abuja, PTF boss and Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF) said officers from Grade Level 12 and below were to work from home.
He said permanent secretaries and chief executives were to be held accountable for enforcing Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPI) rules in their domains with frequent spot checks.
Also, Mustapha said the PTF would work with the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to implement aspects related to the public service.
He said all bars, night clubs, pubs, and event centres, and recreational venues were to be closed just as all restaurants, except those providing services to hotel residents, takeaways, home deliveries and drive-ins, shall remain closed.
He said all formal and informal festivities including weddings, conferences, congresses, office parties, concerts, seminars, sporting activities, end-of-year events shall be restricted to not more than 50 persons.
The PTF also said public transportation systems were to carry passengers not more than 50 per cent of their capacity in compliance with social distancing rules, while compliance with NPI protocols, especially the advisory on wearing of face masks in public spaces shall be enforced.
He further said there would be limit to gatherings linked to religious events to less than 50 per cent capacity of the facility of use during which physical distancing, mandatory use of face masks shall be strictly enforced.
Mustapha said where more than 50 persons are attending an event, the gathering should be held outdoors only.
“Nigeria is now facing a rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide which is similar to the second wave of infections occurring in other countries across the world. Particularly, Lagos, Kaduna and the FCT have emerged as the new epicentres during this period, with over 70 per cent of all confirmed cases,” he said.
The SGF also spoke on closure of schools, stating:
“The PTF on the advice of the Federal Ministry of Education expects that schools would have vacated from December 18, 2020, and remain closed till at least the January 18, 2021, to enable the measures introduced to take effect.
“All persons above the age of 60 years and/or with comorbidities are to be encouraged to stay at home and avoid crowds;
“All non-essential travels, both domestic and international, during the holiday season are seriously discouraged,” he said.
He said President Muhammadu Buhari has directed state governments and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) to immediately assume responsibility for the enforcement of the re-introduced restrictions and measures.
Inflation
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had on November 16, 2020, reported that Nigeria’s headline inflation had hit 14.2 per cent as of the end of October, up 500 basis points above the 13.7 per cent recorded in September 2020. The October position also represented the 14th consecutive monthly rise in headline inflation since September 2019 when it stood at 11.24 per cent.
Also, the bureau in its third quarter report said Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in real terms declined by -3.62 per cent year-on-year in quarter three 2020, thereby marking a full-blown recession.
Lamentations
All the aforementioned negativities notwithstanding, December 25 is always looked forward to by Christian families as a time to show love, bond with family members, meet with friends not seen for years, hold meetings with age grade groups and associations and so on.
For some Nigerians the prevailing situation did not just dampen their joy but put paid to the usual flamboyant celebration. However, others insist on counting their blessing and thanking God for sparing them through the pandemic, recession as well as the rising wave of crime across the country among others.
In a chat with Blueprint Weekend, a school teacher in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs Rosemary Adewale, said that this year has been her worst since she came of age to understand what Christmas is all about.
“First of all, I want to thank God that we are alive to witness the Christmas celebration this year, though I won’t be travelling to the village to celebrate the yuletide with my family for obvious reasons. No one can confidently boast that he or she was not affected by the economy one way or another.
“I teach in a private school and I know what we went through during the lockdown period. The high cost of living is particularly affecting those with large families and dependants.
“For instance, how do we care for the expenses for a family of five, including buying Christmas wears and travelling to the village with the high cost of transportation? So, we have to take the decision of staying back in Abuja, but it was not an easy one. Only God will help us have a better 2021.”
Also speaking with this reporter, a trader on clothing at the Wuse Market, Kingsley Nnamdi, said that the usual hustle and bustle that heralds the yuletide was lacking this year as many people were not making purchases like in other years.
“I have been in this market for more than 15 years and I know how it usually is at this time as families will be making purchases for the Christmas celebration. However, I am not surprised at poor sales because this year has been something else. Apart from things being very costly, there is not much money for families due to the effects of the covid-19 pandemic.
“I won’t be surprised if people don’t travel much this yuletide. In my more than 50 years on earth, I have never witnessed a year like this 2020. Many people died for one thing or the other, while the economy has not been kind to many of us. Nevertheless, I pray that next year will be better,” he said.
Unlike Nnamdi, for a resident of Kubwa in Abuja, Uchenna Promise, a businessman, acknowledged that the year has been very tough for him, there was cause to thank God.
He said, “Habitually, every December people are always in frenzy, full of life and celebration. But this year has been both interesting and sour for people. The Covid-19 pandemic and #EndSARS protest have done great damage to people’s mental health.
“I can’t wait to start a new year. I am happy that Christmas is around the corner but all the things that happened this year have ruined much of my plans. But I thank God anyways.”
Another resident in the area, Deborah Adeniji, also said she would not allow the unpleasant events of the year to deprive her of the joy of yuletide.
She said: “As a Christian, the birth of our Lord Jesus is so important to me. I won’t allow all the unpleasant events of this year to rob me of this year’s Christmas celebration.
“I went through the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown that kept me indoors for months with little pay from my company that only enabled me to feed and take care of myself and my kids. Then, we were faced with the #EndSARS protest and the sad events that followed. I am still alive, so I have every reason to thank God for keeping us till the end of 2020.
“My preparation for this year’s Christmas celebration is in top gear. I bought new clothes for my kids and have my house decorated for Christmas. It is a thing of joy to be alive to tell the story of the year 2020.”
Low travels
Many Nigerians in the habit of travelling to their villages and ancestral homes during the yuletide have, this time around, cancelled the plan to do so. They complained of hard times and the frightening level of insecurity across the country.
Also, speaking on the Christmas celebrations another Abuja resident, who didn’t want his name in print, said: “A retrospect on the year 2020 indicates that a lot of things happened: the pandemic, ASUU strike, #EndSARS protests and now recession. There is definitely a difference in the way people celebrated Christmas last year and how they are celebrating this year’s Christmas. Many people had to cut down on their expenses in celebrating Christmas; people could not travel to meet their families because of the rate of transport fare. We are also not forgetting the rising cases of kidnapping and banditry in some parts of the country.
“Celebrating Christmas and weighing our pocket is the reality. If it were some other festivals or celebrations it might have been cancelled but no one would want to cancel Christmas despite the hard times.
“A lot of people were given termination letters due to the pandemic. How would these people celebrate Christmas and the New Year?
“How would those who lost their means of livelihood, their businesses to the #EndSARS protest react to the Yuletide this year? These are the germane questions.”
Ruling out any possibility of him travelling to the village for Christmas, Nonso Ebuka , who hails from Abia state, said he had not missed celebrating the Yuletide in the East in the last 10 years, but would do so this year.
“The economic downturn occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic has seriously affected me. Consistently in the last 10 years, I send home at least six to seven bags of rice and the condiments. I share up to 10 bags of rice every Christmas and New Year.
“Travelling for me is not just about me; it is about the people at home; those my little gift will put smile on their faces, but that will not happen this year because I do not have the means to do so,” Ebuka said.
He also pointed out that the prevailing economic downturn and the Covid-19 protocol had prevented most religious organisations from organising elaborate programmes that usually take away the mind of their members from whatever that goes on in society during this period.
“There are usually a lot of crusades and retreats this period that occupy church members and make them think less of the material aspect of the celebrations, but with the Covid-19 and the need to observe the protocols, these programmes did not either not hold or were trimmed down.
“The provisions that used to be made at such events could not come in their full measure, which may leave those that do not have anything to fall back on to begin to think about how to fill the gaps. So, what I am saying is that it is a situation that affects everyone.”
Celebrate no matter the circumstances
For Reverend Elisha Mamsasani of Evangelica Church Winning All (ECWA) Christians have to forget recession and celebrate Christmas in a big way.
Mamsasani, who made the call in a chat with Blueprint Weekend, said Christians must celebrate the birth of Christ as deserved.
He said that all might not be well with the economic situation in the country but Christians must make themselves happy by thanking God for being alive to celebrate another birth of Jesus Christ.
“Every December 25 for all Christians must be celebrated because it is a unique day. A day our Christ saviour was born. No matter the circumstances, we must be lively and rejoice in Christ.
“It is no more news that the situation in the country is bad. We all know that majority struggle to survive in this period of inflation, but that must not stop us from celebrating our saviour in the best way,” he said.
The cleric advised Christians to use Christmas season to pray for the good of the country, even as he called on Christians to be cheerful givers by demonstrating act of giving to people around them.
Glimmer of hope
Nevertheless, the only reprieve many may feel heading into the New Year is the reopening of land borders on December 16.
Nigeria’s borders with some neighbouring countries had be shut in March over security, health, and economic factors as approved by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Reacting to the development, a Professor of Capital Market, Nasarawa State University, Prof. Uche Uwaleke, said the reopening of borders would reduce skyrocketing prices of food items this yuletide.
“The reopening of land borders is timely in view of the festive season. I expect inflationary pressure on food items to moderate in the coming weeks. I also expect smuggling to reduce while government revenue receives a boost. However, with the rising cases of Covid-19 every effort should be made to ensure that this does not present a health challenge,” he said.
