…Nothing to celebrate, we just thank God for surviving the year —Trader

…It would be a Christmas of hunger, forlorn looks —Igboke

By Anayo Okoli, Vincent Ujumadu, Ugochukwu Alaribe, Chinonso Alozie, Emmanuel Iheaka, Alumona Ukwueze & Jeff Agbado

ENUGU — CHRISTMAS season is here again; the period the people of the South-East region always embrace as a period of general homecoming.

Marriage ceremonies, chieftaincy installations, launching of development projects, inter-community football youth tournaments, among other programmes, usually occupy the period.

But the harsh economic downturn in the country has altered everything. Many people will not be able to travel to the hinterlands for the celebration.

Besides the bad economic situation and high cost of transportation and food items, the level of insecurity in the region has become very worrisome. People are afraid to travel due to the rise in kidnappings along the Abuja-Kogi and Lagos-Benin highways to the South-East.

Many people resorted to travel to the region by air but the cost has become astronomical such that  average Nigerians can no longer afford flight tickets. Even the cost of road transportation for those who muster the courage has doubled in the past year, not many can afford it.

Insecurity is the major setback in Anambra

In Anambra State, Christian Okeke, a civil servant, said he is not making any arrangements to go to his Amichi, Nnewi South Local Government Area hometown for any reason. According to him, apart from the fact that civil servants might not be paid their December salary before Christmas, his community is one of the areas where insecurity is high.

Okeke, who said he has not travelled home in the past two years, urged security agencies to dislodge the non-state actors that have taken over forests in many communities in Nnewi South Council.

An Onitsha-based businessman, Cletus Maduakor said that what usually takes him home during Christmas is the annual family meeting, but noted that he has cancelled it for this year.

“After hearing the experiences of people who survived kidnapping, there is no reason for anybody to play into their hands.”

However, the Anambra State Government has continued to rehabilitate the roads across many communities to ease traffic movement, hoping that many people would brave the odds to return home. The bad portions along the Awka-Onitsha expressway have been rehabilitated and the state road traffic agency has banned driving one way on that route to avoid road mishaps.

Also, serious work is going on along the Amawbia-Ekwulobia road to avoid the usual traffic at the Ekwulobia roundabout and work is also going on along the Nnobi-Nnewi road.

I can’t afford to take my family home this year —Artisan

An Aba-based artisan, Ikechukwu Obasi, said he can’t afford to buy food items for his family and take them to his village in Ebonyi State to celebrate Christmas. He told SEV that he has adjusted his budget and travel plans because of the situation.

“There is no money, and the costs of transportation and food items are very high. It will cost me more than N40,000 in transport fare to take my family to the village and back. I need to buy a bag of rice and other items. I have an aged mother at home. I need at least N300,000 to get the things we need to travel, I cannot afford it. I plan to travel alone to the village. My family will celebrate here with what we have.

“In January my children will return to school, I need to be cautious in spending because two of them are in the university. Christmas and New Year celebrations have no end, we will celebrate next year, God willing. I can’t afford the money to celebrate with my family as we did in the previous years. The major problem is that prices of food items are going up daily in the market. Any item you buy at a given price won’t be the same price when you visit again. There are also too many bills waiting for the family, even with scarce resources. So, I have told my family that we need to adjust to save cost.”

It will be a Christmas of hunger, no smiles –Igboke

The Enugu State chairman of the Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria, GPAAN, Dr. Ambrose Igboke, said the 2024 Christmas will be that of hunger and forlorn looks, devoid of happiness due to the harsh economic realities in Nigeria.

Igboke said high food inflation, removal of fuel subsidy; naira devaluation, and high cost of transportation have piled a lot of pressure and hardship on Nigerians. He bemoaned the lack of intervention from the different tiers of government, saying that Nigerians are being taken for a ride by their leaders.

“This 2024 Christmas will be a Christmas that many people will not smile. It would be a Christmas of hunger and forlorn looks because the cost of things has gone so high. We are suffering from hyperinflation; many people will not have even the transport fare to take them to their villages.

“By this time last year, a bag of 50kg of local rice was N40,000, this year; it has increased by 100 per cent. This time last year, the airfare was N70,000, this year, the fare has doubled. People are not even seeing normal food to eat. Even the people who want to help the poor are finding it so hard because the economy is very harsh.

“This year alone, we have had up to four increments in pump price of fuel and this has rubbed off on the prices of commodities. The naira was devalued to N1,700 to a dollar.

“So, it won’t be the best Christmas for Nigerians because of the hunger in the land and, unfortunately, governments are not intervening to ease the tension being faced by citizens,” he lamented.

I will travel, but my family won’t, says artisan

A carpenter in Owerri, Imo State, Chukwudi Nkemka, said he will be travelling alone to the village, but not for the Christmas celebration.

Nkemka said the burial of a relative fixed for 21st December, has made it inevitable for him to travel home. But he said he will be going without his family members because of the biting economic situation.

Nkemka submitted that he sees nothing special about Christmas anymore, to warrant spending one’s savings just to go home.

“I will be travelling alone without my family, but not for Christmas celebrations. My uncle will be buried on 21st December and I must be at home to participate actively in the burial. If not for the burial, I wouldn’t think of travelling in this time of economic crisis.

“There is nothing special about Christmas; we have seen many Christmas celebrations and it will keep coming,” he stated.

The hardship is too much in Imo  —Residents

The residents of Imo State have also expressed their frustration occasioned by the general hardship in the country, saying that the situation provides no room for any celebration. They lamented particularly the high cost of food items and insecurity in the rural communities, especially kidnapping.

A resident of Tetlow Street, Owerri, Israel Nwachinemere, from Orsu Council Area of the state said: “Let me tell you, many people will not travel home for Christmas this year even if you will travel, you must be sure of your security. My area in Orsu is a no-go area. It is like a war zone.

“You must have that in mind before going home. Apart from insecurity, are you not aware that the hardship in Imo is increasing and it appears nothing is being done about it? No food, no job opportunities. We lack proper policies that can alleviate the sufferings of our people.”

Also, Elder Ben Iwu  of Ogwa in Mbaitoli Council Area lamented what he described as the high level of “abandonment of the rural communities by the government. There are no roads, no water supply, and no agriculture empowerment to boost food production.

“The level of hunger in our land has contributed to the high crime rate in our communities and as it is now, I have not seen anything to say that these things are being addressed.”

However, a former Commerce and Industries commissioner in the state who did not want his name mentioned said: “The government is doing its best to address poverty in the state, but the problem of Hope Uzodimma is that he distances himself from the people he is governing. There is no arrangement to continually brief the people of the state so that they understand the policies and programmes of the government and how they can benefit from it.”

A trader at the Relief Market in Owerri, Ebere Iwuji said: “You people should go and talk to your government to do something about this. How do you people want us to celebrate this year’s Christmas? A bag of rice is over N150,000. Many things now are costly. We don’t have the money and the Government is not sharing the wealth for people to benefit. We can’t celebrate when we are angry and hungry.”

In Ebonyi State, the residents of Abakaliki have also lamented the high level of hardship they are experiencing. They said many families are finding it difficult to feed.

A resident, Chief John Nwodom said the hardship has caused him to cut down on so many expenses, stressing that the cost of commodities and foodstuffs have skyrocketed.

“We are not talking about Christmas celebrations this year due to economic hardship. We are talking about daily feeding not elaborate Christmas celebrations. This year is the worst in terms of the cost of things. Look at the cost of transportation, many people cannot travel to the village for the celebration.

“The era of wasteful spending is gone. The little money you have is not enough to feed, even the little you saved in the bank is difficult to withdraw; you have to pay extra to collect your own money from POS operators. You know that January is another difficult month, you pay many bills like house rent and school fees. So, for me, Christmas celebration this year is nothing but a normal day activity,” Nwodom said.

A trader at the Abakaliki International Market, Mrs. Grace Ejiofor said business has been very dull as people don’t have money to purchase their needs for the celebration.

“Some of us who are traders are finding it difficult to cope with this economic hardship. The little money you have is used to stock up your shop and no buyers to buy. Even eating is getting very difficult. I sell clothes in the market, normally this is the time when many families will rush to the market to buy clothes for their children and wards but nobody is coming.

“The market is virtually empty, it is when the buyers come to buy that we make our gain and feed and take care of our own families. We are the worst hit, we stocked our shops in July thinking that business would boom this time but there is no sign of anything happening.”

A civil servant, Chike Alegu said they are still battling with the Governor for minimum wage when other states are already enjoying it. He said that as a civil servant whose salary cannot take him for two weeks with the economic situation, would not talk about Christmas celebrations during this critical period.

“The hardship is more on civil servants. We are not talking about Christmas celebrations when we can’t feed well and pay our bills. Christmas day will come and go; like every other day; whatever you have, just eat and life goes on. Look at the markets and streets, does it look like there is any celebration going on? No! Everybody is hustling and toiling to eat.