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Hopes dim for joyful Christmas as Nigerians battle economic crisis

Ordinarily, the average Nigerian family uses the period of Christmas celebration to embark on a grandiose celebration to mark the end of the year. But with only a few days to the end of the year and fewer days to the Christmas celebration, the mood this time in Nigeria, from Makurdi, Lafia, Jos to Jalingo the story as gathered by our correspondents in those towns is that of gloom and a sense of disappointment.

What is unarguably one of the most important events in the Christian calendar will be marked, not with the usual fanfare and pomp but with frowns and privations. The reasons are not far-fetched: with rising inflation in a struggling economy that appears to be left on its own, families across Nigeria are bracing for a Christmas that will be characterized a deep financial strain that will leave most people in dire straight.

According to a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) , Nigeria’s inflation rate rose to 34.6 percent in November 2024, up from 33.88 percent in October, driven by high food costs. Food inflation surged to 39.93 percent in November 2024, a sharp increase from 32.84 percent in November 2023.

The combination high food prices, expensive cost of petrol, exacerbated by its scarcity and more importantly, the non-availability of disposable income because of the two factors mentioned earlier has compelled even those who are willing to brace the odds and engage on some form of celebration to focus on basic needs rather than extravagant indulgencies.

48 year old Jos-based tailor, Amos Kassam, no Christmas has been as bleak looking as the forth coming one. While his shop used to witness droves of merry makers to make new dress for the yuletide, the closest thing he has had is his then big time customers bringing their old dresses to be patched up for the celebration.

“It has never been like this. Imagine, two weeks to Christmas I still spend hours at home because I don’t have much work at the shop. In the past, spent some nights in the shop, sometimes even requiring helping hands, just to meet up with demands of customers.

Amos Kassam

“But this year, most of my regular customers rather brought old dresses for amendments. They complain of hardship, some said the money they have at the moment won’t be a enough to purchase foodstuff and make new dresses. Rather, they would reserve the money for the second term school fees of their children when they resume in January, pay rents and address other pressing needs” he explained.

Kassam is not alone in his lamentation of low patronage. For chicken feeds dealer at Bukuru expressway and mother of three, Dorcas Bot, a mother of three who has been selling chicken feeds for the past 13 years, this Christmas has witnessed the lowest patronage since she started this business.

“There is low patronage this year. This shop has the space for almost 150 bags of feeds, but it is almost empty and I may not be able to stock immediately due to scarcity of the product (feeds) from the company. I asked a colleague, one of the major dealers the reason for the scarcity and he told me that the company which produces the feeds also has financial challenges too so it no longer produces in large quantity”  Dorcas stressed.

The story is almost the same in Lafia, Nasarawa state where an academic, Christopher Musa, the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ comes exchange of gifts to the less privileged in the catholic tradition, the present economic reality may sadly take out that aspect of the celebration from those who may be willing to carry on with the tradition.
“Unfortunately, the economic situation in the country is bound to affect this year’s celebration.

The usual preparation in terms of buying meat, rice and drinks and even exchange of gifts will surely be affected. Ironically this economic situation will most likely create lack of affection among some loved ones who might not understand why their partners were not able to do the usual things they do for them. There will also be restrictions in the movement of many people as the cost of fuel is beyond the reach of a common man” he said.

Another resident of the Nasarawa state capital, Friday Ogezi ,Climate Justice Advisor with ActionAid- Liberia and Nigeria said “The realities are here with hyperinflation observed everywhere. Basically, reflecting on the situation with the same income based, it means living within means getting only what is needed not what is wanted.

Friday Ogezi
Friday Ogezi

It will be unfortunate as many dependents you have cannot be reached during the Christmas celebration because of the situation. But it is a reflection on life and the current situations and coping with the changes and realities of this time that would make us adapt to the situation.”

Evelyn Agu, a journalist in Lafia, Nasarawa State agreed with him. According to her, “The current economic crisis in Nigeria will change the way many people will celebrate this year’s Christmas due to rising costs of goods and services. I will do a simpler celebration with a more creative budget. I will prioritise experiences over material gifts.

Evelyn Agu

However, the true spirit of Christmas which is love, togetherness and gratitude still remain my major concern. These things do not rely on extravagant spending. It’s possible to have a meaningful and joyful celebration despite financial challenges.”

In Jalingo, Taraba state, Rahila Daniel says the economic situation in Nigeria has become so bad that there is hike in price everyday which in turn has affected almost every sphere of our lives, including the forthcoming yuletide, a situation that she says “it is going to make us not to have an enjoyable celebration. I just hope that things get better one day” she said with some air of fatalism!

The situation has not only spoilt people’s plans for Christmas but has also forced people to explore alternatives to what they were hitherto used to.

According to Folasade Daramola, another resident of Jalingo in Taraba state, the economy has “not only destroyed my wonderful Christmas plan but has made me and my family members start budgeting on things that are important and not buy things that are not important. For example, we normally buy Chicken for Christmas, but now we can only buy beef, we also no longer purchase goods in large quantity from the market.

“The current economic situation in Nigeria is significantly influencing Christmas plans for me and many households in Nigeria. The payment of the new national minimum wage, raised to ₦70,000 monthly for federal workers, is expected to boost spending capacity. However the wage increase has not been uniformly implemented across all states. Many state governments are either struggling to implement the increment or delaying payments due to financial constraints. This means many workers might not feel the benefits in time for Christmas” she said.

Folasade Daramola
Folasade Daramola

She said even where states are able to pay, “inflation continues to erode purchasing power, making it harder for families to afford the higher cost of goods and services typically associated with Christmas celebrations. Also, the decision to float the naira has significantly impacted the economy coupled with the devaluation of the Naira. Currently, we pay higher costs for imported goods, including festive items like clothing, electronics, and food ingredients.

“While the new minimum wage offers a glimmer of hope, especially for teachers and local government staff, its delayed implementation in some states, Full implementation of the Local Government combined with inflation, naira instability, and climate-related food challenges, makes this festive season a cautious one for you and I and many other Nigerians” she said.

Istifanus Mashi said the economic situation has not only necessitated a low level celebration but has forced many families to implement austerity measures in order to survive.

“The economic inflation has resulted in the high prices of goods and services such as transport across the country, causing a paradigm shift in my life that has affected my preparation for the festive season, leading to a low-key celebration plans which would be unusual for my family as everything is cut down due to high prices of stuff in the market. I might not travel for Christmas, and some family members have also informed us that they would not be able to make it this year too because of high transportation fare” he said.

The story of misery and the prospect of a gloomy Christmas is further reinforced in Makurdi, the Benue state capital where residents who spoke to WhiteWatersdigest say the reality of the economy means that the Christmas celebration this year will be low-keyed.

“No one needs to be reminded that the current economic difficulties has steals our joy of Christmas” says Kelvin Aleva, a ma

Kelvin Aleva

kurdi based businessman. “ The present economy has taken a huge toll on the living of everyone and this reality does not support merriment this yuletide as it has hugely reduced the purchasing power of many of us, leaving us struggling to put food on our tables.

With the worst inflation in the history of the country, the worst unemployment rate and the high rate of insecurity, this year’s Christmas for many of us will be celebrated low-key. In the time past myself and wife used to buy clothes and other Christmas items like caps, decorations and toys for our children but that has not been on our scale of preferences this year because the price of everything is up.

Our biggest concern now as a union is getting ordinary three square meals for our children and facing other basic realities awaiting us in the coming year” he concluded.
For clergyman, Moses Pinga, although the economy is its worse form, the reason for the season which is the birth of Jesus Christ will celebrated. He said the only exception is that the celebration will be prioritised in order to accommodate other pressing needs in January.

“We have faced the worst inflation this year and things don’t even seem to get better during this festive period as the price of foodstuff and good keep increasing. But despite the harsh economic situation, we never allow any political, economic or social condition to dampen our Christmas and New Year spirit as we enter the festivities in a celebration mood starting from the first week of this December. I and my family entered into Christmas and New Year celebrations with renewed hope for a bright future.

The past few months have been something else economy-wise; from inflation, resulting in hike of prices of food, to cash scarcity and the rest. The masses are struggling to survive but the birth of Jesus Christ must be celebrated despite the current situation in the country. In my household, we decided to buy things within our budget, because January is coming with huge expenses like payment of school fees, house rent and we have to be careful with our expenses while in the celebration” he noted.

To minimise the effect of the economy on them as it affects the Christmas Celebration, Martha Adinya and her husband pretend and turn deaf ears to the expectation of their younger children who expect gifts during Christmas period as they are wont to have.

Martha Adinya

“We have never had it this tough in the 19 years of our marriage. We usually buy Christmas toys and other funny items for our younger children during this time but this year we pretended to forget and turn a deaf ears to them. In fact, I have been running away from situations where I will take them even near shops that parade such items.

“I was fervently waiting for the implementation of the national minimum wage thinking the new wage will reflects the current economic realities but there is no significant difference even with its implementation. We are only struggling to afford basic necessities of life because our income cannot cover everything, as prices of food, electricity tariff, education, transportation and other services have skyrocketed.

“The situation now is very difficult when you compare to three to five years ago. Though then we were saying things were hard, it appears the situation now is worse than any era in the history of the country” she said.

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