Despite the erratic supply of petrol, bad roads, soaring prices of foodstuffs and insecurity, Nigerians are poised to celebrate the yuletide and New Year. SAMUEL AWOYINFA (Lagos), MUDIAGA AFFE (Calabar), CHUKWUDI AKASIKE (Port Harcourt) and FEMI MAKINDE (Ado-Ekiti) report
The Yuletide season is around the corner. But some odds are currently staring Nigerians in the face, what with erratic supply of premium motor spirit popularly known as petrol. Again, the prices of foodstuffs have increased astronomically and flooding that eroded farmlands earlier in the year, and insecurity in some parts of the country have combined to hamper regular movement of goods to other parts of the country.
Ekiti comes alive as Santa Claus arrives
Christmas is already in the air in Ekiti State, especially in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital. Business opportunities that always accompany the Yuletide are springing up everywhere, so that the people of the state are not left out in sharing the joy of the season.
Christmas trees are sprouting everywhere — at road sides, shops, schools and banks, among others. The trees are everywhere, decorated with sundry lights.
Two dominant colours — red and green — mark the theme of the decorations; while caps with white and red colours, some with glittering red lights, adorn the heads of the young and old almost everywhere.
Operators of eateries seem to be laughing all the way to the banks, as children troop there to have fun. Many of the eateries have fun spots where kids can play all sorts of games, like computer games, slides, 'tree' climbing among others. All the efforts are geared towards making the Christmas season a memorable one.
A visit to the premises of the Broadcasting Service of Ekiti State at Ilokun revealed the joyous mood of the season. Pupils from various schools troop to the Santa Claus grotto situated in the Christmas Fun Village to catch a glimpse of 'the man from Rome' and to receive gifts from him.
Children struggle to have a handshake with Santa, and to also take photographs with him.
Some of the children who spoke with our correspondent at the grotto expressed satisfaction with the organisers of the event. And, like Oliver Twist, they said the gifts would be more meaningful if they were educational toys.
Those who are into events management and rental businesses are also making brisk business this season.
The Managing Director of Eagle Events & Rentals, Mrs. Folasade Ibitoye, confirmed that there had been increase in patronage since the beginning of the month.
Just as corporate organisations and individuals are preparing for the Yuletide, the wife of the Governor of Ekiti State, Mrs. Bisi Fayemi, has also expressed the administration's desire to fete children, the elderly persons and the physically and mentally challenged children in four different schools across the state.
The Special Assistant on Media to the Wife of the Governor, Mr. Akin Oyedele, said she had many activities lined up for Christmas to make it memorable for virtually every segment of the society.
He said that Mrs. Fayemi would hold a children's party and later pay a visit to the School for the Physically and Mentally Challenged in Ido-Ekiti, the School for the Blind in Ikere, and School for the Deaf in Ijero.
Inmates of Ado-Ekiti prison are also expecting to share in the joy of the season. In 2011, Governor Kayode Fayemi set some prisoners free. They included eight men and two heavily pregnant women, Bose and Yetunde. The prisoners are hopeful that some of them will receive a reprieve this year also.
Calabar festival village booms
Activities at the Calabar Festival Village, which opened on December 1 for the annual carnival, are on the upbeat as the Christmas approaches. Unlike the previous year where nearly all the shops in the village were run as bars and restaurants, other business concerns such as electronics, Christmas cloths and home accessories, among others, were allocated shops to operate.
During the 32-day festival in 2011, the village was concessioned to Guinness Nigeria Plc, which in turn allocated the shops to prospective beverage and food vendors with bias for products from the company.
However, the new entrants into the village had lauded the public private partnership initiative of the state government on the management and allocation of shops without restriction to business concerns.
Not less than 300 wooden shops were built to accommodate business outfits, out of which over 50 are currently used for other concerns.
A lady, who trades on children's Christmas cloths, Miss Chioma Okolo, said she had made more sales at the village than at her regular shop located at the Watt Market.
Another trader, Mr. Michael Dike, said the system of allocation of shops had improved greatly, unlike what it used to be in the past.
"I came from Aba in Abia State and before now, we found it difficult to secure allocation. However, everything is now okay. Just come get the form, complete it and pay into designated bank account and you are given allocation." It is as simple as that," he said.
Another trader, Mrs. Nsikak Uduak, said this year's process was the best in recent times, adding that the process was made very simple without any problem. She said the management of the village was more organized; while she also commended the state government for the new arrangement.
In his response, the Managing Director of Millennium Superior Services Limited, Mr. Philip Efem, said his company was in partnership with the state government for the management of the festival village. He said although it was not possible to say how many shops were ready or have been allocated, approximately 250 shops were targeted.
"I cannot tell you the number of shops because we have not finished selling the shops, but we are constructing 250," he said.
He said the company was trying its best to ensure that everything went well before and throughout the festival.
The village was declared open on November 31, 2012 and it is expected to close on January 1, 2013.
P'Harcourt tourist beach, a place to be
The Port Harcourt Tourist Beach appears to be the choice of fun seekers in Rivers State as Christmas approaches. The ongoing Rivers State Carnival, popularly known as CARNIRIV, is a yearly event that often dovetails into the Yuletide period. The occasion helps to revive fun spots that have been abandoned for lack of patronage. The beach is one place where fun seekers converge for entertainment.
It is an open and airy environment, with few trees noticeable at the main arena where the river is. This is where most residents of the state capital catch their fun. The major event at the beach is the annual boat regatta, which is one of the features of CARNIRIV.
Many may want to ask why any person would desire to patronise the tourist beach in a state that boasts top entertainment points like the Silverbird Cinema and the Genesis. The truth is that there comes a time when fun seekers crave to be close to nature and move away from the usual air-conditioned rooms. It is such a time that people visit the Port Harcourt Tourist Beach.
Before this time, apart from residents who always throng the place on weekends, visitors from neighbouring states had also found the beach, located in the Borokiri area of Port Harcourt, an interesting spot.
The barbecue point where fishes are roasted in a unique way is the place to be. Countless epicurans converge on this place that looks like a village square. Here, fish is roasted according to customers' specification and served immediately.
Since the spot is adjacent to a beer parlour, some customers consume their fish alongside bottles of cold beer, wine or soft drinks.
Unofficial records claim that over 12,000 fun seekers visited the beach just to see the annual boat regatta in continuation of the 2012 Rivers State festival. One of such visitors, Ms. Mariam Kujuo, said she was visiting the beach for the first time.
She said, "I came to have fun here. It is all about CARNIRIV and we have come here to see the boat regatta that will hold today. We came to see different kinds of culture and various native dance styles. This is a festive period and as we approach Christmas, it is necessary that we get entertained from the beginning to the end."
Another fun seeker, Mr. John Ezewike, who came with his wife and two children, said they were at the beach in 2011 on Christmas Day. He noted that the beach had improved, expressing the need for government to hand over its maintenance to professionals.
He said, "There is a turnaround here. You may not be able to appreciate the beauty of the place if you were not here some years back. The place was almost abandoned. We are happy that it has improved. We plan to be here within a few days to have fun during this Christmas."
Apart from the activities at fun spots, our correspondents also sampled people's opinion about the season and how they intend to spend the holiday season and plan for the New Year.
In Lagos, the proprietress of Agape Bundles Nursery/Primary School, Omole Estate, Mrs. Jennifer Okoli, said though it's a season of joy, the socio-economic challenges facing many Nigerian families were cause for concern.
She said, "It's as if we are in a state of economic emergency, but nobody is declaring it. The level of inflation is high, availability of resources is low, and the enabling environment for entrepreneurs to thrive is not there.
"Everyone seems to be struggling to survive. This has led to so many vices in the society such as armed robbery, kidnappings, and bombing, among others. In the midst of these challenges, it is very necessary to think of where and how one celebrates the Yuletide."
Okoli said she and members of her household preferred to have a quiet Yuletide celebration in Lagos.
She said, "I don't think I would travel. I prefer to stay back in Lagos and have a quiet time with my family. Travelling to our home state involves some risks and expenses. The roads are bad. People are being kidnapped. There is insecurity everywhere.
"One is not even sure of what will happen in January. On January 1, 2012, Nigerians experienced a new pump price of petrol. It is better to play it low and plan for January, because there are bills to be paid. The children will be going back to school, and that is another round of school fees."
A civil servant, Mrs. Titi Ajirotutu, agreed with Okoli on the need for modest spending during the Yuletide.
She had earlier planned to visit her mother in Odogbolu, and extend Yuletide largesse to her extended family, but she said the distortions in the economy and general insecurity all over the country had made her to have a rethink.
She said, "In the light of all the social issues like epileptic fuel supply, increase in the price of foodstuffs and insecurity, there is the need to have a rethink about having an outlandish Christmas and New Year celebration. The strategy should be enhanced savings in preparation for January. Meanwhile, we hope and pray that the Federal Government will not slam another fuel price hike on Nigerians in the New Year.
It may be recalled that in January, many people who had travelled outside Lagos were stranded in their villages due to the unforeseen fuel price hike. Mostly affected were Easteners who had travelled home for the season.
A Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Valentino Buoro, said though there were no formal standards as to how Christmas should be celebrated, he expressed doubts about the number of Nigerians who would be able to have the kind of Yuletide celebrations they had two or three years ago. He said those who might not be affected were those who had access to 'free money.'
He noted, "With Boko Haram in the North, militants in the South-South and kidnappers in the South-East, you cannot be too careful.
"Worse still is the effect of all these social upheavals on the quantity of foodstuffs coming from these places. Again, the floods that ravaged some parts of the country did not help. All these problems have combined to increase the hardship people now go through."
The Principal Partner, Acardia Communications, Mr. Olaseni Durojaiye, said inasmuch as he would like to give to charity this season, the climate of uncertainty was a challenge to him.
He said, "It is difficult to have a long-term plan here. There are myriad of problems in the country. And this has it made it difficult to plan. I had a plan to share with the less privileged children in the society this Yuletide; suddenly, I had to pay more on transport, fuel, foodstuffs, rent and a number of other things. All these unforeseen financial commitments have eaten into my budget; so, I need to go back to the drawing board and plan afresh, taking the New Year into consideration."
A marketing communication expert with XL8, a public relations firm, Mr. Okey Nwachukwu, said since he hails from the South-East, the Yuletide provides him and his relations time to visit their root, to be with their aged parents and other relations, showcasing how they had fared during the year. So, he is not bothered by any economic or security implication of the reunion.
He said, "I think we should see the Igbo migration to the East during the Christmas and New Year period beyond its economic or security implications. Given the fact that people of all socio-economic strata are involved in this yearly ritual, there is a stronger pull than the ordinary. It has become part of their culture. It is a fact that the Igbo move around a lot and are ready to settle wherever they can make a living in any part of the world, not just in Nigeria.
"In other words, a greater number of Igbo are outside their home region, and this situation often keeps them away from their homeland for long spells. So, the December homecoming represents a reunion of sorts that begins to build up as the year-end approaches.
"It is a global phenomenon, not just moving from Lagos or Kano to the East. It could be from anywhere in the world. Given also that competition is at the foundation of Igbo culture, December is seen as a time to come and showcase how you have fared during the year.
"Don't forget that parents who live in the village expect their children, as a matter of necessity, to return home in December and New Year. It creates a feeling of pride and accomplishment when such children are doing well. And for those who are not doing so well, it represents a period of stock-taking, to see what others are doing better and be motivated to focus for success.
"It is also a season that reminds you of your responsibilities to the family and to the society. So, no matter the risks involved, there is a gravitational pull for Igbo to travel home during the Yuletide and New Year. They prepare for all odds in doing so."
