NEW TELEGRAPH
Like the certainty of the sun rising in the East and setting in the West, Bisi Alawiye is cocksure she would not have a merry Christmas, foreclosing any possibility of a last minute miracle against the teachings of her Christian faith.
With three children and a husband to feed, she plays the fatherly roles originally meant for her husband after economic woes snatched her husband’s job following the closure of the factory where he was working.
With unsmiling inflation numbers yanking off a huge part of her salary as a school teacher, like a number of Nigerians, she is left gloomy three days to Christmas, as she battles higher rent, climbing school fees and rising food prices.
“With loads of bills to settle, I can’t even think of any Christmas celebration. It will come and go. What will now happen after I spend the little I have on Christmas celebration? Right now, what gives me a headache is the higher rent I will pay in January and the school fees of my kids that have increased.
“I told my children not to disturb me about Christmas celebrations. Whatever I can afford is what I’ll give them. Food, chicken, everything is too expensive. It’s only God that can save us from the present situation. Things have gone very bad. Prices of everything keeps increasing but what I’m earning has not increased. Christmas is not my priority for now. ”
In its November report, the National Bureau of Statistics(NBS) stated that food inflation witnessed a sharp rise, hitting 39.93 per cent in November 2024, up from 32.84 per cent in the same period last year.
It further stated that Inflation in Nigeria rose to 34.60 per cent in November 2024, representing a 0.72 per cent increase on its previous October rate of 33.88 per cent.
“In November 2024, the Headline inflation rate was 34.60 per cent relative to the October 2024 headline inflation rate of 33.88 per cent. Looking at the movement, the November 2024 Headline inflation rate showed an increase of 0.72 percentage points compared to the October 2024 Headline inflation rate.
“On a year-on-year basis, the Headline inflation rate was 6.40 percentage points higher than the rate recorded in November 2023 (28.20 per cent). This shows that the Headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in November 2024 compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.e., November 2023), ” the report partly stated.
How we intend to celebrate Christmas amid hardship- Nigerians
For Victor Ifeolu, a security guard with a commercial bank, travelling to his home state to bond with his extended family would have been his preferred way of celebrating Christmas but his wish must bow to his reality. According to him, the current government has made life so difficult for the citizenry that what is normal now looks like a luxury.
“I decided not to travel after this government messed up things for Nigerians. To eat good food is hard, let alone paying over N20,000 for transport. To transport my kids to and fro my village is almost N250, 000. I can’t afford it. Instead of paying that, we will rather stay back and enjoy the season as it comes. So, I intend to spend Christmas with my family by staying at home eating and gisting.”
Contrary to Ifeolu’s lamentations, Mrs Jedidah Okeke, a business woman, said Nigeria’s tanking economy would not affect her celebration, stating that she had planned for this season long before now.
“Despite the economic downturn, Christmas is a time to relax and spend time with friends and family.
“I intend traveling to see my family, having missed them. I’ve been planning for this holiday. So, irrespective of price changes, I doubt it would affect my plan. I’m only going to caution myself on spending, so I don’t go overboard.
“I’ve bought some food stuff for January, so I don’t come back to an empty house. I’ve also kept some cash aside”.
Expressing his frustration on the state of the economy and its effect on Christmas celebration, Fola Ajasa, said:”I’m supposed to travel home with my family but we won’t be going this year because the economy is not smiling. And again, travelling will pass the wrong message because I usually assist my people in my own little way when I’m around. So, in order to avoid billing, I’m staying in Lagos.
“Hopefully, next year, we will go home. I’m really not happy with the current situation. It’s affecting everyone; complaints here and there. It’s very dicey.”
Baring her mind, Comfort Adelaja, a trader, said: “Despite the economic challenges, I intend to keep Christmas simple, yet meaningful. I plan to focus on spending quality time with family and friends, creating memories that don’t rely on extravagant spending. Cooking affordable, yet delicious meals, engaging in activities like games or storytelling, and reflecting on the year’s blessings will take centre stage.
“This season, I’ll prioritize gratitude, appreciating what I already have, and finding joy in the little things, like connecting with loved ones and giving from the heart, even if it’s through small acts of kindness.”
Fares hiked , people will still travel – Driver
When Sunday Telegraph visited the Ojodu Berger Motor Park in Lagos, drivers interviewed hinted at more hikes in the days ahead. One of the drivers ,who plies the Lagos-Ilorin route but chose not to have his name in print, said: “What do you mean if there will be a hike? Are we not in this country together? As long as fuel prices are on the rise, fares must surely increase.There is a tendency for prices to increase starting from this weekend or next week as more people would want to travel for the festive season. But regardless of the hike in fares, people will still travel home. ”
Speaking to Sunday Telegraph on why fares would continue to rise, a driver,who gave his name as Fred at a park near 7UP/Tollgate in the Ketu area of Lagos, said fares would continue to rise in the days ahead. “It can’t be fair to blame drivers for the rising fares. I travel as far as Okene. There are places we get to that we simply buy fuel higher than what we buy here in Lagos. We are also humans. We have families that depend on us this Christmas season. We also buy from the same market you people go to.”
At Okeyson Park in the Aguda, Ogba area of Lagos, as of December 18, bus fare from Lagos to Enugu was N51,000.
The bus attendant ,who simply gave his name as Sunday, told our reporter that buses were loaded according to the number of passengers available.
He said: ” As Christmas draws near, the number of passengers increases. As early as 4:30 am, passengers who have paid to travel to the Eastern part of Nigeria arrive at the motor parks, ready to board.
“In the past, by 19th of December, buses numbered from first to sixth bus would have been filled, but some other parks say they are lucky to load up to four buses, hoping turnout will increase as days go by.”
At the Ojota Park, a bus attendant, who craved anonymity, said travelling from Lagos to Ilorin was N3,500 last year, noting that the same journey now costs N10,000.
Below is the comparison of fares at Berger Park in Lagos between last year and this year from Lagos by bus to the destinations below:
Fares this year
Ondo State – N11,000
Ilorin, Kwara State – N10,000
Ekiti State -N 10,000
Ibadan, Oyo State – N3,000
Abuja-N 40,000
Fares last year
Ekiti State – N6,000
Ilorin, Kwara State – N7,500
Ibadan,Oyo State- N1,500
Abuja – N17,000- 20,000
Ondo State – N3,500-5,000
Sales low compared to last year – Hamper Seller
At the hamper market in Ogba, Lagos, the biggest size of hamper, filled with mostly foreign provision brands goes for as much as N250,000,while the cheapest hamper oscillates between N15,000 to N20,000.
A hamper seller, who simply gave his name as Tolu, said: “Last year, 2023, the N250,000 worth hamper today was about N100,000. Because of fuel price increase and high cost of dollar, the prices of goods have tripled.”
On if customers are buying as much as before, she said: “Some come, ask us the prices and go away while some promise to come back. I have made a few sales but compared to last year or previous years, we are recording poor sales this year.”
Rising food prices: Nigerians left gloomy, await govt intervention
In July, the Federal Government announced the suspension of taxes on the importation of food through land and sea borders to curb inflation.
The duty waiver was , however, limited to maize, husked brown rice, wheat, and cowpeas.The executive order gave a 150-day window for the importation of the said items.
With food inflation biting harder, according to reports, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, in an interview with journalists recently, said the government was being careful not to flood the country with food that can be produced locally , leaving local producers at the receiving end.
Hence, the delay in the take-off of the duty-free import of food.
Earlier, the President of the African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina, had described the plan to encourage food importation, stating that the policy was depressing. He said Nigeria could not import its way to food security.
“Nigeria’s recently announced policy to open its borders for massive food imports, just to tackle short-term food price hikes, is depressing.
“Nigeria cannot rely on the importation of food to stabilize prices. Nigeria should be producing more food to stabilize food prices while creating jobs and reducing foreign exchange spending, which will further help stabilize the Naira.
“Nigeria cannot import its way out of food insecurity. Nigeria must not be turned into a food import-dependent nation,” he said.
Meanwhile, visits to various markets in Lagos and Ogun states show the average prices of food items at open markets and malls below:
50kg(Long grain rice) – N110,000
50kg(Small rice) – N88, 000
Small rice 25kg – N44000-N55,000
10kg(small rice-)- N16,500
Branded Palm oil 5L- N17,000, 2L-N 6,000, 1L- N3000
1kg frozen chicken- N4,500- N5,000
Live Chicken
Breeder – N23,000-N25,000
Layers- N8,000-N9,000
Broiler- N10,000-N15,000
Shopping Malls
Kings oil (25L)- N103,000
1L Kings oil – N4,300
Kings oil (5L )- N20,000
Nigerian parboiled rice (50kg)- N91,000-N100,000
1kg Frozen Chicken- N5,400
Market ambience doesn’t look like Christmas time – Trader
Lamenting low patronage, a trader in the Berger area of Lagos, Bisi Owolabi, said the volume of purchase done by customers had dropped drastically when compared to previous years, blaming it on rising inflation. She said customers were now forced to buy items of smaller quantities due to depleting purchasing power.
“Patronage is low. As the prices keep increasing, customers are settling for small quantities such as the 5kg and 10kg rice; some are also sharing a bag for 25kg each. There is a likelihood of prices skyrocketing starting from this weekend ,mainly because of Christmas. Some traders will most likely take advantage of the period to hike their price.
The market ambience is not looking like it’s Christmas time. It’s still scanty. I think it has to do with inflation.”
Speaking to Sunday Telegraph on why the price of chicken may be unaffordable by many Nigerians, a chicken seller, Tope Abe, said: “The cost of chicken has skyrocketed due to the cost of their feed. There is low patronage as not everyone can afford to pay N25,000 for a chicken, especially when rice is over N100,000. The prices are expected to increase as time goes on. ”
Earlier, a poultry owner and the Chief Executive Officer of Greenfield Nigeria Limited, Mr Gabriel Enoch, had told Sunday Telegraph that a number of factors were responsible for the expensive prices of chicken. According to him, a great number of companies in Nigeria that import foreign feed into the country for sale are in difficulty over the fallen value of the Naira to the Dollar. He said that would definitely have an impact on the prices of chicken.
He added: “You know electricity is not stable in Nigeria. We need a regular supply of it to produce heat. In the absence of it, the only alternative is to buy petrol to power our generators. Mark you, most of the raw materials are not produced in Nigeria here. We don’t rely on the Corn from Nigeria alone. We get from Niger Republic and other neighbouring countries. It’s the same story for Wheat. We import a huge chunk of it. We don’t produce enough corn; we don’t produce enough groundnuts; we don’t produce enough Wheat. So, the price of chicken is a reflection of our economic situation. Nigerians should be fair to us.”
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