Few days to Christmas, tales of anxiety are in the air for most Christians in Kaduna State as they gear up for a low-key celebration due to economic hardship coupled with insecurity. Arewa Trust Weekly reports that in the predominantly Christian parts of southern Kaduna, Christmas is celebrated every year with funfair as sons and daughters of the area return home to celebrate the festivity with family and friends.
However, due to the prevailing economic situation in the country, many say it may not be a rosy celebration this year. A visit to Kafanchan and surrounding markets revealed a rise in food prices while retailers and traders complain of low patronage.
Our correspondent reports that a basket of tomatoes now sells between N11,500 and N12,000 as compared to between N8,000 – N9,000 in November. A bag of foreign rice which previously sold at N29,000 now goes for N32,000 while a 25 litre of groundnut oil which went for N23,000 now sells at N28,500.
Speaking on how Christmas will be celebrated this year, Comrade Monday Gyubok from Jaba Local Government Area said Christmas celebration for him this year will be low-key and simple. “Sure, I will celebrate the Christmas with what is available especially by reaching out to friends and family. But certainly, I won’t go into debt just for the day since we have no idea how life will be after the celebration,” he said.
Gyubok also advised youths to be mindful of what they consume during the festivity and make plans for the future. “Parents should equally teach their children the importance of Christmas and not just the celebration. Let love lead, let tolerance guide us and let that humility of Jesus Christ be seen in Christians,” he said.
Juliana Gregory from Jema’a Local Government Area said her celebration of Christmas would be low-key due to the high cost of food items and the insecurity. On her part, Salome Matthew said she will get the necessary food for her children after which she will go to church and thank God for surviving the year. “But I have no plan of going anywhere apart from church,” she added.
Joel Adegboyega, a business man, said “Last year, you could get a cow for less than N100,000 but this year, even a small cow is above N100,000. All food prices are hiked beyond imagination and there is no increase in income. Even if we want to make it a big one, the money to foot the bills is not there, so it is going to be low-key,” he said.
Speaking to Arewa Trust Weekly, the Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria, Kaduna State, Reverend John Joseph Hayab, said hardship and other challenges of life are not new to the season, adding that Christians will celebrate the Christmas despite the inflation and hardship in the country.
“We will disappoint satan and his agents to find reasons to be happy despite the hardship because the reason Christians celebrate Christmas is above the pains of hardship and high prices,” he said.
He added that the Bible enjoins Christians to be wise in the way they do everything and urged Christian leaders not to expose worshippers to risks by planning big celebrations without proper security measures. “Secondly, the new variant of COVID-19 should make this year’s celebration low-key. It is only the living that can celebrate future Christmas. We are appealing to all Christians to obey all COVID protocols and avail themselves for vaccination,” he added.
But according to James Ezekiel from Zonkwa, Zangon Kataf Local Government Area, those who are financially more endowed are expected to help those who have less at such difficult times.
