The combined effect of the lingering fuel shortage and the high cost of food stuff and transport fares, will negate President Muhammadu Buhari’s effort to make Nigerians enjoy the Yuletide, by his directive to state governors to pay workers before Christmas. In this report, TOPE SUNDAY, ABDULRAHEEM AOUDU, BASHIR MOHAMMED, SADIQ ABUBAKAR, SALIHU OYIBO, MUSA BUBA, IME AKPAN and DANIEL AGBO, examine how Nigerians across the country are preparing for the Christmas celebration.
For over a month now, President Muhamadu Buhari has been advising the state governors to pay workers their December salaries on time, to enable them enjoy the yuletide season.
Last week, the fulfilled his own part of the bargain by releasing N609.95 billion from the Federation Account to federal government, 36 states and 774 local governments as their monthly statutory allocations. Similarly, he had released the third tranche of the Paris Club Refund to some states and as at the last count, about 27 states have received their own shares.The remaining nine states were being attended to as at last week.
Ordinarily, with the release of funds to the states, workers are expected to have a blissful Christmas celebration but the combined effect of the fuel scarcity and rise in the prices of food stuff and transport fare that normally occur during festive seasons, may mar this Christmas, especially for those in the private and non formal sectors.
Investigations by the Blueprint Weekend have shown that this year’s Christmas celebrations may be low key or even bleak across the country. However, some Nigerians are determined to make the best out of the visibly glooming situation as our correspondents have found out.
Kaduna workers already smiling to the bank
Ahead of the Yuletide season, Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna state, has commenced payment of workers’ salary since last week Friday in line with President Buhari’s order. Partly, the payment of salaries has cushioned the effects of soaring prices of goods in the state as government workers now have the means to buy what they need for Christmas and New Year celebrations. On the other hand, workers in the private sector are at their wit’s end regarding how they will celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ(AS) and the New Year of the Gregorian calendar .
Right now, prices of foodstuffs and other goods have skyrocketed due to the scarcity of fuel across the state. A 50kg bag of rice costs N17,000 as against the N15,000 that it used to sell last month. A measure of beans that sold for N400 now sells for N500, a rubber of tomatoes that previously sold for N250 now goes for N350, while chicken, the preferred meat for Christmas has also gone up from N1,500 to N2,000.
The fuel shortage has spawned traffic snarls in most parts of Kaduna city center, especially around the Sheikh Abubakar Gummi Central Market, as residents make last minute purchases before Christmas. Also, transport fares to different parts of the country have witnessed astronomical increases.
The price hike ranges from between 10% and 50% because motorists have to queue for hours and sometimes days, before getting fuel. Those who patronize the black market pay between 100% and 400% above the normal price per litre. Despite the high fares, several travelers were seen at the various motor parks boarding vehicles to different parts of the country. Some of them told our correspondent that they have weddings and burials to attend and that the events are too important to miss.
Igbos may not travel in Kano
In contrast, there are indications that most Igbo, the majority tribe that constitutes the ‘’settlers’’ in Kano, may not travel this year for Christmas, owing to the prevailing economic situation in the country and the lingering fuel scarcity. A visit to the famous Sabon gari area, where the predominant non- indigenes reside, suggests that most Christians will celebrate the occasion in a low key manner in Kano, instead of travelling home.
According to Uche Nnana of Gold Coast street , it would be difficult for him to travel to his home town in Imo State because the hike in transport fares is too much for him to shoulder. He said he had been visiting his home town for Christmas, for over two decades in spite of all odds.
However, Nnana said that he will break this tradition this year as his business is suffering due to the nation’s dwindling economy. “How do you expect me to sponsor my entire family to travel to my home town with the hike in transport fares. I am having a family of ten, myself , my wife, six children and my two sisters. You see it would be very difficult for me to bear the burden.
In the past, I found it very easy to travel home, because I had the financial muscle. It is better to observe the festivity in a low key manner than to over stretch our resources and celebrate the occasion with difficulty, ” he added.
Collaborating Nnana’s position, a spare parts dealer in the area, Mr Obinna Nwankwo, said he has made adequate preparations to observe the festivity without the usual pomp and pageantry.
According to Nwankwo, he has notified his kith and kin that he will spend the Christmas in Kano, with the little ram he bought at N30,000, instead of slaughtering a cow as he used to do every year. On December 25, he intends to send greetings and felicitations via text messages to his people in the village, he told Blueprint Weekend .
Borno residents travel in droves
Despite the hike in fuel pump price of petrol, some residents of Borno state are hell bent on traveling to celebrate the yuletide with their family members. Mr. Moses Yohana, an officer with the Federal Road Safety Commission, said that he will travel to Jalingo, the Taraba state capital, to see his family. ‘’Already we have been discussing about the children wears and food to cook,’’ he told our correspondent last Tuesday. The FRSC official lamented that the celebration will be low key because transport fare will gulp most of his finances.
Similarly, Mr. Godiya Wakawa , a worker with Favours Restaurant Maiduguri, is in the same boat with Yohana. According to him, the increase in transport fare is not peculiar to this Christmas season as it is almost a tradition in Borno state.
‘’Whenever there is a festivity like this, when people are travelling out or coming into town, the commercial drivers do increase their transport fares,’’ he recalled. However, the fare hike has never stopped people from travelling out to see and celebrate with their people at home, Wakawa pointed out.
Jonathan Ayuba, a student of the University of Maiduguri said that he will definitely travel, no natter the cost of the transportation. ‘’My friends and I are from Adamawa and we have already made the arrangement with a bus driver to pick us and drop us in Yola,’’ he said last Tuesday
Transport fares remain same in Yobe
Similarly, the resolve of people to travel out for the Christmas is also the same in Yobe state. Lots of Christians were seen at the main Damaturu Motor Park, the Mass Transit Bus and Yobe Line Terminus, boarding vehicles to the different parts of the country.
One of the travelers, Mrs Christiana John, who was on her way to Abuja, said that “things are not easy these days but I just have to travel for my sister’s wedding”. Blueprint weekend gathered that despite the increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), which Independent Marketers sell for between N180 and N200 per litre as against N145, transport fare has not been increased.
As for tailors, it is a season to smile as Adamu Peter told Blueprint Weekend that he is trying to meet up with the demands of customers. “ In the last one week, I have been spending the night here in the shop because of the work load”, he said. In contrast, civil servants were anxiously waiting for their December salary as at Tuesday.
However, they are optimistic that they will get paid before Christmas as Governor Ibrahim Gaidam has never in defaulted in payment, even when federal allocations were not released to states. An army officer who wants to remain anonymous, said that the military is already ‘’on red alert because during festivities, enemies are also are at work”. Our correspondent also sighted a number of Army, Police and FRSC patrol vehicles patrolling Damaturu day and night in case of any eventuality.
Stable prices of food stuff in Kogi
Unlike other states, workers in Kogi state may not get salaries before Christmas. Before now, workers have not been paid for over seven months in spite of federal government’s bail out funds.
Right now, it doesn’t look likely that Governor Yahaya Bello will heed President Buhari’s call and pay them for the Christmas. The lack of salary and acute fuel shortage will combine to make the Yuletide a bleak one. Significantly, prices of food stuff have remained stable in spite of fuel scarcity. For example, a bag of foreign rice still costs between N16,000 to N16,500, likewise a basket of tomatoes remains N1,200 as against last year Christmas that it sold for N3000. However, the price of goat is now between N5,000 to N10,000, depending on the size, and the price of chicken is between N1,500 to N2,500. A tomatoes seller in Lokoja International Market, Mallam Umar Ahmed, told Blueprint Weekend that the stability in price is as a result of lack of money in the circulation ‘’due to non payment of salaries.’’
According to him, the number of customers that patronizes them has dropped even before the preparation for Christmas. Malam Umar told our correspondent on Tuesday that he had ‘’only attended to two customers as there is no serious patronage even though Christmas is less than one week, by this time last year things are not as bad as this”.
Also, A Commercial Driver, Mr Andrew Saidu, who plies Lokoja to Lagos, lamented that the rate at which people are travelling in this festive period is lower than the previous years.
Last year, he had plied the route four times within a week but as at last week, he had only travelled to Lagos once. Similarly, in the past, many homes or shops are normally decorated at the beginning of December, to herald the coming of Christmas , but the story is not the same this year in Lokoja, the Kogi state capital.
Beehive of activities in Benue
In contrast, the neighboring Benue state is a beehive of activities, especially in Makurdi, the Benue state capital, even amidst complaints of lack of money. At Wurukum, Makurdi Modern Market, Wadata, people were seen buying some foodstuff, clothes and other goods, which they will use for the Christmas.
Mrs. Juliana Torhide, who was in the Wurkum market to buy food stuff, described the hike in food prices as worrisome. According to her, although she has received one month salary, the money was not enough to buy what she needed for the Christmas. Like Kogi state, Benue state civil servants are also being owed salary arrears. Chinedu, a children clothes seller, complained of low patronage because most people now prefer to buy second hand clothes for their children. ‘’In my shop, one man deposited money for his children’s clothes but he later came and collected the money because he could not get the balance to pay”, he added.
But Musa Salisu, a meat seller at the Wadata market, admitted that there is high patronage of beef despite the high cost, attributing the high cost of cow meat to the high demand of the commodity, as well as the high cost of transportation of cows . Recently, Benue state had enacted the Anti Open Grazing Law, which has seen many herdsmen relocating to other states. For this reason, cow dealers have to go elsewhere to source for their animals and this has resulted to low supply and high demand.
Lagos in celebratory mood
At Odo-Eran, Itire and Ijesha markets in Surulere, some traders complained about low patronage. Fausat Adigun, a dealer in yams at Odo-Eran, described the situation as “discouraging’’, owing to the low turnout of buyers.
“The quantum of sales normally increases some days to Christmas to avoid last-minute rush. I have not experienced very massive sales in the run-up to the celebration. Customers are not coming to buy. Since I came to the market today, I have not sold up to 10 tubers of yam. Some people would come, look at the yams, ask for the price and walk away. They will not even utter a word,” she lamented.
According to her, the situation is a result lack of money in circulation. Mrs. Aduke Folarin who deals in different brands of food seasonings, also complained about low patronage. According to her, ‘’I’ve been long in this business and I can tell you that what I have seen this time is unprecedented. I know Lagosians are willing to buy but they just don’t have enough money.’’
At cold rooms located in the vicinity of some markets in Surulere, the operators also complained about low patronage because of unavailability of electricity.
Earlier, investigation at Mile 12, Whitesand, Iddo and Oko Oba markets had revealed a crash in price of some commodities.
According to our correspondent’s findings, a basket of tomatoes, which previously sold for N15, 000 goes for N8, 000 while red pepper (tatashe) cost N8000 compared to its previous price of N14, 000 a basket. A basket of chilli pepper (rodo) has also reduced from N18, 000 to N10, 000 and a jute bag of onions, which previously cost N30, 000, now goes for N20, 000. A 25-litre of vegetable oil, which previously sold for N11, 500, now cost N10, 700, palm oil decreased from N11, 000 to N10, 300, while a measure of Garri now cost N400.
However, the price of a 50 kilogramme bag of rice ranges between N13, 500 to N17, 000, depending on the brand while a measure of beans costs N1,500.
Femi Odusanya, spokesman for Mile 12 Market Traders Association, attributed the price drop to the ongoing harvest season for most of the produce.
“Over 20 per cent of the annual four million metric tonnes of tomatoes produced in the country is supplied to Mile 12 Market annually and redistributed to over 400 markets in Lagos and Ogun states and six countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). About 200, 000 metric tonnes of the 800,000 metric tonnes of tomatoes annually supplied to Mile 12 Market get wasted due to postharvest losses,’’ he said.
Despite complaints about poor customer turnout, a walk around the Lagos metropolis revealed that the city is in Christmas mood. Public places like banking halls, churches, shopping malls, supermarkets and recreational centres have been decorated for the Christmas celebration. Besides, giant Christmas trees have been ‘planted’ at some recreation centres. The streets of Lagos are not left out of the Christmas mood. They wear new looks, with carnival messages displayed visibly on street gates and some compounds.
In the spirit of the season too, youths hold rehearsals at street junctions and any available open space in preparation for Christmas and New Year celebrations. Blueprint Weekend also noticed that the use of firecrackers had reduced drastically; only isolated firings could be heard. Last month, Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Imohimi Edgal had warned that the ban on the use of fireworks in the state during festive seasons is still in force.
All said and done, Nigerian Christians will join their fellow brethrens all over the world to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ(AS) next tomorrow, in spite of the fuel shortages and high costs of food stuff and transport fare.
