As Christmas approaches, emerging inflation threatens to lightless the festive cheer for lots of Nigerians grappling with financial hardships.
The price of celebrating Christmas in Nigeria has soared over time because of expanding costs and financial unsureness. Many now must spend considerably extra on unadorned meals pieces and presents, time some effort to uphold conventional celebrations as inflation erodes their buying energy.
Lately, Nigerians had been forced to decrease to spending and forego sure traditions because of the prime price of dwelling. As an example, some are not in a position to shop for presents for family members or donate to capitaltreasury as they as soon as did.
Regardless of those demanding situations, many Nigerians are discovering inventive techniques to proclaim Christmas on the cheap.
Do-it-yourself decorations and presents are changing into customery, and a few families now host potluck dinners in lieu of pricy feasts.
As the industrial crunch deepens, Nigerians are prioritising reports over subject material presents, opting for to spend component pace with family members, keep tabs on Christmas motion pictures in combination, or experience easy outings.
On the other hand, even such efforts are tempered by way of the emerging prices of necessities. The standard Christmas banquet, as an example, has transform a luxurious for lots of households. The costs of staples like rice, hen, and cooking oil have greater than doubled, making it tricky for some families to have enough money a valuable meal.
Transportation prices have additionally skyrocketed, making advance to hometowns for community reunions just about not possible for some. Those overlooked reunions have added an emotional toll to the monetary pressure throughout the amusement season.
Oldsters are more and more forgoing Christmas garments and footwear for his or her kids, time households that when indulged in grand feasts now effort to have enough money even the necessities.
Christmas in Nigeria is historically a party of religion, community, and feasting, steadily marked by way of the acquisition of hens, turkeys, goats, or cows weeks in travel. Youngsters sit up for optical “Father Christmas” and receiving presents and goody luggage.
On the other hand, in keeping with to be had information, the price of meals and non-alcoholic drinks has risen by way of 92.73% within the moment 3 years.
A bag of rice that price not up to N10,000 a couple of years in the past now sells for over N100,000. The cost of frozen hen, a customery festive protein, has larger by way of 107%.
The Nationwide Bureau of Statistics stories that Nigeria’s headline inflation fee for November 2024 reached 34.60%, with meals inflation emerging to 39.93%. At primary markets in Lagos, a cow now sells for between N1 million and N1.5 million, time hen costs length from N13,000 to N15,000.
A 25kg keg of groundnut oil prices between N95,000 and N100,000.
Talking with our correspondent, Lagos banker Wonuade Anota expressed fear over the steep arise in prices.
Wonuade stated, “During the Muhammadu Buhari administration, the prices of food items were reasonable. After COVID-19, they remained somewhat stable until 2022. Now, the cost of celebrating Christmas has skyrocketed. A bag of rice costs over N100,000, and you need at least N250,000 to have a modest celebration.”
In a similar way, a Lagos Shape civil servant, Mrs Adaora, famous, “Things are so expensive in the market. Even though the government promised to start paying the N80,000 minimum wage, it hasn’t been implemented. We will celebrate Christmas on a low budget this year, but the most important thing is that we are alive.”
Lagos dealer Madam Blessing described the season as bittersweet: “What should be a time of joy has become a period of anxiety. Families are forced to stretch their limited resources, and it’s hard to celebrate properly when everything is this expensive.”