The Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Muhammad Dan-Ali (rtd), has reminded soldiers fighting Boko Haram in the North Eastern part of Nigeria that their actions and inaction on the battle field would be accounted for at the end of the day.
“I want you all to note that your actions and inaction will be accounted for. You must therefore respect the rights of people in your host communities.” Dan-Ali spoke today in Damaturu, Yobe State at a Christmas lunch organized for troops fighting insurgency in the North East.
The minister, who acknowledged some of the challenges facing the operations, assured the soldiers that government is committed to providing the needed logistics to expeditiously end insurgency in the country. He advised the soldiers to remain committed to the war against insurgency, adding: “while your welfare needs is being addressed, I urge you to continue to adhere to all the rules of engagement in your operations.” Also, the Chief of Defence Staff, General Gabriel Olonisakin, commended the sacrifices of troops fighting on different fronts across the country, adding that their contributions in the defeat of terrorism would not be forgotten in a hurry. Olonisakin, however, urged the troops not to relent in their efforts to effectively end the insurgency. We are gradually moving into 2016. Therefore, we must not rest on our oars to win the war. “As we move into 2016, I want to enjoin you to be more determined to reclaim all lost territories. “That is the charge and demand on all of you as we enter the New Year. On our part, we will do our best to ensure that all logistics and welfare required to prosecute the war to a logical conclusion are provided.” Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff, said the visit of Dan-Ali would boost the morale of troops in the ongoing operation. Buratai noted that the situation in the troubled region has improved tremendously and attributed the feat to the sacrifices of the troops. He said: “The security situation has greatly improved and I want to congratulate the troops for a job well done. “We are entering the New Year and I believe that we will start winding down to conclude the operation.” The Deputy Governor of Yobe State, Abubakar Aliyu, confirmed that the security situation has improved in the state, saying that unlike the previous festivities since the insurgency started, residents were able to celebrate the yuletide without fear of any attack from the insurgents. [myad]
From Left: Senate President Bukola Saraki, President Muhammadu Buhari, FCT Minister Mohammed Bello, and Permanent Secretary(FCT), Dr Tope Ajakaiye during the Christmas homage to the President by FCT residents led by the Minister at the Presidential Villa.
From Left: Senate President Bukola Saraki, President Muhammadu Buhari, FCT Minister Mohammed Bello, and Permanent Secretary(FCT), Dr Tope Ajakaiye during the Christmas homage to the President by FCT residents led by the Minister at the Presidential Villa. President Muhammadu Buhari welcoming Cardinal John Onaiyekan during the Christmas homage to the President by FCT residents at the Presidential Villa.
Satguru Maharaji ji, the founder of the One Love Family Sect, has asked agitators for the Republic of Biafra to stop it as it threatens the unity of Nigeria as a nation.
Maharaji ji who spoke today in Ibadan at a press conference marking his 68th birthday anniversary, said that Nigerians must learn from the current insurgency in the North East Zone which had resulted in loss of lives and property.
The sect leader said the current security challenges facing the country required the support of all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic or religious affiliations, saying that the Biafra issue had died since 1968 even as he asked all Nigerians to pray for the country and its leaders.
“The issue of bad roads and infrastructural decay in the country were responsible for this agitation and it needs urgent attention to avoid another Boko Haram insurgency in the country.
.“Igbo traditional rulers should be invited in finding a solution to this issue of Biafra.
“The country is right now fully in control of its security situation and the issue of Biafra should urgently be attended to before it escalates to what we do not expect.”
Mahaji ji rejected the Social Media Bill, saying the new media platforms offer ordinary citizens avenues to question their leaders even as he expressed support for the anti-corruption campaign of President Muhammed Buhari’s administration.
He, however, called for accelerated hearings in corruption cases to serve as a deterrent to others. [myad]
Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to make sure that his government fully implements the contents of the 2016 federal budget when it is passed by the National Assembly.
The Association is particularly excited by the aspect of the N6.08 Trillion budget where the President spoke about recruiting 500,000 unemployed graduates and holders of National Certificate of Education (NCE) as teachers to curb the escalating rate of unemployment in the country.
In a statement issued in Lagos today, the ASCSN President, Bobboi Bala Kaigama, and the Secretary-General, Alade Bashir Lawal said: “we also commend Mr. President for his decision to ensure that all the Federal Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) are captured and brought under the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) because this will not only reduce the burden of manual preparation of payrolls but also curb cases of sharp practices in the system.”
The Association commended the President for resolving to implement the government’s cash transfer programme, even as it stressed the need for the policy to be transparent and inclusive without discrimination.
“We must equally express joy in the decision of Government to make good its promise to provide a meal per day for primary school pupils.”
ASCSN, however, frowned at the decision of the government that fuel subsidy would not be removed “for now,” saying that the impression had been created that it might be removed later, especially as there is no provision was made for fuel subsidy in the budget estimate.
It called for the meeting of all stakeholders, including labour, to discuss the subsidy issue. It argued that the price of crude oil in the international market had reduced drastically, and that the template being used to arrive at the price of fuel should be reviewed downward commensurably.
“If that is done, it is doubtful if the price of petrol will be up to ₦70 per litre,” the union stated.
The Union observed the level of deficit financing in the budget put at ₦2.22 trillion and posited that it was on the high side and advised the Government to work very hard in the area of looted funds recovery as that would go a long way to shore up government revenue and thereby mitigate the negative impact which the quantum of deficit would have on the entire economy.
“On the whole, the union expressed happiness that instead of talking about austerity measures, the government has decided to put more money in the economy, a scenario that has the potential of bringing more resources to the poorest of Nigerians which would also impact positively on major economic variables.” [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has called all those in leadership positions across the strata of the Nigerian society to come together and pull the country out of its current challenges. The President who made the call today when he received a cross section of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), led by its Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, who paid him Christmas homage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja said that Nigeria’s main problem is how to get the right leadership in place for the general good of the society. “For the leaderships at various stages, both civil and spiritual, we need to be patient in managing the society. We need to come together and pull the country out of these problems that we find ourselves. “Everybody in the world believes that Nigeria is a lucky country because of its natural resources. “Our problem is how to organize ourselves and how to get the right leadership in place.” On security challenges, Buhari said that no society can develop in an atmosphere of insecurity and social discontent even as he said that his administration is determined to persuade the Boko Haram militants, if they could be persuaded, to allow peace to reign in the country. The President expressed concern over the pathetic conditions of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in some parts of the country and asked Nigerians to partner with government to uplift the quality of life of the IDPs. He commended the security agencies, the Victims Support Fund led by retired General T. Y. Danjuma and the G-7 for their support and assistances to the IDPs. “We appreciate that the security agencies are doing their best and their best is showing and we have to continue praying for them. There can be no development without security. We have to continue to pray. “If we have two million people as IDPs and 70 per cent are women and children and 30 per cent of them are children, some them are orphans, they will grew up not knowing their parents, tradition or culture, then, as leaders we have a weighty responsibility to ensure that infrastructure for the orphans are taken care of. “As leaders, we must realize that the most important thing for those children is that they must not be denied education. Schools must be rebuilt. “We also thank (Victims Support Fund) Danjuma and the G-7 led by the US. They have been doing their best to help Nigeria to train our military and provide support to the IDPs and areas affected by the insurgency.” Earlier, Muhammad Bello and the leader of the Christian community in Abuja, Rev. Israel Akanji, had commended the President for his vision and leadership qualities. Akanji advised Nigerians, irrespective of socio-political backgrounds, to support and show more understanding to the various policies and programmes of the government meant to pull the country out of its challenges. Highlight of the event were the presentation of giant Christmas cards to President Buhari by various groups in the FCT. [myad]
A tanker which attempted to off-load fuel, today, threw a filling station along Okpanam road by Macdon fast food, Asaba, Delta State capital, into full conflagration.
The inferno, according to eye witness accounts, caused chaos as people who trooped into Macdon fast food centre to celebrate the Christmas began running helter-skelter for safety.
One of the eye witnesses who simply identified himself as Mr. Ifeanyi said: “I suspect that somebody stored fuel or chemical. Otherwise, the fire would not have had such an impact.”
Sympathizers who thronged the scene of the incident to assist in putting off the fire described the disaster as a tragedy for the victims who had planned to celebrate the festive period with their families.
Although no live was lost in the fire, property worth millions of naira was destroyed before the arrival of officers of the state fire service.
One of the victims, Mr. Vincent, lamented his loss, saying: “as I talk to you, no single thing, not even a plank was spared. The things burnt are not less than N3 million. I am so surprised; I don’t really know the cause of the fire.”
The Asaba fire occurred today, a day after an explosion at a gas plant in Nnewi, Anambra State killed 100 people. The Christmas Eve explosion resulted in a fire, which razed several buildings, 60 cars and 50 motorcycles, leaving more than 20 other people with injuries. [myad]
Pope Francis has expressed worry about human dignity of far too many people around the world which he said is being trampled on, including that of refugees and migrants. He said: “Even today, great numbers of men and women are deprived of their human dignity, and like the child Jesus, suffer cold, poverty and rejection. “May our closeness today be felt by those who are most vulnerable, especially child soldiers, women who suffer violence, and the victims of human trafficking and the drug trade.” Pope Francis who is the 266th Pope spoke today while delivering his Christmas message on at the St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.
He called on the world to unite to end atrocities being committed against humanity, especially by Islamist militants. The Pope, who marked the third Christmas since his election in 2013, said that the unity of the world against the insurgents has become imperative in view of the immense suffering they have been inflicting on many countries. He particularly referred to the civil wars in Syria and Libya, adding: “May the attention of the international community be unanimously directed to ending the atrocities which in those countries, as well as in Iraq, Libya, Yemen and sub-Saharan Africa, even now reap numerous victims, cause immense suffering and do not even spare the historical and cultural patrimony of entire peoples.” He was clearly referring to Islamic State militants, who have carried out numerous attacks in those countries and destroyed many cultural heritage sites. In October, Islamic State militants blew up the Arch of Triumph, a jewel in the exquisite collection of ruins in the Syrian oasis city of Palmyra. The pontiff condemned recent “brutal acts of terrorism,” including the November 13 attacks by Islamist militants that killed 130 people in Paris and the downing of a Russian plane over Egypt’s Sinai peninsula that killed 224 people on October 31. Both were claimed by Islamic State. Pope Francis said: “Only God’s mercy can free humanity from the many forms of evil, at times monstrous evil, which selfishness spawns in our midst. “The grace of God can convert hearts and offer mankind a way out of humanly insoluble situations.” He called for peace between Israelis and Palestinians in the area where Jesus was born. He said: “Where peace is born, there is no longer room for hatred and for war. “Yet precisely where the incarnate Son of God came into the world, tensions and violence persist and peace remains a gift to be implored and built.” Pope Francis asked God to bring consolation and strength to Christians who are being persecuted around the world and called for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, South Sudan and Ukraine.[myad]
Christmas looks so different these days from what it was when I was growing up. It is so different it is almost unrecognizable. In this same country, in the 70s, Christmas was a season of celebration, but also of spiritual upliftment, joy abundant, hope, reaffirmation of faith in the certainty of Salvation, and the ritual of that which begins, and that which ends, as a New Year beckoned. We were brought up on a steady diet of Sunday School lessons, and so Christmas and Easter were very much a part of our growing up. We always looked forward to Christmas with excitement. It was that time of the year when we all wanted to act one role or the other in the re-enactment of the drama of Nativity. The preparation for this drama, which was usually staged during Christmas service, to the sound of melodious songs and priestly excitement, was the high point on Christmas Day of the celebration of Christ The Lord. Weeks earlier, the church organized Christmas Carols. If you made the special choir, you felt as if you had won a lottery. Everyone was a songster of sorts, belting out Christmas Carols in both English and the local language. Parents singing. Children singing. Everyone dancing. The feel-good mood was so intense. You could run into people on the streets and the standard greeting, be they Muslims or Christians, was “Merry Christmas!” The official church Carol team went from one church member’s home to another to deliver the good tidings of the season and to announce the coming birth of the Saviour. Christmas strengthened our sense of community, and our Christianity and faith as well. It was also that time of the year for the reinforcement of family values. People whom you had not seen for the whole year travelled home from their stations to be part of Christmas. You got the chance to meet cousins, make new friends, and sing till you almost went hoarse. I wasn’t much of a singer or drummer- my friends used to laugh each time I missed a note or a beat and we would spend weeks afterwards mimicking each other. In short, Christmas was real fun. But it was relatively a simple, inexpensive celebration, year after year. Our parents did not have to borrow, or go bankrupt, or agonize, for Christmas to be meaningful. We got one or two new clothes and shoes: those were the usual Christmas gifts. On Christmas day, after church, lunch didn’t have to be anything extra-ordinary: it was no more than rice and chicken. In those days, chicken was a special delicacy, reserved for Sundays, or special occasions like birthdays or Christmas, very much unlike now that every child acquires the taste for tasty chicken from the womb! On Boxing Day, we either visited friends or stayed home, and played with firecrackers and bangers on the streets. Those children who could not afford bangers were not left out. They improvised with local devices made by blacksmiths. That contraption produced even better effect. Our Muslim friends usually joined us, but they always teased us. In those days, Muslims and Christians celebrated religious festivals together, without any hang-ups about the difference in faith. Virtually every family had Muslim and Christian branches. Give it to Muslims, however, their own seasons were usually more elaborately and colourfully celebrated. They slaughtered rams during the Eid el-Kabir and were generous, handing out gifts of fried meat to family friends and acquaintances. During that festival also known as Ileya, the major Muslim festival, you could acquire a whole bucket-load of meat to sustain the family soup pot for weeks, without being a Muslim and without buying a ram. Christians were not known to be that generous. Every Christian family was governed by rules of restraint. And so, Christmas restricted themselves to the killing of chicken or turkey; some families did not even bother to slaughter anything at all, and they did not violate any religious code, and in any case, Christians didn’t feel obliged to share meat with neighbours. The effect was that Muslim relations and friends had this funny song, which was a friendly way of accusing Christians of being stingy. “Ko s’ina dida nbe; Ko s’ina dida nbe, K’olorun ko so wa d’amodun o, ko s’ina dida nbe”. The truth is that nobody took offence, nobody considered the songs derisory, instead the teasing by Muslims attracted shared laughter. Even if there was no meat to share among the entire neighbourhood, there was more than enough fun to go round as many Muslim children joined us to shoot the bangers and make lots of noise. Many of them in fact knew the Christmas songs; they also joined us to stage in our own neighbourhood then, what was called the Christmas masque, or in Yoruba: “Mebo”. The Mebo was a simple enactment, a blend of the secular, the profane and the religious, drawing its elements from a syncretic base. The Masque or Mebo was dressed like a Masquerade: his face was not supposed to be seen. He was the main attraction, backed by drummers and singers: we used pots and pans and maybe our mouths as drums. The masque danced and led the songs: “Iya Kaa’le o Wa dagba wa darugbo Baba Ka’ale o Wa dagba wa darugbo Mebo yo robo E ba mi wa so mi soro Mebo O yo robo o E ba mi wa so mi soro. There is nothing Christianly about this type of song, but for us, growing up, we celebrated Christmas in the neighbourhood, mixing elements of all the religions and all the available modes. Even children of Egungun worshippers joined the Christmas celebration. And so we could start with Mebo yo robo, and shift to “We wish you a Merry Xmas…Good tidings we bring… Hark! The Herald Angels Sing… E lu agogo E lu agogo, E lu agogo o Olugbala de o, e lu agogo…Keresimesi, Keresimesi, …” followed by other songs in Yoruba, which connected well with the community and did not attract any objections. We went from one house to the other and some people would give the Mebo money, which we shared thereafter and used to buy more bangers and firecrackers. We went round night after night until Christmas Eve. Our parents did not discourage us, knowing that it was all in the spirit of the season. They also did not have to worry about anyone getting kidnapped, or getting into any form of danger. It was a different Nigeria in those days. Those were the days of innocence when children were brought up to shun any form of ostentation and conspicuous consumption. It was the season of joy and contentment. Just as we celebrated Christmas in the town, there was also as much excitement in the villages. The prospect of a New Year, a week after, always made the season special. But Christmas today is different. It has become a commercial enterprise for many families and investors, with little or no emphasis on the spiritual dimension. I don’t hear too many children going from house to house even in the same old town where I grew up, singing Christmas Carols. This new generation does not know Mebo. But they know Santa in Naija on their phones and similar animations. In our time, we talked about Father Christmas; today’s children refer to him as Santa Claus. There is no sense of community anymore, only a sense of rising expenses and religious isolationism. Many churches cannot even organize house-to-house Carols. Parents are reluctant to let their children go out to any stranger’s house, be they Christians or whoever. They don’t want their children kidnapped; they don’t want their daughters to be raped. Some of the churches have no buses, or they cannot even afford to buy fuel at N130 per litre. If anybody shows up at anybody’s door, singing Christmas Carols, these days, the door is likely to remain shut. The times are truly different. You can never know who the visitors are: they could be a band of armed robbers, dancing their way to your doorstep, to gain entrance and inflict harm. I don’t see the excitement of old anymore. Many average families cannot even afford to travel home for Christmas. The cost is too high. The city of Lagos used to look deserted close to Christmas, because virtually all the non-Lagosians would have returned to their villages to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their kith and kin. This year, Lagos traffic is still as busy as ever. People are staying back. Even the more privileged families also don’t want to go to the village. They are afraid of being mobbed by all kinds of relatives looking for help. It is easier to tell people you did not see their text messages, or the account numbers they sent, even when you have not announced that you have surplus money to give away, but to go to the village and see them face-to-face, could be quite an ordeal. I have listened to various tales of harassment, reported by persons who have had to tolerate that cousin who has just taken a third wife, who wants to be supported to maintain the woman, or that in-law who wants to buy a motorcycle and his body language is like if he doesn’t get the support he wants, he’d be tempted to recall his daughter! I really haven’t heard those peals of laughter that used to be the main feature of Christmas anymore. What I see is the sheer anxiety on people’s faces. Christmas has become so expensive. Many parents are practically panicking! The children of today are not interested in Christmas rice and chicken: that stopped being a special delicacy a long time ago. They want expensive gifts. And there are many capitalists cashing in on the taste of today’s children, to provide a variety of services and items that dig holes in a parent’s pockets. One parent remarked that he really does not know what to do. His salary has not been paid. His children would like to experience Christmas. His wife wants a special gift. His children look like they don’t want their Christmas to be “inconclusive.” But in January, he will also have to pay their school fees for the new term. On top of it all, our society today is more divided than it was even after the civil war. Our laughter is shorter; our hopes are slimmer. We will celebrate Christmas all the same because we are a people of faith and hope..…Well, “don’t worry, be happy!” Merry Christmas .[myad]
Hon. Essien Ayi, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing Calabar South in Cross River state, was caught on camera sleeping during the Budget presentation by President Muhammadu Buhari at the National Assembly joint session on December 22. [myad]
The Nigerian Army has warned a lecturer at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Dr Abdullahi Danladi and members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria to desist from making misleading comments that are capable of breaching public peace and order. In a statement today, the Army spokesman, Colonel Sani Usman said that it is aware of clandestine campaign of calumny and misinformation on the incident of December 12, 2015 in Zaria. Colonel said that a group of high ranking members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria, “led by one Dr Abdullahi Danladi, a lecturer at Ahmadu Bello University Zaria” had misrepresented facts about the incident. The spokesman of the Army said that the lecturer was at the university on Wednesday soliciting for support and telling lies about the circumstances surrounding the incident and the incident itself. “He also went further to make false and unfounded allegations of casualty figures and desecration of burial grounds. “Dr. Abdullahi Danladi and likeminded individuals should be warned to desist from telling lies and misrepresentation of facts capable of misleading the general public.” Colonel Usman said that the actions of Danladi was preposterous and showed lack of concern and respect for peace and tranquility. It said that the Army would not sit back and allow some mischievous elements in the society to further create unnecessary tension and disaffection in the society. It called on the public to disregard the misleading campaign by the sect. The statement added: “This attitude will not be tolerated where people abuse their privileged position to mislead the public, create disaffection. “Nigerians and indeed all well meaning people are please enjoined to be patient and await the outcome of the various enquiries instituted by various government and non-governmental agencies.” [myad]
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The Minister of Defence, Brigadier General Muhammad Dan-Ali (rtd), has reminded soldiers fighting Boko Haram in the North Eastern part of Nigeria that their actions and inaction on the battle field would be accounted for at the end of the day.
Remembering Christmas, By Reuben Abati
The preparation for this drama, which was usually staged during Christmas service, to the sound of melodious songs and priestly excitement, was the high point on Christmas Day of the celebration of Christ The Lord. Weeks earlier, the church organized Christmas Carols. If you made the special choir, you felt as if you had won a lottery. Everyone was a songster of sorts, belting out Christmas Carols in both English and the local language. Parents singing. Children singing. Everyone dancing. The feel-good mood was so intense. You could run into people on the streets and the standard greeting, be they Muslims or Christians, was “Merry Christmas!” The official church Carol team went from one church member’s home to another to deliver the good tidings of the season and to announce the coming birth of the Saviour. Christmas strengthened our sense of community, and our Christianity and faith as well.
It was also that time of the year for the reinforcement of family values. People whom you had not seen for the whole year travelled home from their stations to be part of Christmas. You got the chance to meet cousins, make new friends, and sing till you almost went hoarse. I wasn’t much of a singer or drummer- my friends used to laugh each time I missed a note or a beat and we would spend weeks afterwards mimicking each other. In short, Christmas was real fun. But it was relatively a simple, inexpensive celebration, year after year. Our parents did not have to borrow, or go bankrupt, or agonize, for Christmas to be meaningful.
We got one or two new clothes and shoes: those were the usual Christmas gifts. On Christmas day, after church, lunch didn’t have to be anything extra-ordinary: it was no more than rice and chicken. In those days, chicken was a special delicacy, reserved for Sundays, or special occasions like birthdays or Christmas, very much unlike now that every child acquires the taste for tasty chicken from the womb! On Boxing Day, we either visited friends or stayed home, and played with firecrackers and bangers on the streets. Those children who could not afford bangers were not left out. They improvised with local devices made by blacksmiths. That contraption produced even better effect.
Our Muslim friends usually joined us, but they always teased us. In those days, Muslims and Christians celebrated religious festivals together, without any hang-ups about the difference in faith. Virtually every family had Muslim and Christian branches. Give it to Muslims, however, their own seasons were usually more elaborately and colourfully celebrated. They slaughtered rams during the Eid el-Kabir and were generous, handing out gifts of fried meat to family friends and acquaintances. During that festival also known as Ileya, the major Muslim festival, you could acquire a whole bucket-load of meat to sustain the family soup pot for weeks, without being a Muslim and without buying a ram.
Christians were not known to be that generous. Every Christian family was governed by rules of restraint. And so, Christmas restricted themselves to the killing of chicken or turkey; some families did not even bother to slaughter anything at all, and they did not violate any religious code, and in any case, Christians didn’t feel obliged to share meat with neighbours. The effect was that Muslim relations and friends had this funny song, which was a friendly way of accusing Christians of being stingy. “Ko s’ina dida nbe; Ko s’ina dida nbe, K’olorun ko so wa d’amodun o, ko s’ina dida nbe”. The truth is that nobody took offence, nobody considered the songs derisory, instead the teasing by Muslims attracted shared laughter. Even if there was no meat to share among the entire neighbourhood, there was more than enough fun to go round as many Muslim children joined us to shoot the bangers and make lots of noise. Many of them in fact knew the Christmas songs; they also joined us to stage in our own neighbourhood then, what was called the Christmas masque, or in Yoruba: “Mebo”.
The Mebo was a simple enactment, a blend of the secular, the profane and the religious, drawing its elements from a syncretic base. The Masque or Mebo was dressed like a Masquerade: his face was not supposed to be seen. He was the main attraction, backed by drummers and singers: we used pots and pans and maybe our mouths as drums. The masque danced and led the songs:
“Iya Kaa’le o
Wa dagba wa darugbo
Baba Ka’ale o
Wa dagba wa darugbo
Mebo yo robo
E ba mi wa so mi soro
Mebo O yo robo o
E ba mi wa so mi soro.
There is nothing Christianly about this type of song, but for us, growing up, we celebrated Christmas in the neighbourhood, mixing elements of all the religions and all the available modes. Even children of Egungun worshippers joined the Christmas celebration. And so we could start with Mebo yo robo, and shift to “We wish you a Merry Xmas…Good tidings we bring… Hark! The Herald Angels Sing… E lu agogo E lu agogo, E lu agogo o Olugbala de o, e lu agogo…Keresimesi, Keresimesi, …” followed by other songs in Yoruba, which connected well with the community and did not attract any objections. We went from one house to the other and some people would give the Mebo money, which we shared thereafter and used to buy more bangers and firecrackers. We went round night after night until Christmas Eve.
Our parents did not discourage us, knowing that it was all in the spirit of the season. They also did not have to worry about anyone getting kidnapped, or getting into any form of danger. It was a different Nigeria in those days. Those were the days of innocence when children were brought up to shun any form of ostentation and conspicuous consumption. It was the season of joy and contentment. Just as we celebrated Christmas in the town, there was also as much excitement in the villages. The prospect of a New Year, a week after, always made the season special.
But Christmas today is different. It has become a commercial enterprise for many families and investors, with little or no emphasis on the spiritual dimension. I don’t hear too many children going from house to house even in the same old town where I grew up, singing Christmas Carols. This new generation does not know Mebo. But they know Santa in Naija on their phones and similar animations. In our time, we talked about Father Christmas; today’s children refer to him as Santa Claus. There is no sense of community anymore, only a sense of rising expenses and religious isolationism. Many churches cannot even organize house-to-house Carols. Parents are reluctant to let their children go out to any stranger’s house, be they Christians or whoever. They don’t want their children kidnapped; they don’t want their daughters to be raped. Some of the churches have no buses, or they cannot even afford to buy fuel at N130 per litre. If anybody shows up at anybody’s door, singing Christmas Carols, these days, the door is likely to remain shut. The times are truly different. You can never know who the visitors are: they could be a band of armed robbers, dancing their way to your doorstep, to gain entrance and inflict harm.
I don’t see the excitement of old anymore. Many average families cannot even afford to travel home for Christmas. The cost is too high. The city of Lagos used to look deserted close to Christmas, because virtually all the non-Lagosians would have returned to their villages to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their kith and kin. This year, Lagos traffic is still as busy as ever. People are staying back. Even the more privileged families also don’t want to go to the village. They are afraid of being mobbed by all kinds of relatives looking for help. It is easier to tell people you did not see their text messages, or the account numbers they sent, even when you have not announced that you have surplus money to give away, but to go to the village and see them face-to-face, could be quite an ordeal. I have listened to various tales of harassment, reported by persons who have had to tolerate that cousin who has just taken a third wife, who wants to be supported to maintain the woman, or that in-law who wants to buy a motorcycle and his body language is like if he doesn’t get the support he wants, he’d be tempted to recall his daughter!
I really haven’t heard those peals of laughter that used to be the main feature of Christmas anymore. What I see is the sheer anxiety on people’s faces. Christmas has become so expensive. Many parents are practically panicking! The children of today are not interested in Christmas rice and chicken: that stopped being a special delicacy a long time ago. They want expensive gifts. And there are many capitalists cashing in on the taste of today’s children, to provide a variety of services and items that dig holes in a parent’s pockets. One parent remarked that he really does not know what to do. His salary has not been paid. His children would like to experience Christmas. His wife wants a special gift. His children look like they don’t want their Christmas to be “inconclusive.” But in January, he will also have to pay their school fees for the new term.
On top of it all, our society today is more divided than it was even after the civil war. Our laughter is shorter; our hopes are slimmer. We will celebrate Christmas all the same because we are a people of faith and hope..…Well, “don’t worry, be happy!” Merry Christmas .[myad]