The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Christmas

  • As we ring out the old year…

    Christmas is gone but the bleakness remains to close the year for us; though I must say it is a hard bell to ring out the year with

    In a few days, the bells will ring for year 2014 to take a bow and exit the stage, and for another to take its place. As usual, a great deal of fanfare attends this change of baton, which begins with the celebration of Christmas. Quite early in the season, for many of us though, Christmas had promised indeed to be a bleak time of it if there was no supernatural intervention. First, though, my own story; it’s a long one but I will cut it short.

    It all began about eleven days to Christmas. We were all sitting quietly in our house of an evening minding our own business and enjoying what little electricity we were given by PHCN (or whatever name they go by now) out of the kindness of their heart, when there was a sudden explosion. We would have put it down to a tyre blow-out or a quarry action if the thing had not coincided with a power cut as we were promptly dumped into pitch-black darkness. That sounds like its coming from the transformer, commented someone from a corner of the dark room, and that means trouble. Why must you put the worst construction on every sound?, someone else asked, obviously trying to stifle her own fears; for all you know, it might well be the top-floor swimming pool of that neighbourhood rich man deciding to come down to street level.

    Actually, that’s another story. I also did not know that it was possible to situate a swimming pool on the top floor of a three-story building; but there you are; only those who have money know how to spend it I guess. Anyway, the fears of our pessimist were confirmed the next day when electricity was not only not restored, a nasty and wild rumour began to spread through the neighbourhood in the route where electricity used to take: there would not be any energy for a while: the transformer had been damaged. TEN DAYS TO CHRISTMAS?, I shrieked. Whoever heard of such a thing? So, while others are singing ‘On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love sent to me…’ song, I would be singing ‘On the eleventh day of Christmas, PHCN sent to me…’ Imagine that!

    In place of help, only a story spread. A very disrespectful animal, we were told, had run violently into the transformer structure, damaging some parts and managing only to get itself thrown out violently too. Fortunately or unfortunately, the blessed thing was not killed, only stunned, as neighbours reported that the thing got up and walked away after a while. Pity, I thought, at least the neighbours might have been compensated for the darkness they would have to endure as the darkness continued relentlessly into the coming days.

    That was when we heard others tell of their experiences. In their neighbourhood, said one, when the transformer conked out, we had to wait for three months to get light again. Another reported that each house had to contribute money in thousands to get a new one. Someone asked us: is there no rich man in your neighbourhood who can get one for himself and then make you people his parasites?

    Indeed, Christmas was but a mere one day away when, with the combined efforts of the concerned consumers led by our pessimist and the (now gallant) PHCN men who looked to me like Fathers Christmas attending to my wish, the flow of electricity was restored right as the neck of Christmas began to peep in. Phew, it was a close one! I hate to think about the many other neighbourhoods where the entire body of Christmas would pull in, feet and all, and there would be no electricity to even light their ways to the kitchen: due to some errant, stupidly playful goat or cow or act of the devil. I sincerely hope such neighbourhoods find respite soon. Now, in my neighbourhood at least, we are back to abnormality: i.e., a constantly interrupted flow of electricity, thank God. Obviously, when the almighty said let there be light, he did not have Nigeria’s PHCN in mind.

    While the uncertainties about the electricity lasted, another shocking piece of news emerged early in the month. It would be a bleak Christmas indeed for many of my countrymen and women because salaries would be delayed or unpaid on account of the downturn in the economy. Now, when I heard that, it felt like a horror story titled ‘The return of Job.’ He it was who was reputed to have said that that, which he feared most, had befallen him. For us the people, it simply meant that that which the government promised to do, it had begun to do. Remember that it had promised that salaries would immediately become irregular on account of the downturn? Well!

    We have said it before, and I think it needs reiterating here, that it feels a little unfair and sad that the salaries of workers should be the first place of call for the government when faced with cuts in revenue. Honestly, I have wondered aloud why this should be and I have received no education on the matter. Indeed, the silence following my questions on the matter has been truly deafening. Why are people’s jumbo pays not attacked?

    I soon had some experience of what the nation’s finance team promised when the minister said that hard times awaited us in the country. Reality really dawned when I went through the banks. It was only on a fact-finding mission, I assure you, since most of what I have can be carried on my person. That reminds me of a joke.

    You know those stereotype jokes? Well, this one is targeting several groups at once. There was this rustic just come into town, a real Mr. Deeds. Well, what does he do but go and fall into the hands of robbers who beat him black and blue to get at his pocket. Naturally, your rural fellow put up a spirited fight but he was outnumbered and out-techniqued by the city thieves. When the robbers eventually got at what he had in his pocket, they were so disgusted they flung it back at him and sternly rebuked him. ‘You mean you put up this big fight just to save your three dollars?’ ‘Naaaa’, replied he, ‘I thought you were after the one hundred and fifty dollars I had hidden in my shoe’. Like I said, most of what I have can be carried on my person.

    Anyway, since I know that most people do not use shoes to hold money any more but banks, Christmas time is always a tedious time for bankers and clients. What was my surprise then when I stepped into some banking halls and found I could quite well have driven my car in without hindrance. Where normally you could find nowhere to put one foot after another in some of the halls because of the press of customers, there was ample space. The crowd was just not there. It was true what people had been whispering then:  it would be a bleak Christmas indeed because many salaries were missing.

    Well, Christmas is gone but the bleakness remains to close the year for us; though I must say it is a hard bell to ring out the year with. So, as we ring out the old year and make room for the new one, I just want to give you two wishes. I want to wish you strength to see the year through, fighting for what’s in your pocket and your shoes. I also wish that no errant goat will cross your path, or your transformer.

  • Christians celebrate Christmas in Borno despite restriction

    Christians celebrate Christmas in Borno despite restriction

    Despite the ban on vehicular movement in Maiduguri metropolis and other parts of Borno state until the end of the yuletide celebration, there was high turnout of Christians in churches to mark the birth of Jesus Christ.

    Worshippers had to travel from long distances within to attend the Christmas mass at different locations in the town.

    St. Patrick Catholic Church Maiduguri was one of the churches that witnessed a high turnout of worshipers despite the palpable fear of a suicide attack on the worshippers by the dreaded Boko Haram sect.

    In his sermon, the Catholic Bishop of Maiduguri Most Rev. Dr. Oliver Dashe Doeme assured the worshipers, many of whom are Internally Displaced Persons from Adamawa part of the diocese ( Pulka, Madagali, Gulak, MichiKa ,  Mubi ) that he will “be with them even in the deepest dungeon”.

    “My dear people of God, the priests, religious and the entire lay faithful of the Catholic Diocese of Maiduguri, I extend my fraternal greetings to all of you especially at this trying moment in our life as a church.

    “On the menace of Boko Haram, to say that we are experiencing severe test of our faith in this diocese hardly requires an emphasis. We are thoroughly devastated by the Boko Haram attacks. All our parishes in areas such as Monguno, Gamboru Ngala, Bama, Pulka, Madagali, Mataka, Gulak, Kaya, Yaffa, Shuwa, Michika, Bazza and Betso are under Boko Haram control. As a result of this, thousands of our Catholic faithful have been displaced. Many of them are on top of the mountains, thousands are in the Cameroun, and thousands are in Yola as well as in Maiduguri city among others. There are over twenty of our priests who have been displaced and are managing with their brother priests in the Diocese of Yola (thanks to the kind gesture of Bishop Stephen Mamza) and a few of them are squatting with their friends elsewhere.

    “Since the crisis began, thousands of people have been killed. There are hundreds of our women and children who have been adopted. Some of the men have been forcefully conscripted into the Boko Haram army. In the recent attacks which led to many of our people fleeing, a lot of our aged people have been trapped in these areas. Some of them have been killed by the sect members, while others have died of hunger. There are many of you whose family houses, shops and vehicles have been vandalized or burnt down. The animals and crops belonging to some of you have either been looted or destroyed. The destructions done to our church structures both in the cities and villages are enormous”.

    Bishop Doeme praised the faith of the worshippers who have made it to the church on the Christmas day.

    Samuel Amaza one of the worshippers who spoke with our correspondent expressed joy for for seeing them through their trying times.

    “We have to thank God that we are alive today. Some of our people have died. Even though we have no homes now, we still hinge our hopes on the almighty the creator of  Heaven  and Earth.

    “It is our  believe that this problem of Boko Haram would not last forever. Our land will witness peace again. Our peace would be everlasting after these bad times. The scriptures have said it all. It will surely come to pass,” Amaza said.
    Rev. Fr. Gideon Obasogie, the Director of Catholic   Communications in Maiduguri Diocese   noted that, “despite the security lapses and challenge Christmas was celebrated with great joy and faith in the city of Maiduguri. We hope and pray that the forth coming Nation’s elections would be tension – free and that the threat of terrorism would be a thing of the pass”.

     

  • Christmas tragedy: Six die in fire, road accidents

    Christmas tragedy: Six die in fire, road accidents

    No fewer than six persons were feared dead in three Christmas day tragedies at Udu and Ahoada communities in Delta and Rivers states respectively.

    Three persons were burnt to death when fire gutted a ramshackle hotel located near the popular Jigbale Market around Orhumwonrun roundabout in Udu area of Delta State.

    Over 20 shops and property worth several millions of naira were destroyed in the inferno, which also ravaged a residential building located near the hotel used mostly by sex workers and itinerant traders.

    It was gathered that the fire started at about 11:45pm probably from an electrical connection in the red light facility, killing a couple and a young man in two separate rooms.

    When our reporter visited the scene, hundreds of traders and other victims of the disaster were seen milling around the burnt down shops. They were wailing and weeping over their losses.

    An eyewitness, Ms Tonia Semali said, “The fire started at about midnight. Nobody knows what caused it; but the shop owners who rushed down could barely rescue any of their wares.”

    Our reporter, who visited the scene on Boxing Day afternoon, reported that the three charred remains of the victims were removed by health officials from the Udu LG council at about 1:00pm.

    The bodies were scooped into three jute bags and evacuated from the scene in a Toyota Hiace bus painted in the official blue/white colours of the state’s taxis and buses.

    A council official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the victims were charred beyond recognition.

    “In normal circumstances, we would need DNA tests to ascertain their identities because as you can see, there is nothing to see from the mass of ash and burnt skulls.”

    In another tragedy, no fewer than two persons were confirmed dead in a fatal road accident which occurred between Mbiama and Okogbe communities of Ahoada West area of the East/West highway on Christmas day afternoon.

    An eyewitness account of the accident indicated that the accident involved a Toyota Venza and Honda Accord cars. The two vehicles, which were probably on top speed, were involved in  a head-on collision at about 3pm.

    The two young male victims were said to be riding on the Honda Accord car. Our source said they died on the spot, adding that their remains were still at the scene when he got there.

    “The driver and passengers in the Venza were seriously wounded and they had been taken to an unnamed hospital when we got to the scene.”

    Earlier on the eve of Christmas, it was learnt that an Itsekiri contractor to an indigenous oil services company, Nest Oil, allegedly fell into the river at Sapele, Delta State, during a routine operation to supply petroleum product to the company.

    An eyewitness, Akpoudje Olomaekugbe, said the remains of the victim (names withheld) was yet to be found at the time of this report on Boxing Day afternoon.

    He said, “One of our Itsekiri brother fell into the river this morning and till this moment his body is not yet found, him and some of our brothers bring fuel from Sapele to houseboats at Jones Creek.

    “As they were trying to move and position their boat there, he slipped and fell into the river. Till this moment they’re still searching for the body. What a sad news for his family this Xmas!”

     

  • Do they know it’s Christmas?

    It is a yearly event that Christendom looks forward to not because it is a time to wine and dine; but  because of the significance of the Messiah’s  birth. Over 2000 years ago in the city of Bethlehem, Jesus was born in a manger. Yet, from that humble background, He rose to world acclaim. This is why His birthday is celebrated worldwide every year in remembrance of the life He lived in order to save mankind.

    Jesus lived and died for man to be saved. He did not come to the world for the righteous, according to the scripture. He came for sinners. This is why in His lifetime, He neither condemned nor judged people. He simply led all to the right path. At Christmas, the world remembers His coming with nostalgia because He came so that we may have life more abundant. He was an only begotten child who was sacrificed for the good of man.

    Man is expected to be Christlike, to live holy and see ourselves as our brother’s keeper. These are traits we are expected to exhibit every day, but more often than not, we do not. We live for ourselves not bothering about the other fellow. At Christmas, things change; we become kind and of good nature. We see the other man as our neighbour whose needs must be met whether or not he asks for our help.

    If only we could do half of the good we display at Christmas, our country will be a better place to live. It is at Christmas that we remember that our neighbour is hungry; it is at Christmas that we remember that  our neighbour’s children cannot go to school because of lack of financial wherewithal; it is at Christmas that we remember to be of good behaviour. Just because it is Christmas, we believe that we should act as saint and not be seen perpetrating evil. Oh. how I wished everyday is Christmas.

    Despite our penchant to do good during this season, there are some who are still not touched by this outpouring of love. We do not remember such people because they are far from our thoughts. It is not that we are not aware of their existence. We are aware of them, but we do not remember them. These are the people who have been lying in hospitals for years nursing injuries from which they may never recover except by divine intervention. I am talking, among others,  of the paraplegic who can neither move nor do anything for themselves.

    Many of them are in orthopaedic hospitals, lying down in one place because of their inability to use their limbs. We tend to forget these people at this season because it does not cross our minds to go look for them. We are only concerned with the needs of those in our immediate environment and do not cast our nets wide for the sick and elderly, who have been  abandoned in Old People’s Homes. The joy of Christmas should radiate in every corner of the universe and in every home, hospital and rehabilitation centre.

    Painfully in the homes of the missing Chibok girls this Christmas, this joy will be missing. It is not that these households do not want to celebrate, but circumstances beyond their control have robbed them of such celebration. In the rustic Chibok community in Borno State, over 200 families will not know the joy of the season. As I was pounding away on my desktop on Tuesday, something made me look up at the television and what i read on the screen pierced my heart.

    The Cable News Network (CNN) was running a promo of its interview with some of the missing Chibok girls’ parents. The girls were kidnapped from their school last April 15 and since then they have remained in captivity. For eight months, their parents have not heard from the girls  nor do they know where these  children are being kept. When the girls were snatched in April the world rose in condemnation of their abduction.

    The United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK), among other powerful countries,  promised to assist Nigeria in getting back the girls. Nobody knows how far they have gone in making good their promises. Are they still interested in helping us get the girls? Is there any hope of getting all the girls back intact? How committed is the Federal Government to the rescue of the girls? It is sad that these girls will be spending their first Christmas away from home in captivity.

    I watched dejected  as two parents – a man and a woman – spoke of the trauma of a Christmas without their children. The man said : ”Every Christmas, we come together as a family and we are happy. How can we be happy now, when one of us is not here?”  The woman said : ”There is nothing I can say, it has happened. It is a bad Christmas”. If those in power were to be in these parents’ shoes, I am sure they would have spoken in like manner.

    How can any parent, no matter how heartless he or she may be, celebrate Christmas knowing that his or her daughter is in kidnappers’ den. The most heartrending of it all is that we do not even know if the girls are still with their abductors, sold into slavery or married off. For as long as these girls remain in captivity so long will their parents be pining away in anguish and sorrow, thinking of what would have been if their daughters were with them.

    These parents can no longer know the joy of Christmas. Their  homes were  once  bubbling at a season like this, with laughter ringing out from children, friends and relations. Painfully, this season, the reverse will be the case and it may be so for a long time, with the way the government is going about the rescue of the girls. How do you wish parents like this, Merry Christmas. That’s a tough call.

    Favour seekers

    The Quran and Bible enjoin us to be cheerful givers.  These  holy books also tell us that whatever good we do with our right hand should not be known to the left. Many people, however, find it difficult to live up to these injunctions. Some give to show off or to curry the favour of those in power. For others, their giving is pay back time for favour once done them. They do not give to attract the blessing of God, they give for political and other reasons. Last Saturday, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) held a fund raising for its presidential candidate, Dr Goodluck Jonathan and some individuals and institutions virtually broke the bank in order to be seen donating towards ”a worthy cause”.  In a society where many are dying of hunger; where there are no good roads; where the hospitals are ”mere consulting clinics”; where power is unstable, N21.7billion was raised within the twinkling of an eye. The donors did not give because they love the president, they gave in order to be in his good book and to be the first to be considered for those juicy contracts when the  time comes. You do not give a sitting president a billion naira or more for nothing; you are saving towards the rainy day when your donation will speak for you. Is that a cheerful giver? No, that is a favour seeker.

  • ‘Christmas a period for reflection’

    Pro-chancellor and chairman, Governing Council of the Adeleke University in Ede, Dr Adedeji Adeleke, has urged the people to use the Christmas season to appreciate God’s mercy in their lives. He said since God’s best gift to humanity came on Christmas day, people must reflect on the significant of the day and make the world a better place.

    Adeleke spoke during the fourth Christmas Carol held on the campus. He gave glory to God for making the day possible, saying the event was historic as it was the first time Carol would be held in the permanent site of the university.

    In his remark, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Oluwole Amusan, praised the Pro-chancellor’s commitment towards making the faith-based institution the best in the world.

    In his sermon, Pastor Gbenga Efuntade, the university’s chaplain, said in all things people should give glory to their creator. He prayed for the university and the country.

    The Registrar, Ven. Olusegun Ojo, thanked all the participants, among whom were Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin, Timi of Edeland, Oba Munirudeen Lawal, Osun State government officials and students.

     

  • Christmas cheer

    •Jesus was born to save us but we have a role to play

    Once again, Christians and persons of goodwill all over the country and the world are celebrating Christmas today. It is a day of devotion as well as jollification. Its cohesion of piety and vanity makes it one of the most unique days in the Gregorian calendar.

    It marks the birth of Jesus Christ, a child of prophesy that abounds in the Old Testament, flowing from the lips and pens of such patriarchs as Moses (wrote the Pentateuch), Isaiah the prophet, King David and quite a few others. It is the story of humility that emphasises the power of royalty. He was born in a manger, in the subaltern simplicity of herdsmen on a wintry night. Yet the prophesy said “unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”

    The same son was trailed by three wise men, poetically rendered in the famous poem titled the Return of the Magi by the stalwart dramatist and poet T.S. Eliot. He was hounded, in his ineffable innocence, by the soldiers and taskmasters of King Herod who feared the prophesy that called him king, and said “His government shall be upon his shoulder … and he shall be called Wonderful,Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Prince of Peace and the Everlasting Father…”

    Everything he did in his ministry on earth represented examples for humanity. Whether his baptism in River Jordan administered by John the Baptist, or the miracles of turning water to wine, or raising Lazarus from the dead, or restoring the ears of one of his tormentors as his crucifixion loomed, he demonstrated a magisterial example of character, salvation and  power.

    Eventually he was killed, and it is not his death alone that mattered, but two other things. One, that he did not feel any malice for those that murdered him. He asked his father in heaven to forgive them “because they know not what they do.” Two, that his death preceded his resurrection, and that meant that his followers had something ethereal to look forward to: eternity in the heavenly.

    The most important legacy of his ministry on earth was love, and he proclaimed it this way: “By this shall people know that you are my disciples if you have love one for the other.” And his followers have always emphasised the superiority of love over other virtues. “And now abides faith, hope, love,” crooned St. Paul, the most brilliant and illuminating of his apostles, “the greatest of them is love.”

    The purpose of love is, for him, peace. He himself said it in a memorable Bible verse, “Peace I live with you. My peace I give unto you, not as the world giveth give I unto you.”

    There is no better time than now in our history for Nigerians to follow the precepts and examples of Christ. This is a period where the rhetoric of hate and the fear of impending violence have taken over the imagination of many Nigerians as we approach a new election cycle. Jesus himself told a soldier, “do violence to no man.” But are Nigerians going to heed it? Jesus also called for uprightness and holiness and eschewed hypocrisy. He abhorred those who called his name for opportunism. That was why he said his disciples should beware of the “leaven of the Pharisees,” which is hypocrisy.

    An upright society would watch against mismanaging the gifts of God in terms of material abundance, like Nigeria is blessed with. Yet, the Nigerian economy is perhaps in its poorest shape ever with the Naira in an all-time low, with many afraid that it may cascade to N200 to a dollar. It is time to manage our resources and stop corruption, so that Christ’s purpose that he “was poor that we may be rich” does not become limp prophesy.

  • A foretaste of Christmas

    A foretaste of Christmas

    Widows, children and the less privileged in Ebonyi State have had a foretaste of Christmas, especially its sharing aspect.

    Wife of the state governor, Mrs Josephine Elechi ate, drank and danced with them, sharing jokes and lightening the atmosphere.

    Wives of top government officials attended the event which took place at Government House, Abakaliki, the state capital.

    Addressing the women, Mrs Elechi appealed to the women to pray for the peace and unity of the state during and after the forthcoming elections.

    She emphasised that leadership comes from God and advised women not to allow their children to be used as political thugs during the polls.

    She further called on well-meaning individuals to always remember widows and the less privileged especially during the festive periods.

    She also commended wives of local government chairmen and coordinators for taking her humanitarian programmes to the grassroots.

    A Catholic priest, Rev Fr. Raymond Eselu urged the widows to give thanks to God in every situation, adding that thanksgiving brings  testimonies.

    The cleric noted that some widows find it diffficult to stay without a man after the death of their husbands, and therefore advised such women to remarry legally  instead of going after men.

    He maintained that men read women like a book and when a woman fails to respect herself, men will take her for granted.

    “Because of that, widows should be upright, maintain their dignity, their womanhood and God will not fail them”, he added.

    The state Commissioner for Women Affairs, Lady Maryjoy Umoke challenged the widows to avoid promiscuity which she warned could lead to untimely death and contraction of HIV/AIDS.

    Mrs Umoke enjoined the women to use their life to work for God, adding that those children they get after the death of their husbands are likely to become a menace to the society as they may lack good parental upbringing.

    The over 2,000 widows drawn from the 13 local government areas in the state went home with many gift items which included foodstuff, toiletries, wrappers and cash, among others.

    Also, a medical team led by the state Chairman of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Mrs Collete Elechi treated was on hand to offer free check up and treatment to the widows

    Mrs Elechi also held another party for children in the state.

    She called on the children to imbibe the virtue of giving to the less priviledged in the society.

    She also urged them to be good ambassadors of the state by being serious with their academics.

    “Try to discover your talents and develop skills that will make you stand out from others and in doing so God will uplift you”.

    Various dance goups, music bands and drama troupes added collier to the events.

     

  • Christmas: FRSC deploys 35,000 to control traffic

    Christmas: FRSC deploys 35,000 to control traffic

    THE Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said it has deployed no fewer than 35,000 officers to help control traffic during the Yuletide.

    Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of FRSC, Boboye Oyeyemi, revealed this yesterday while flagging-off a zero tolerance operation against breaking of traffic rules during the Christmas and New Year celebrations.

    The end of year special patrol operation, code named: “Operation Zero Tolerance”, has the theme: “Road Safety is a collective responsibility: It Depends on you”, was performed by Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero.

    Oyeyemi stressed that the corps would not tolerate any form of reckless driving on Nigeria roads any longer.

    During this period, he said drivers were in the habit of overloading their vehicles, violating speed limits, committing lane indiscipline and disregarding other traffic rules and regulations.

    He said: “These violations heighten the spate and fatalities of road traffic crashes within the period, thus tasking the capability of members of the corps and in fact, other stakeholders who are concerned with the pervasive obstruction, death and injuries as well as loss of man hour caused by delays.”

    He added that the corps, in collaboration with the Nigeria Air Force, will be launching an aerial support programme today.

    “In this year’s exercise, we have mobilised about 20,000 of the regular marshals and 15,000 of the special marshals who would be assisted by volunteers from some civil organisations as well as members of other security agencies.

    “In view of our findings that speed-related road crashes account for almost 50 per cent among the causative factors of road traffic crashes, this effort led to introduction of speed limiting devices and its compulsory usage by drivers as approved by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) will commence June 1, 2015.”

    He called on Nigerians to remain steadfast in the campaign for safer road environment, bearing in mind that road traffic crashes don’t just happen.

    According to him, crashes are caused either by omission or commission of drivers and can be averted.

    Yero, who was represented by his deputy, Ambassador Nuhu Audu Bajoga, praised the FRSC for its effort at saving lives, enjoining the corps to sustain the tempo.

    The governor assured of the government’s commitment to give necessary support to the FRSC in activities targeted at saving lives.

  • Christmas in electioneering season

    Christmas in electioneering season

    The 2015 elections are here. About a fortnight ago, the political parties concluded their primaries for the election or ‘selection’ of candidates to run for different political offices. While some of the primaries were held on a level-playing field, others came under an atmosphere full of rancour and acrimony. The result is that while majority of the candidates have accepted their fate, many others are currently up in arms in protest against the outcome of the primaries. A few of the candidates have taken solace in the courts which they approached as the final arbiter. Many others and their supporters have resorted to massive protest marches to lodge complaints with their party hierarchy.

    All these are taking place amidst the prevailing season when Christians around the world are celebrating Christmas, which marks the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem. I am quite sure that politicians will naturally take advantage of this Christmas season to carry their messages to the people especially with the intent of influencing voters. So, this year’s Christmas celebration in Nigeria might just be a double barrel affair. As the Christians will be doing their own thing, so also will the politicians too be ubiquitous all over the place, wooing and cajoling voters, as the case may be, with mouth-watering offers including food, money and other exquisite and irresistible offers now popularly referred to as “stomach infrastructure”.

    We all know that a lot of excitement is packed into Christmas festivities. From the homes to street corners, there must be something to remind you that Christmas is here again. If you happen not to have noticed anything in your neighbourhood, at least, you will notice the traffic snarl everywhere as people shop for their needs. Besides, the fireworks that are exploded now and again around you, in spite of the warnings against its use by the Police, can only occur during the Yuletide.

    Christmas has always presented both a magical and spiritual season. It is magical with all of its window dressings of toys, decorations, lights, parties, food and music. It is spiritual because it is a time for reflection. Looking up at the starry, cold night sky, one feels a communion with God, his creator, in a reflection upon his wonderful gift at Christmas, when Jesus Christ was born more than 2,000 years ago. But honestly, many people also believe that Christmas is a time of some illusions and fantasy. For instance, you open a Christmas card and written therein is the phrase: “Peace on Earth, and Goodwill to All Men.” As a matter of fact, when you think about a world that is now seriously hemorrhaging with killings and maiming everywhere, these are almost empty words.

    Tune to any of the major television stations across the globe, you will be suffused with the horrible, heart rending, chilling and  gory spectre of  how many people die daily from car bombings, teenage suicide bombings, drone killings, beheadings, murders, air strikes and martial offensives. In those days, some of these heinous crimes were confined to some distant places until more than five years ago when the theatre of the absurd arrived at our shores in Nigeria, no thanks to the satanic Boko Haram hoodlums now on the rampage in the northern parts of the country.

    We cannot forget in a hurry, a series of bomb blasts and shootings that occurred during Christmas Day church services in Madalla, Jos, Gadaka, and Damaturu, all in northern Nigeria on December 25, 2011, which claimed the lives of no fewer than 41 people. Also as it happened quite recently, there is nothing more Australian than dropping in at the local cafe for a morning coffee, and it is tragic beyond words that people going about their everyday business should be caught up in a horrific incident in such a place as a cafe. That describes what happened barely a week ago, when a gunman, Man Haron Monis, who allegedly embraced radical Sunni theology, hurriedly dispatched two innocent Australians to their early graves after he held some people hostage in a local café in Sydney. This was closely followed last Tuesday by the horror which shocked the world to its foundation when 145 people, mostly children, were killed by Taliban gunmen at an Army Public School and Degree College in Peshawar, Pakistan. With these scenarios, the question is: Will there ever be real peace on earth?

    Economic disparity in the nation and in the world – in far too many places exacerbated by political and terrorists activities – now pose a major threat not only to the health of men, women, children and infants, but the lives of whole populations, the plight of many of them, unfortunately, more easily ignored or more readily accepted than others. The world will continue to anguish over such conditions without anyone, any nation, willing to make suggestions on how to achieve global peace. Though, it is heart-warming to note the approach or thinking about a new rapprochement or détente between the United States of America and Cuba, sworn-enemies of more than 50 years, yet it is difficult to believe that peace could be achieved so easily with just a voice affirmation. Genuine peace will only come when those profiting, as it were, from all these confusion and crises all over the place, have a change of heart. We live in a world that is constantly evolving. We are constantly evolving.

    Now back to the festivity. Christmas in Nigeria, as with the rest of the world, is a family event, a time when family members come together to celebrate as one and have fun. That is why most families that live in cities all year round, take the pain and discomfort to travel to their villages where their grandparents and older relatives live to celebrate with them. Many families will throw Christmas parties that will last all night long on Christmas Eve. Then in the morning of Christmas Day, they will go to church to give thanks to God for sparing their lives in the past year and still seek for God’s guidance and protection for the coming year. While this is done, homes and streets are adorned with beautiful flowers to herald the season of love. Most homes wear new looks complete with artificial Christmas trees and lightings.

    In the light of this season and mounting security challenges in some parts of Nigeria, it is expedient for everybody to be vigilant. With increasing terrorist activities in the country, the Police should take all necessary precautions to ensure adequate security for travellers, worshippers, picnickers and all citizens across the country before, during, and after the season. This can only be achieved if all key and vulnerable points, including places of worship, recreation centres, motor parks, highways, and all places of public resort are adequately and effectively protected by officers and men of the Police Force and other security agencies, who will be out on duty during this period.

    As we celebrate tomorrow, we should inevitably think of our families and loved ones. There is also the need to reflect on the misery confronting the growing numbers of Nigerians who have suddenly become refugees in neighbouring countries as well as those now classified as Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, within the country as a result of genocidal attacks in some parts of the country by terrorists. To this set of people, Christmas is as meaningless as their future is bleak at this point.

    So, if you are asking me what this time of the year really means, I’d say it’s about community. It’s a time to appreciate those around us, not just our family. We need to appreciate our friends, our neighbours, our colleagues at work, our staff, the ordinary man in the street, our country and indeed, everyone. Sentiments may vary, but one thing that won’t change is the sense of humanity and community. And whether we celebrate through prayerful worship or feasting and drinking, the most important thing is that we are doing it together. Here is wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

  • What does Christmas mean to you?

    What does Christmas mean to you?

    Kindly share your view of ‘what Christmas means to you’ on Skype: Skype ID is thenationnewspaper

    Christmas obviously means different thing to different people for many various reasons ranging from mere celebration of Christ’s birth to identifying the season as one of sharing and giving.

    However, there are some others who do not celebrate the season, not for any strange reason, but just because to them it is just like any other day.