Christmas is celebrated by Christians all over the world as a time of joy. Yuletide comes with festivities and gladenning expectations. The year 2024 will be remembered for the harvest of deaths that ushered in the special season. Many homes are in mourning and will continue to do so around this time every year.
These deaths defied religion, leaving agony among Christians and Muslims. On December 18, Islamic High School, Bashorun, Ibadan, was chosen as the venue for a Christmas funfair. A crowd of 5,000 was expected but as early as 7 am, over 10,000 persons had taken over the entire space.
The organisers resorted to radio announcements to dissuade people from accessing the already filled arena. That was of no effect as the crowd continued to increase. In the resultant stampede the souls of 35 children were lost.
Three days later, Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Maitama, Abuja became the next death scene. Located in the highbrow area of the Federal Capital Territory, it was expected that the occasion meant to distribute gifts would be filled with a sea of heads.
What the organisers did not foresee was the tragedy that followed. It ended in agony as 10 persons died and many were injured. Down south in Okija, Anambra State, Ernest Obiejesi, is known to all as the father of orphans and husband to widows. A free giver, this season was expected to spread joy to people who visited.
The philanthropist planned to hand out bags of rice, in various sizes. The rush was overwhelming, leaving in its trail 22 fatalities. These tragic events in a supposedly oil-rich nation are shameful. For reasons yet to be explained, Christmas and rice have a common understanding.
Families prefer rice to every other meal. It is, therefore, top of the menu list every Yuletide. It was a rarity in the past for Nigerians to rush to designated centres expecting bags of rice to be given to them by organisations or individuals.
The simple reason being that the staple food was not beyond their reach. In 2015, a bag of rice was less than eight thousand naira. Today, it goes for over N80, 000. Nigeria is presently ravaged by hunger.
Hunger is a uniting force. It caused the downfall of the high in France. The masses revolted in Russia because of beef. A hungry man, it is said, is an angry man
The cost of living is beyond this world. Unfortunately, while the people wallow in poverty, those in leadership positions continue to grow fatter. More painful is the inability of the haves to look at the mirror and tell themselves the truth.
On paper, those in power continue to present facts and figures to defend the jaundiced economy. What they fail to realise is that the real economy takes place in the various markets across the country.
The only affordable commodity is anguish. We have pro regime economists bandying index and other strange permutations. In tropical Nigeria, there is a world of difference between Ivory Tower postulations and street expectations.
Hard times are not as spicy in the bedroom as they are in the boardroom. The tragic events of this December should not come to anyone as a surprise. The signs were there for the government to see. Suddenly, we have become a people that are wooed with palliatives, like obedient dogs being fed by their masters.
In April 2024, Lagos was turned into a mourning ground when the Nigeria Customs Service decided to sell seized bags of rice as giveaways. A 25 kg bag that was hard to afford in the open market was reduced to N10 thousand. Naturally a multitude descended on the venue desperate to get a bag.
The rush snatched seven souls. Some months ago in Keffi, Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, wanted to put smiles on the faces of students of Nasarawa State University. He packaged 7.5 kg bags of rice and N5,000 for each of them.
The glee disappeared when a number of female students lost their lives and many others got injured. The death toll increased when Ramadan goodies in Bauchi left seven dead during Zakat distributions.
There were similar incidents in various parts of the country, all because people who hoped to get food from those they voted into power, were booted out of the dining table by biting hardship. Government must learn from this misfortune. Our leaders do not have to listen to some of the sycophants that have positioned themselves around State Houses.
The reality is that the people have been orphaned by lack of food and the basic necessities of life. When the people are hungry, the government must wake up to its responsibility. Hunger is a uniting force. It caused the downfall of the high in France. The masses revolted in Russia because of beef.
A hungry man, it is said, is an angry man. Christmas in 2024 tells the story of the nation. The few that can afford turkey and electrified trees do not paint a true picture of the deprivations. Government must sit up, perform total surgery on the economy and purge itself of armchair experts. We are a giant nation of hungry citizens.
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