Merry Christmas!
Christmas is here again and Nigerian Christians will join the rest of the world today to celebrate another anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, who is revered in Christendom as born to reveal God to mankind. Considered as one of the most significant festivals in Christendom, Christmas is traditionally marked with lavish fanfare as […]
Christmas is here again and Nigerian Christians will join the rest of the world today to celebrate another anniversary of the birth of Jesus Christ, who is revered in Christendom as born to reveal God to mankind. Considered as one of the most significant festivals in Christendom, Christmas is traditionally marked with lavish fanfare as well as copious outpouring of love and sharing of goodwill as well as gifts. Seen in context the scope of festive activities and spread of the spirit around the known world, make Christmas celebrations much more than a mere Christian festival. Across the world the period immediately preceding and following December 25th being Christmas Day proper, often provides the ambience for winding down of work, vacationing and other recreational ventures across the world.
In his personally signed goodwill message to Nigerians at Christmas President Muhammadu Buhari assured of better days ahead. According to him, “I am deeply convinced that better days lie ahead for us as a nation as we make progress on all the major fronts where we have set our energies to surmount the challenges.” He went on to define Christmas as a period to “draw inspiration from the exemplary lifestyle and teachings of Jesus Christ, who constantly stood for what is right, true and honest. The Holy Book describes Christmas as a festival of peace, joy, healing, hope and fulfillment.” Other national leaders have also expressed the need for peaceful and harmonious co-habitation in peace and mutual respect by Nigerians.
For good measure, the appeals by Nigerian leaders for peaceful coexistence by Nigerians fall in tandem with the underlying premise of the teachings by Jesus Christ Himself as outlined by President Buhari. That message is as true today as it was even in times gone by. That is also why Christmas is as poignant today as it has ever been just as deservedly, Jesus Christ remains the reason for the season. However for Nigerians in general several circumstances preceding this year’s Christmas celebrations have been trying, to say the least. In one vein the country only recently exited a harrowing economic recession which dampened economic activities and effectively eroded the purchasing power of the larger cross-section of the citizenry. Businesses were erased from existence, jobs were lost and a general state of economic despair enveloped the land.
In another vein, the lingering security challenges across the country put the capacity of the government under stress, thereby denying it the liberty it required to address much of the citizens’ expectations. Yet in another vein the political atmosphere also witnessed some turbulence in the area of attempts to dismember the country through the disturbing activities of the groups including the Nnamdi Kanu-led Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as well as the ejection notice to Ibos by a self-styled Coalition of Arewa Youths. These developments more than many other tendencies in recent past, pushed the country close to the precipice and generated fears across the land. The downturn in the trend of events would be capped just before Christmas with a devastating fuel shortage following a dispute between the government and petroleum products marketers over pricing of petroleum products.
The foregoing notwithstanding Nigerians have demonstrated unyielding resilience in the face of challenges and through individual and collective effort have not allowed the joys of Christmas to elude them. All over the country people are travelling to reconnect with loved ones, shops are teeming with shoppers while the ambience of festivities remains intact. That is the Nigerian spirit which is all conquering and has raised the country from its founding stage to its present position among the comity of nations. Even as there may still be room for improvement, Nigerians are unfazed by whatever lies ahead as for them all it is time to celebrate. We also join to wish all Nigerians a Merry Christmas.