Celebrating Easter between two elections

Usually for most Nigerians, festive seasons like Easter, Christmas and come with huge excitement. But this year, Easter may be low-key, not just because of the ripple effects of the fall of oil prices in the international market, naira devaluation and the persistent cash crunch every other Nigerian has to endure, more importantly this time around, Easter comes up between two major elections.

While the Presidential election holds on Saturday, March 28, Easter follows Friday April 3 till Monday, April 6; the next weekend after Easter will see Nigerians again go to the polls for gubernatorial and national assembly elections.

Already, due to the tension that has gripped the nation as the ruling party, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led by the incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan, and the main opposition party, the All Progressives People’s Congress (APC) and its candidate Muhammadu Buhari, retired general and former head of state, campaigned across the nation, Nigerians have been forced to relocate their wards, in some cases to safer parts of the country, and in other cases, abroad.

This mass movement of people due to the fear of electoral violence before, during and after the elections has affected in no small way, people’s plans to celebrate this year’s Easter. For many, the simple wisdom is based on the fact that only the living can celebrate; if not this year, then next year, if one if alive to witness it. To be sure, most families have stocked their homes with food stuffs and essential supplies.

While the heightened purchases make it look like Nigerians are on a spending spree ahead of Easter, many observers say the real reason for the frenzied buying, is precautionary and panic buying due to elections. Also most households have stocked their homes with food items and other personal care items that must be purchased.

A survey around Lagos metropolis shows that prices of commodities have remained the same except in some areas. Some markets in Lagos such as Boundary market in Ajegunle, Mile 12, Mushin, Oshodi, Oyingbo etc, show that despite government’s claims of reducing food imports, imported foodstuffs still flood most markets.

Victoria Aduh who sells garri at the Mile 12 market reveals that local foodstuffs are still contending with imported foodstuffs, adding that garri produced in Nigeria is in struggle for market recognition on imported products from Benin Republic and Togo.

She said that the price of garri has not come down in the last four years, but has been on steady rise, saying that the one she sells are produced by local farmers in the South-West and South-South regions.

Sanni Alabi, another vendor, says, “it is good what the government has done by the transformation of our agricultural sector. The garri we have here are brought from Edo, Delta and Ondo states, while we also have the goods from Benin Republic.

“A bag of garri in the past four years was sold between N6,500 and N8,000, depending on the time of the year. During planting seasons, the price is high while it falls at the end of the year. I don’t know if local farmers are also part of the “transformation agenda” of the agriculture sector.

A survey around Lagos metropolis shows that prices of commodities have remained the same except in some areas.

“Most of these foodstuffs come in from the North and we all heard of the havoc the rains have caused in these states, especially Sokoto and Jigawa states. Most of the farmlands have been washed away, so those that could save some crops would definitely increase the price to make up for their investment,” he says.

Also, some traders complain that if there is high cost in foodstuffs, it is as a result of the prevailing security challenges facing some part of the Northern states.

According to the traders, the situation has prevented many of them to travel to states like Borno and Yobe, as well as Chad and Niger republics, where most of the commodities are available to be purchased.

Across the country, for instance, the price of most foodstuffs is the same. However, some of the foodstuff sellers generally confirm that the crisis in some parts of the North is affecting their business, as some of them are afraid of travelling to the North to buy these commodities.

Anne Agbaje