How we are marking Easter, by Consumers
Today, Christians all over the world are celebrating Easter, an annual event that commemorates the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is also when Christians visit their relations, friends and well wishers.
This can either be on Easter Sunday or the Monday after. Many people however, prefer Mondays since Sundays are mostly about church service.
It involves visiting places for sight-seeing, relaxation and merriment. It is also a time to spend a bit of the income one has earned for the first quarter of the year, joyfully.
People visit eateries and beaches, shopping malls, cinemas and family friends and there is a lot of spending and cheering going on.
Christians may also have special activities to mark at church after service. Going out is a must for most people during Easter and at times, churches organise programmes during Easter for families to spend their time there.
Easter is also characterised with shearing of gift items among loved ones.
To ascertain how people celebrate this year’s Easter, Consumer Watch spoke to a cross some consumers in the Lagos metropolis.
An educationist, Dr. Chukwudi Muoneke said, for him, Easter was unarguably the most important Christian celebration which marks the doctrinal basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Muoneke opined that he rather spends the celebration in retreat camp with other Christians of like precious faith than waste it in picnics and fun centres.
Blessing Simeon, a civil servant, described Easter as a great occasion that brings joy and gladness to her as a Christian.
According to her, without the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ which Christians celebrate today as Easter, many wouldn’t have believed that Jesus Christ, the Saviour, was born into this world.
On how she is marking the event, she said: “I would have loved to visit my home town with my family, but because of the present economic situation which has brought untold hardship to the populace, I decided to stay back and mark it here in Lagos with my family which is more economical.
“So, today being Easter Sunday, my entire family will attend church service. Already, l have bought some food items for the celebration, as soon as we are back from the service, l will prepare a special meal for the family, we will eat, drink and watch Christian movies.”
Felicia Agu, also a civil servant, said that Easter was a celebration she enjoys most and that it presents an opportunity for her to visit her native home in the village where, according to her, there is good atmosphere with less pollution.
“Travelling to the village this period gives one much better experience than celebrating it in the city because there would be a lot of traditional activities like church services in local languages, opportunity to visit close family members and grandparents, visiting one’s farm and plucking fruits like oranges and mangoes, attending masquerade festivals and a host of others,” Mrs. Agu said.
A Clearing and Forwarding agent, Boniface Duru, said that life is much fun and different when marking Easter holiday in the village than in the city.
“As a result, l will spend Easter holiday in my home town. l know things are difficult, there is increase in the cost of transportation and prices of food items in the market, but travelling home this period still remains ideal for the celebration. Besides, there is also the thrill of a long distance journey that takes most people across many states in a day,” Duru said.
A Lagos-based medical practitioner, Jide Aluko said he would have loved to be part of his church’s retreat camp while the celebration lasts, but for the nature of his job that can call for an emergency at any moment, he does not have an option than to stay at home with the family, pray, eat good meal and have fun together.
Events like Easter are always associated with increase in the cost of consumer products.
A survey carried out in some major markets in Lagos such as Mushin, Tejuosho and Oshodi revealed that the prices of food items have gone up thereby exposing consumers to untold hardship.
For instance, a 50 kg bag of Fresh rice; Cap rice; Mama Africa ; My Choice ; Stallion; that sold for between N13.000 and N13.500, respectively now sells between N14. 000 and N14.500, respectively. Brand like Moto that sold for N15.000 now sells for N17.000.
A big bag of brown beans that sold for between N15.000 and N15. 500 last year now sells for between N50 .000 and N55.000.
A bag of egusi that went for N40.000 before now goes for N98.000.
A bag of wheat that sold for N8.000 some months ago, now sells for N15.000.
The survey also revealed that the prices of yellow and white garri remain the same since last year. A medium-sized bag of yellow garri sells for N5.500, while a big bag of white garri costs N6.000.
There is also sharp increase in the prices of fresh tomatoes, pepper, onions; yam; chicken; turkey; fresh fish; condiments; Noodles; beverages and salad ingredients.
Children wears and those of adults were not left out as their prices also have gone up.
A food stuff dealer in Mushin market Lagos, Chinedu Chukwu, who spoke in an interview with Consumer Watch attributed the high cost of beans in particular to the conflicts in the North-Central geo-political zone.
According to him, farmers can no longer go to farm due to fear of being attacked by herdsmen.
He therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to ensure that the activities of herdsmen are brought to a perpetual end so that farmers in the north can go back to farm.
Ngozi Okpalakunne