An unusual Christmas wishlist

It is yet again the season of the year when many people all over the world are usually enthusiastic and ecstatic; and when fervent preparations are put in place by both young and old to pick up some long desired items, and fill up a wish list. But unlike the activities of travelling, shopping and face-lifting of homes that usually characterise this period, this year’s yuletide and the imminent New Year is and will be special and different in so many ways for a lot of Nigerians.

Prevailing economic conditions are not friendly. And this is significantly and discomfortingly altering the items on the wish lists of many Nigerians.  As such, the people are now literally begging and wishing for some unusual needs. They’ve found themselves in need of amenities and provisions that already should be a fundamental element of a government’s social contract with its people.

The picture of a black jerry can of petrol, covered in Christmas decorations, which is being shared widely on social media as one of the most desired Christmas gifts by Nigerians is a poignant portrayal of the present state of Nigeria.

For the citizens of a country that produces over 2 million barrels of crude oil per day to have to endure fuel scarcity and its multi-dimension effects is beyond preposterous. And it has gotten so bad some people have to pull out the tanks of their power generators so they can buy fuel at filling stations as station attendants have refused to sell petrol into jerry cans.

That billions of naira are spent annually on subsidy of petrol for the benefit of the masses and yet the same people are perennially driven to indignity and preventable difficulties due to the unholy collaboration of corrupt government officials and thieving members of the business class, is the worst form of man’s inhumanity to man.

And that’s not all. Presently in Edo state, some workers, having been denied their salaries for 10 months and with no relief in sight, have taken to the streets to beg for alms. Some of them were shown on live TV asking passers-by and motorists for assistance! Yes, that is how bad it has become. And you can imagine what their wish lists would look like, if they have any.

Even the relatively comfortable Nigerians are not immune to the inclement economic weather. The depreciation of the naira and restrictions on foreign exchange (Forex) by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made it more cumbersome for a number of Nigerians, who usually travel abroad for the festivity, to attempt buying flight tickets and exchanging naira for the soaring dollars in the parallel market. And the government has no hope of succor anytime soon. Rather, it has hinted the public that by January 1, 2016, it will be almost impossible for any Nigerian to use their pre-paid debit card abroad because of the limited Forex at the disposal of the CBN.

As if things weren’t bad enough, the government has equally suggested that electricity tariffs will go up in the New Year. However, I do not think that Nigerians will have an issue which such policy if it will translate to constant electricity supply. And the people can see that the money being paid is helping to light up their dark corners with constant electricity.

For those in Lagos, some other essential items will make the list. Most Nigerians, and foreigners alike, resident in the nation’s commercial capital, will have security and safety somewhere close to the top of their wish lists, if not at the top.

Although the state government has demonstrated some level of sensitivity in its response to the menacing spate of robberies, and violence that erupted in some parts of the city some weeks back, Lagosians continue to appeal to the state government to keep the momentum in the fight against crimes in its entirety. And they have also passionately admonished the government to keep its searchlights on matter of safety in the state particularly at this moment of celebration.

Essentially, many Lagosians have directed their appeals to the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC) under the leadership Mr. Fouad Oki, the Director General (DG) of the commission.

Even though Fouad Oki has demonstrated readiness and capability to up the safety standards in the state as reflected in some of the laudable actions taken by him and his team against violators of safety regulations in the state, there are a few others who are still trying to hide from detection. That is where the commission needs to spread its drag-net widely, and employ innovative tools that will aid its bold undertakings.

Assuredly, Oki has said that “The era of impunity where companies and organisations refuse to implement standard safety rules and regulations in the work environment is gone”. And he has proven that much in the closure of Shoprite supermarket in Ikeja City Mall on the claims that the popular superstore had violated the safety rules of Lagos State; and the placement of a stop-work order on Hongxing Steel Company Limited, a Nigerian subsidiary of a Chinese firm, for violations of safety regulations resulting in the death of a Nigerian, Emeka Umoh. Umoh was a casual worker at the company until his death which was reportedly caused by an equipment in the company.

Apart from the occupational hazards that many Nigerians are subjected to especially during this period because of their desperate need to improve their standard of living, the merchants of bad products and consumables are also usually on the prowl around this period. And this is where Oki, and other managers of such critical government agencies need to further prove their mettle. Merry Christmas!