Merry Christmas to all

Yes, it’s Christmas time again. For every Christian and some non Christians, it’s a time of generosity, a time to serve, to feed, make memories, a time to be with family, to celebrate, to rest, a time to clothe and care for the needy and a time to wish a stranger Merry Christmas with a smile. Today and the next few days, many communities across Nigeria will hold their different traditional Christmas celebrations and festivals and gather to renew family bonds. But as loved ones and friends gather, the ensuing ambience in Nigeria today resulting from the persistent strife people are going through is sure to cast a damper on the yuletide merriment.

The Christmas period has always been an expensive time, but as time goes by in this country, due to the economic hardship, the challenge of observing this holiday to its full capacity is greatly diminished. Many breadwinners have become victims to the dearth of funds available in the system. Families hoping to travel to their hometowns and villages are faced with the prospect of the high cost of the trip home. The traditional meal of rice and chicken is no longer widely available to many homes across the nation.

Needless to say, in addition to the individual trials Nigerians face in making this Christmas a halfway decent one, the political atmosphere and insecurity abound has forced the average Nigerian to ponder further about the future of this country. Whether we are talking about the incessant bombings, the fallout likely to happen in the wake of the elections or whether we are questioning ourselves as to whether we were ever a nation of laws and constitutional democracy, Nigerians remain mystified and in the dark.

While hardly anyone in this country is under any illusions as to the sincerity of most of the people vying for political office and their engagement to the plight of the masses, the means and manner of most of them seems to be insincere. Since our independence, when the first set of government officials came on the scene, they were still practicing the brand of governance that the colonialists left with them. That was a kind of governance where officials communicated with the public in order to ascertain the real issues that underline the relative problems of the day. Government officials, back then, considered the people’s mandate and asked questions from the masses in order to map out formidable strategies that had the capacity to revitalize the nation. But alas, that is not the trend we witness in the political class of today, because our brand of politics, as it stands now, is one of power grabbing and control of the treasury of the nation, without any consideration for the Nigerian people. The original way of communicating with Nigerians is not really evident anywhere in the States or at the Centre.

In the present day economic and political atmosphere, there is need for our leaders to map out a genuine strategy where the various national issues are dealt with using people oriented solutions. The Nigerian people live in agony. The pertinent questions that are peculiar to all Nigerians, the downtrodden and the oppressed are the following; how are we going to be provided with a decent standard of living, good roads, good schools, food, adequate healthcare, power and electricity, security of life and property, employment for all our children that have passed out from the various tertiary institutions and have unity and peace? These are some of the questions that have been left unanswered by past and present administrations. These are the questions that the administration has to debate and discuss with the Nigerian people for the people to have a meaningful existence and for them to have their very basic entitlement.

Every Nigerian has a right to exercise their God given potentials to the fullest, regardless of their place or standard of birth. Nigerians are yearning for a better means of living and it is time for us to have a vitalized political and social environment that will create an atmosphere whereby Nigerians will have sound mind and sound body. The Nigerian people are yearning for a social order where the nation will be self sufficient so that we can have an abundance of food, constant power supply, good roads, unity, peace, understanding and essential facilities obtainable in all other reasonable environments. That is what the Nigerian people are yearning for. Those are the issues that need to be addressed by all politicians clamoring for success and significance in the upcoming elections.

Currently, hardly any of the political aspirants have really made themselves accountable; most of the back and forth and politicking is based on politicizing every issue Nigerians are faced with and mud slinging at opponents, as opposed to selling their values or policies to the people. As long as they can make their way into government come February 2015, as long as they and their families are properly catered for, the rest of the population can go to the netherworld. As stakeholders in this country, we should not accept the things we constantly complain about and know that we have the power to take our future into our hands, once we are organized and objective.

Nigeria stands at the precipice of its existence as a confused and splintered nation. As we celebrate Christmas, move forth towards New Year and catch a glimpse of what we should expect in the elections of 2015, we must display the initiative to take control of our future. We must douse our anxiety and any justifiable concern we feel over our prospect and the issues that continue to plague our communities. We can do this very simply by having a clear vision and direction as to where we plan to steer the country and by using that vision to stand up and reject the oppression of a political class that strives to manipulate us. As we move on, Nigerians must put their efforts together in progress in order to be a people who have the integrity, value, capacity and good intent to take Nigeria from whence we are, into a bright new beginning.

Borrowing the words of the former Pope, Benedict XVI, who said that, Christmas is a special time of great joy, love, fun, an occasion for deep reflection and a time for Christians to engage with the world, one hopes that all Nigerians take the time to fully engage in… Nigeria.

Christmas time is always a special period, a unique and thrilling time for families, for children, men and women who celebrate it.  It is a time of great fun and a time when many Christian families huddle together in front of the television to watch the captivating drama of how Jesus was born in a Manger in Bethlehem, the Shepherd boys taking care of their cattle and their sheep, the wise men from the East on their camels and gentle Mary protecting her baby in the crib.

One prays that all Christians will embrace the spirit of the season and the hope of the New Year and all of us, of other faiths, will work towards the peace, togetherness and progress of this our great nation. Despite the fact that many Nigerians who will be celebrating Christmas will not be able to afford the scrumptious Christmas meal they deserve, will be unable to buy that new Christmas dress they want or exchange the kind of gifts they desire, I will cease this opportunity to wish each and every one of my Christian brothers and sisters a safe and very, VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS.