Julius OkorieEven if you are not directly involved because you are not from any of the South Eastern States, you can’t but feel the impact because it is rather infectious.
The carrying and pulling of big and small bags by your neighbours who are from there, the discussion over rising cost of transportation, the report about happenings on the road etc must catch your attention.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelThat is the scenario associated with celebration of Christmas in Nigeria. Every part of Nigeria will celebrate it but the attention triggered by its celebration in East can tempt someone to believe or even suspect that the East is part of Nazareth.
Most Easterners see it as a compulsory ritual to travel home at Christmas every year despite the unfortunate attempt by insecurity, high cost of transportation and other logistic factors to kill the tradition.
Why They Consider Travelling At Christmas A Must
The question has been asked at several quarters and even some of those who have imbibed this routine over the years have been asked directly why they must travel to the village at Christmas.
Well, the reason is not farfetched. The Easterners, who are predominantly Igbos, are highly mobile business men and women.
Business of buying and selling, distribution and supply of goods, importation and exportation of goods and services, manufacturing and distribution of goods are some of their stock in trade, and these activities tends to put them on the go virtually all the year round.
But at Christmas many of them tend to visit home for various reasons. The first one is the need to visit elderly ones, mothers and fathers who have been left on their own for eleven months.
Thanks to phones this gap has been bridged through text messages, calls and even video calls, yet it does not completely remove the importance of physical presence and the emotional attachment that goes with it.
The need to take stock about the activities of the last one year with a view to determining whether or not progress has been made and of course need to suggest areas of improvement is considered a must by every family at this time.
It is considered the best time to see everyone and anyone that you may not have seen in the last 12 months. It is used to find solution to lingering family issues requiring intervention of the family especially by the elders.
It also at this period, that marriage plans are tidied up In Igbo land irrespective of where you may have found your life partner.
It is compulsory that that marriage plans be taken to the village to enable the entire family support the idea and enable elders conduct proper investigation into the family of the man or lady you are about to marry.
Forget the “We met on facebook” that appears to be a normal talk these days, a typical Igbo family will insist that you come home to do the needful as tradition demands and Christmas period is considered the ideal period for this to happen. But don’t get me wrong nobody forgets that Christ is the reason for the season, every other thing is side attraction.
Potholes And Gullies On The Road
In the 60s and 70s there was a department of the Ministry of Works that is called Public Works Department (PWD). The job of this department was to engage in minor repairs of roads. They were known for filling potholes and smoothing rough edges of the roads especially towards festive periods.
Then the nation’s budget was not even anywhere near millions in annual budgets, but now that the budget has since gone past millions, billions to trillions the roads still boasts of pot holes and gullies too big for comfort.
Some of the pot holes located at the middle of the road can cause colossal damage to vehicles and injury to travellers. And woe betides you if you bump into them at top speed driving your own car. Ability to see far ahead and avoid them is the only answer solution, swerving when already close to them tends to backfire.
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Check Points Unlimited
The number of Checkpoints you have to encounter before you get to your destination in the East at this time will baffle you. Every pole you expect one. This causes delays and so you may need to prepare your mind about getting home very late.
In other wards travelling home becomes a full day’s job or more. If a big vehicle breaks down on the road causing obstructions it will add to the time spent on the road which explains why some take off from Lagos, but arrive a day and half later.
Veteran Nollywood actor Kanayo O Kanayo complained and condemned the countless check points that has made journey from and to the east a huge nightmare. Part of post recently said inter alia “Why is the South East militarized and policed that you cannot go for more than 200 meters without a police checkpoint. I need to ask this question because the delay in journeys and humiliation people go through needs to be pointed out”
The Police As Your Friend
If you have a phobia for Nigeria police and you wish to avoid them, it will not work at this time. At every point when you are directed to park, be ready to answer the usual question about ownership of your car, particulars and other legion of questions. Your business is to cooperate in answering those questions without getting angry if you want to continue the journey.
Finally when the police man finally wish you Merry Christmas after the checks, be kind enough to respond without showing dislike for the time lost. Enjoy the admonition and the praise if any so that you can move on in peace.
Celebrate Free Ride And Subsidized Transport Fare
Transportation at this time is not a joke. As at December 23rd, 2024, the transport fares for journey to the East from Lagos depending on the category of vehicle you settle for is between N45, 000 to N54, 000.What this implies is that, to and fro you may be forced to cough out N90,000 to N100,000. You have not talked about entertainment that goes with the season. Whether you are the one going to greet people or they are the ones coming to greet you must spend in the spirit of the season. So if a relation, friend, in-law and anybody for that matter decides to offer you a free ride home, bro, show gratitude because you have just been spared N100, 000 expenses.
Sincere Prayer From Appreciative Customers
Operators of eateries at Ore, the biggest town in Odigbo Local Government of Ondo state is a major beneficiary from the annual mass movement of Easterners to celebrate Christmas in December.
Virtually every commercial vehicle makes a stop over here, and each day is like a festival as men and women, boys and girls step down from their vehicles to ease themselves, freshen up, eat, drink interact before embarking on the second leg of the journey.
Interestingly operators of eateries and other snack bars at this spot are constantly praying for their travelling customers because they are indeed contributing in no small measure to the growth of the ministry.
God is indeed answering the prayers or how else can you explain that in spite of the economic hardship, they have managed to maintain the annual ritual.
Julius Okorie is Chief Sports and Entertainment Correspondent for Prime Business Africa. He began his journalism career with the Champion Newspaper and Sporting Champion and later moved on to Daily Independent and the Nation Newspapers. Okorie joined Prime Business Africa in 2024 bringing on board 20 years of experience in writing investigative news on Sports and Entertainment. His well researched and highly informative articles on Sports Business and general entertainment are followed by a wide range of audience.
