Christmas seasons and the skyrocketed prices of things.

This might come as a surprise to some of you, but not to me. Nowadays, the voice of most of our leaders makes me feel so sad even more than those weird internet videos of foreign babies smoking weed on bath-tubs. They go about fancying themselves as queens and kings of “means”, within and around the country. Many of them now have what i call “death templates”, which they keep by their side-table, waiting to hear news of a dead colleague so they can quickly fill it up and rush to the media with it in order to gain popularity. It is appalling and pathetic.

Due to the unending packs of national issues we’ve been experiencing for far too long in this country, most articles on opinionnigeria, which of course includes mine, has been drawn in the lines of “political cross-fires of freedom writers”, forgetting some other personal, but common topical and possibly addressable issues that might safe the day.

Okay, that been said, my write up today is not focusing on any of the numerous problems in Nigeria but on my experience in most eateries, superstores and other places of interest here in Abuja, when the Christmas is still a week away. It appears the price is been jacked up just for me alone. The one that got me thinking and asking questions was that of yesterday, the price i was told was so high that i began asking some of the other buyers close to me if that’s the same price they were paying. Price of burger now sells at N1800; a distance of 1 kilometre on taxi is placed within the range of N400 to N500 depending on your dressing, if you dress too well they charge you N800; a plate of rice even in mama-put goes as high as N650, water and meat/fish excluded…

In Europe, Americas and other countries of the world, Christmas time is the best for them because, its the period when prices of many things, be it food or electronics, are made cheap, even cheaper than there cost price. They see it as a season of giving than receiving, a season of merry making. But down here, most of us see it as an opportunity to make in one month, what we’ve not been able to make in eleven months, thereby day-robbing people, only that this time, its not with guns but with price hike.

One point i will not forget to mention is that, during Obasanjo’s administration, as well as that of the late Umaru Musa Yar A’dua’s administration, things were much more better. By this time, you could tell whether or not you are travelling because the money is there, but this time around, things seem frozen, well not for the freezers anyway.

Right now, the metropolis is clearing up, my guess is that people have started the journey already, avoiding the pains of allowing it get close to 22nd or thereabout, when the price of both food items and transportation will look as if you are travelling outside your country.

For those of you who are travelling, wishing you all a hitch-free journey. However, remember to carry extra money, enough for you to return to your station after the Christmas celebration as it appears that the SHOCKER (President Jonathan) is preparing another shocking news come 1st of January by removing the remaining subsidy on petroleum.