It is two days to Christmas and activities are heightened. The roads leading to the bus terminals are busy with both human and vehicular traffic.
Christmas comes once every year and on a day and date known to anyone and everyone who cares to know. In spite of this, however, there is always a rush to buy and to travel, and because of the rush traders and transporters take huge advantage of the late bloomers. Why is this so?
Mrs. Stella Uzodinma, who sells food condiments at Mushin market shades some light on the issue. “People will buy when they have the money. Some who have the money buy by September, others buy later when they can. Some do not buy anything special because they cannot afford to.
“All hands are not equal so some people will buy last minute, hence the rush. As for increase in prices, I think it’s all part of the celebration,” she said.
Truly it is difficult to come up with a tangible reason why prices should go up during Christmas when other variables remain the same.
Mr. Chibuzo Okolo sells Jean trousers at Idumota and he believes it is simply a matter of supply and demand. “I think around this time, I mean during Christmas or any other festival period, more people are buying than ordinary times so traders want to make as much money as they can.”
One thing though that The Next Edition noticed is that there was not much of an increase in prices of commodities.
At Mushin market, the price of chicken, vegetable oil, rice and other edibles remained the same. Tomatoes were also readily available and easily affordable.
Transport fares and the state of traffic, however, are a different issue. As at Friday, December 22, transporters were charging as high as N13, 500 per passenger from Lagos to Owerri, while passengers to Abuja were paying between N9, 000 and N10, 000. On all routes, there was an increase in fare of more than 100%. As at first week in December, the fare to Owerri, for instance, was between N4, 000 and N5, 500.
READ ALSO : American Henrietta Fore is new UNICEF’s Executive Director
Interestingly, The Next Edition investigations reveals that Owerri route attracted the highest charge. A staff of one of the popular transport companies who didn’t want to be named attributed this to the fact that more people travel to Owerri than any other part of the country. His words, “Madam, forget, Owerri dey get passenger pass any other place. If company bring out 10 buses for Owerri everyday from now till December 31, 2017, I sure say passengers go full am. Owerri people dey travel.”
Considering that the country is just coming out of recession, one would have thought that the number of travellers would be reduced but a visit to some of the terminals at Jibowu and Cele proved otherwise.
Though most of the transporters at Jibowu have scaled down their operations, there was still a frenzy of activities there as would – be travellers traversed from one terminal to another comparing prices and looking for where to get a cheaper bargain.
According to Mr. Ibeleme Eke, “it is not just for Christmas celebrations alone that people travel in December. A lot of people fix activities such as marriages, burials, house warming , anniversary celebrations, meetings, among others, during this period so, should one say because transport fare is high he will not go? Somehow, you have to find a way to go if you are involved.
“Also, recession or not, a lot of people look forward to December. It is the only time in the year that they have to see families and friends in the village; so one must go, anyhow,” he said.
Miss Nneka Oha, travelling to Naze, a town few kilometres from Owerri corroborates Mr. Eke’s. “I’m travelling because my brother is wedding tomorrow (Sat. Dec 23rd), and, of course, I must be there. If not for the wedding what am I going to the village to do.”
Asked if it was not worth the stress seeing family and relatives during the festive period, she said, “my mum is late and it’s just my dad and his wife that are in the village. For me really, there’s not much to make me go through this hassle.”
And the trip itself in these few days can only be described as a nightmare. A journey that began at 7. 30a.m from G.U.O Park near Cele bus stop in Lagos, ended by 10pm in Owerri, the Imo State capital.
The queues for fuel and the traffic on the road often times caused by irresponsible driving makes the journey seriously distressing. And depending on one’s destination, the journey may take two days. For instance, if those travelling to Owerri got to their destination as late as 10p.m, some by midnight, then those going as far as Akwa Ibom and Cross River states will sure do two days when you factor in the bad roads as well as the fear of armed robbery attacks, which this reporter gathered was a common occurrence on the Umuahia – Ikot Epene road.
Still, one has to visit home. So, whether Christmas meets you in traffic, on your way to your village or you manage to make it home tired and short of cash, here’s wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!