Across Nigeria, Christmas usually signals movement. Highways fill with families heading east, west and north to reconnect with their roots. Markets swell with colour, and the season’s warmth draws people home. This year, that familiar rhythm is muted. Harsh transport fares, lingering insecurity and the pressure of daily expenses have forced many to reconsider the annual journey that once felt non negotiable.
The Indigenous People of Biafra has urged citizens from the South East, at home and abroad, to travel for the festivities, assuring that security in the region has improved. The group says calm has returned to major routes, an appeal aimed at restoring the tradition of end of year homecoming that has weakened in recent times.
Economic indicators paint a mixed picture. The National Bureau of Statistics reported that Nigeria’s economy grew by 3.98 percent in the third quarter of 2025, slightly above the growth recorded in the same period the previous year. Yet many families say they barely feel the impact.
Food prices remain unpredictable, even as certain staples have eased. A 50 kilogram bag of rice that cost between one hundred thousand and one hundred and fifty thousand naira in 2024 now sells at about fifty thousand. A small household measure of rice that sold for four thousand naira last December is now down to one thousand. For many, this relief is welcome, but the broader cost of living still overshadows the season.
Residents spoken to on Wednesday described a Christmas marked by careful planning rather than excitement. They are buying in stages, budgeting tightly and avoiding unnecessary travel.
Queen Adeboye said she will remain in Lagos because long distance travel no longer feels safe or affordable. She explained that she began gathering essentials early in the month, picking up non-perishables and gifts before the usual seasonal surge in prices. Her preparations are measured, shaped by caution rather than celebration.
Peter Lewis, a commercial driver, said he has spent the year putting aside small amounts in readiness for the extra spending that comes every December. His voice carried a tone shared by many workers who brace themselves for holiday expenses long before they arrive.
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For some, this season has offered a break from last year’s sharp increases. Nurse Victoria Oluntoba noted that several items she buys every Christmas are now less costly than they were in 2024, a change she described as encouraging but not transformative. She began her shopping earlier to avoid sudden fluctuations.
Seamstress Ruth Francis said she has already secured most of her food supplies. Her comparison between last year’s and this year’s rice prices left her cautiously hopeful. The price drop allowed her to stretch her budget further, though poultry has become more expensive. She still intends to include chicken in her Christmas meals because, as she put it, the season feels incomplete without it.
For many Nigerians, this Christmas is a negotiation between tradition and reality. There is a desire to celebrate, but also a recognition that the road home is no longer as simple as it once was. Between insecurity, transport challenges and the strain of daily costs, the season carries a weight that reshapes how people plan, buy and gather. Whether they travel or stay back, they do so with a mix of restraint and resilience, hoping the coming year brings calmer days.
