Editors’ note: In the spirit of Christmas, the writer, Buchi Obichie, has compiled a wish-list to President Muhammadu Buhari, on behalf of all Nigerians who would be celebrating. But she ends with one last 'eyebrow-raising' request for herself!
So, Christmas is two days away, and I am very excited. This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love the feeling of spending the day with my family- unfortunately, my elder brothers are far away; but then, I still have the younger one with me.
I also love the weather…its especially good on my face which is usually oily- but mehn, the climate change effects this year are real…harmattan has refused to show up!
But then, I also love receiving Christmas gifts. And so, as I thought of what piece to pen for this special season, I said to myself, “wouldn’t it be nice to ask my president for a gift?”
See, I know that President Buhari is a Muslim; but since he’s the father of the nation, he has a responsibility to all Nigerians- irrespective of religion. That being said, it naturally suffices that I have a ‘right’ to ask him for a gift.
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So, what do I want from the president this Christmas? Well seeing that I’m a very loving human being – yeah, stop rolling your eyes over there; I am- I would be asking for gifts not just for myself, but for my fellow Nigerians who are far away from the corridors of power.
First of all, as my mother used to say, “It is only the living that can celebrate.” So, on behalf of all Nigerians who would be celebrating Christmas, I am asking the president to ensure that there is adequate security.
It is sad that people- especially those residing in the North- now fear going to worship at Church (and even in Mosques) over fears that they could get killed by a suicide bomber or by heartless gunmen. It’s especially sad that most people won’t go to Church on Christmas day, because of this very real fear.
The president has just received approval to withdraw $1bn from the Excess Crude Account to battle the insurgency in the North-east. I hope it would be put to good use eventually. But as a matter of urgency, I hope that the president's security chiefs would coordinate with their subordinates in all states of the federation to ensure that we are all protected this Christmas.
We cannot ‘come and go and die’ on Christmas day! God forbid!
Secondly, a lot of us would have last-minute shopping to do before the 25th. Already, prices of foodstuffs have skyrocketed. So, on behalf of all Nigerians, I wish that the president would get his agricultural minister, Audu Ogbeh, to look into this issue.
Wouldn’t it be nice if all Nigerians celebrating Christmas can get a good plate of rice and chicken- or at least fish- on the 25th, without breaking the bank? Mr President, we want that for Christmas.
Also, it is ‘money’ that we would use to buy things from the market…traders don’t ‘dash’ out stuff simply because it’s Christmas. Mr President, it would be nice if the poorest Nigerians get Christmas ‘cash gifts’.
I know this one is a little tricky because even the 5k you and your party promised during the campaign, many people have still not seen! But please, play Santa this Christmas. It’s sad to think that while people like me would have good meals on Christmas, some people won’t even have anything to eat.
In my family, my mother brought us up with the tradition of giving food not just to our friends on Christmas, but also to the needy. So, while I cook, my younger brother usually has a duty of taking part of the food to the needy.
But then, we can’t feed everyone- we wish we could, but we can’t. Mr President, you control the national purse. You can give out stipends this Christmas. Please do. Grant the needy this wish.
Then, my next wish is something that I know hits home for many of us in this country. Mr President, can we get light for 24 hours on the 25th of December? Because, trust me, spending Christmas without electricity is just the worst- and not everyone has a generator!
Again, it gets very hot in the afternoon these days; we don’t want to be fanning ourselves with CD packs on Christmas day!
It’s quite ironic that I have to wish for a 24-hour supply of electricity on Christmas day, considering the fact that my country is supposedly the ‘giant of Africa’; but then, there are many things about Nigeria that beat the imagination!
Also, speaking about generators, with the persistent fuel scarcity, how would we even find fuel to buy?
Mr President, this is getting unbearable and quite frankly, very embarrassing. We are a crude-oil exporting nation for God’s sake! We shouldn’t be experiencing fuel scarcity! Please do something about this before Christmas day!
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There are many other gifts to ask for- like if President Buhari can also ensure that the good people of Imo get a very calm Christmas and that nobody dies of a heart-attack because the state governor decides to spring up another ‘ridiculous’ surprise- but I don’t want to overwhelm the president, so I’ll just stop here.
Okay, scratch that. I do have a personal request.
I recently saw pictures of the president in his farm. It looks like a very lovely place. The Cows look very fat, and the fruits look really delicious. Mr President, can I get a Christmas hamper filled with products from your farm?
And while you’re at it, could you ask Yusuf- your son- to ‘personally’ deliver it to my house? *wink wink* Thanks in advance Sir.
Merry Christmas to everyone celebrating. Jesus is the reason for the season.
Nigerians ask President Buhari for special Christmas gifts - on NAIJ.com TV:
Source: Naija.ng