Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on citizens to celebrate the Christmas season with restraint, urging specifically that alcohol consumption be avoided during the festivities in the interest of peace, public safety, and the protection of lives.
President Tinubu made the call on Sunday while receiving organisers and participants of the Eyo cultural carnival at his Ikoyi residence in Lagos State. Speaking in the company of his wife, First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the President said he was pleased with the rekindling of cultural celebration and urged that such festivities be conducted in peace and unity with no alcohol that could pose danger to lives. “You should stay in peace, rejoice in peace, dance in peace, no alcohol, no danger to anybody’s life, everybody is a member of this great family,” the President said, emphasising responsible conduct during the celebrations.
The injunction against alcohol consumption was delivered against the backdrop of the traditional “Detty December” period, a term widely used in Nigeria to describe the festive end of year season characterised by parties, gatherings, and spirited celebration often involving significant alcohol use. The energetic end-of-year festivities draw Nigerians from home and abroad and are seen as a time of relaxation and social reunion among families, friends, and communities.
In his remarks, the President said that Nigerians should celebrate in peace, harmony, love, brotherhood, and sisterhood, and prayed for blessings on Lagos and the nation as a whole. He expressed confidence that both the cultural festival and the forthcoming Christmas celebrations would pass without incident if participants exercised caution and mutual respect. “The coming holidays will not be a disaster for Nigeria, you stay in peace, rejoice in peace,” he said, highlighting his administration’s determination to ensure a safe and joyous holiday season for all citizens.
Festive season travel and celebration in Nigeria often strain public infrastructure and services, particularly roads, where millions of travellers return home to spend Christmas and New Year with relatives. Each year, authorities, including the Federal Road Safety Corps and other agencies, issue guidance urging extra caution on the roads while cautioning against behaviours such as drunk driving that increase the risk of accidents.
Samuel Aina