There is no doubt that Nigerians are currently preoccupied with many worries. The economic hardship is biting harder, but that has not robbed them of the appetite to signpost their existence with events and celebrations.
On Wednesday, the 14th of February 2024, they put aside the agony of a crunchy economy to join the rest of the world to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
To those who believe in it, the day allows lovers, family members and friends to practically demonstrate their love towards one another.
Valentine’s Day has a rich history that dates back to the ancient Roman celebration of Lupercalia which was held on February 15. According to the narration, a priest named Valentine disobeyed Emperor Claudius II’s decree that soldiers remain bachelors. Claudius handed down this decree believing that soldiers would be distracted and unable to concentrate on fighting if they were married or engaged. But love-drunk Valentine defied the emperor and secretly performed marriage ceremonies. As a result of his defiance, Valentine was put to death on February 14.
After Valentine’s death, he became a saint. As Christianity spread through Rome, the priests moved Lupercalia from February 15 to February 14 and renamed it St. Valentine’s Day to honour Saint Valentine.
Interestingly, Valentine’s Day celebration has globally assumed a larger-than-life image. Consequently, there is a huge economic angle to the whole Valentine episode. The hospitality and entertainment sectors are mostly affected. Since love and romance are involved, it is only natural that those in hospitality and related businesses benefit hugely from the smell of love that is in the air.
Apart from the side of its rich and characteristic romantic content, over the years, the exchange of gift items such as cards, letters, flowers, clothes, shoes, bags, pieces of jewellery, cars, and others has become an integral part of the Valentine ritual.
According to Mr. Assurance Ovie, the Program Manager of SCALE Projects, Life itself is built on love and cannot be dictated by economic hardship and insecurity.
He added that despite the current economic hardship, Valentine’s Day Celebration among Nigerians is still on the bedrock of love for so many. You cannot rule out true love from amongst Nigerians because of hardship even though some others might be for the celebration of lust to keep body and soul together.
He added that despite the current economic situation, families, couples, relationships etc still forge ahead. Love cannot be ruled out of a man’s existence no matter the challenges surrounding him.
However, Hajia Hadiza Umar Executive Director of Hope for Children Initiative said Valentine’s Day has been celebrated for centuries across the world and it means different things for different people across different cultures and religions.
She stressed that Nigerians are no different. While most Muslims see it as a non-Islamic event and thus would rather give no priority to it, others accept it just as a social activity and indulge for reasons that suit them.
“For students, it is an opportunity to ease academic pressure and create a form of relief to help them feel among their peers and show off to their competitors.
“On the whole, some females see it as an only opportunity to extort gifts from their boyfriends/suitors while some males see it as an opportunity to take their relationship to the next level or convince their girlfriends of how much they love them.
“For both sexes, it is an opportunity to declare their feelings emotional or physical with the hope of being accepted or rewarded.
“Unfortunately, the end game mostly satisfies the lust of the ambitious lovers either as a reward or show of gratitude.
“With the current economic hardship, it is unlikely that the lovers and prospects may be as flamboyant and generous as the season expects.
“ It will be interesting to know the results of the innovative alternatives because, despite the hard times, some people’s expectations have not been lowered as they expect their lovers to be saving up “for the kill” on Valentines Day, while bakers and shop owners are hopefully luring in customers to patronise them.
“Whichever side of the divide the Nigerian Valentine’s Day celebrant falls, things may not be as top-notch as it has always been whether for the rich or average because, for the poor, they are oblivious of a day called, “Valentine’s Day,” she said.
Mubarak Abdulganiyi Al-Ameer, the Citizen Co-Chair of Kaduna State OGP, however, said that the celebration of Valentine’s Day among Nigerians can be seen as a mix of both love and lust.
He explained that while many people use the occasion to express genuine love and affection for their partners through thoughtful gestures and acts of kindness, there’s also a significant emphasis on romantic ideals and physical expressions of desire.
“The commercialization of the holiday often promotes materialistic displays of affection, which can sometimes overshadow the deeper meaning of love.
“Additionally, societal pressures and expectations may contribute to a focus on the more superficial aspects of romance. However, at its core, Valentine’s Day can still serve as a meaningful opportunity for people to strengthen their bonds and appreciate the love they share, even amidst challenging circumstances.”
Similarly, the National President of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN) Mr. Isaiah Benjamin opined that Nigeria’s younger folks in particular, eagerly look forward to celebrating Valentine’s Day. In most major cities across the country, streets, hotels, stores, and restaurants are covered in red, pink and white streamers, with big heart-shaped signs wishing people a Happy Valentine’s Day.
The SWAN President urged every Nigerian to always approach it with every sense of responsibility, saying
It is not a day to be celebrated by doing all manner of irresponsible activities.
“It is a period of love sharing, an act we should display now and then towards one another. So I urge people, particularly the young ones not to use the Valentine’s Day celebration as an excuse to engage in ungodly activities, ungodly romance and other activities that do not give glory to God.
“Let us celebrate love towards one another in all that we do and that is the essence of St. Valentine. I urge the young ones to please, approach it with all sense of maturity and continue to celebrate even after the 14th of February.”
Coroborating this, Comrade Abdullah Usman said love is lost among Nigerian citizens, and that what they are nowadays witnessing are mere infatuation, hallelujah praises singer of everything once cash is involved and total hate for one another in families to the outer world.
According to him, people are only cared for by society in today’s Nigeria if they have a means of livelihood (money), our society today is so poor that almost everyone thinks the root of happiness, joyfulness and loveliness is money.
“In most families today the elders of this institution of love, compassion, care and kindness are those with the means.
“If the youngest of all in the family in today’s Nigeria is super rich, forget it he/she becomes the most senior in family meetings decision making nothing progressively outlined without him or her being consulted.
“Go to the street today and see for yourself the kind of society they have been living in without tenderness and care, so where is the love?
“Love is not supposedly classified as love for money, love for material worldly things, love for cutting corners in our dealings but love for humanity Brotherhood and Sisterhood is just but merely advancing.”
For the General Manager of Command Guest House Kaduna, Edet Etom, “true love heals broken hearts and hurting wounds.” In an increasingly wayward, troubled and complicated world, true love, he said, remains an essential ingredient for peaceful co-existence, mutual respect and understanding.
It is, therefore, important that Valentine’s Day is celebrated with a proper understanding of the real concept of love, according to him.
Etom added that the guest house organised a Valentine’s Day show which has become the talk of the town due to the atmosphere created when it hosted the shows.
The excitement, he stressed, attracted people who attended from all spheres of life due to the feeling of love, peace, joy and security available to them.
“Despite the hardship and unstable economy, we have been able to provide a platform for families to bond together in happiness.
“This year’s event was tagged “The Kings and the Queens,” and because it’s not a one-man celebration, we made great plans for the couples, families and friends who used the occasion to celebrate true love.
“ Considering the situation in the country, we made it free and also maintained the normal price rates of the drinks and foods, just come in and buy whatever you want.
“We also have gifts for families based on the table they purchase such as free drinks, free breakfast and other gifts.
“Our Country is presently in dire need of true love. Unfortunately, true love has become a scarce commodity in contemporary times.
“Everyone is in search of true love, but quite a few are prepared to pay the price for it. With separation and divorce now so routine that many see them as inevitable, it seems the very idea of true love has almost become a mirage in this dispensation.
“There is so much selfishness, greed and evil all across the world that true love seems rare and the message we are passing around is that there is still true love for Nigerians,” he said.
However, Evangelist Mordecai Sunday opined that, as it is with every human endeavour, some Valentine’s Day isn’t all about thrills and frills.
Valentine’s Day, he premised, is not synonymous with true love, but simply immorality which he tagged a celebration of satanic lies’. He said he is not sufficiently convinced about the correctness of the modern-day principle or philosophy behind Valentine’s Day celebration.
Mordecai explained that the real essence of the huge price that St. Valentine paid for love is being recklessly trivialized and immorally derided.
“The kind of love that is usually celebrated on Valentine’s Day is being subjected to severe scrutiny by moralists who believe that a young fellow who is still in High school has no business embarking on a ‘meaningless satanic voyage’, all in the name of celebrating Valentine’s Day,” he said.
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