COVID-19 Made 2020 Christmas Unpleasant For Nigerians In Diaspora – NDM

Apollos Nwauwa, chairman of the Nigerian Diaspora Movement (NDM), a non-governmental organisation, Say the COVID-19 pandemic deprived many Nigerians in the United States the of having a joyful and memorable Christmas celebrations in 2020.

Ekohotblog reports that Nwauwa disclosed this in an interview with NAN on Monday.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic made the 2020 Christmas celebration the “worst ever” for many for Nigerians in the US due to the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of the virulent virus.

Recounting drab and dim experiences of Nigerians abroad during the Christmas, he said the celebration was done on low-key devoid of the usual fanfare comes with travelling to Nigeria to reunite with loved ones during the yuletide season.

Recall that many some countries have banned flights and enforced lockdown measures in light of the second wave of infections and the discovery of new variants of the virus,

Although flights to Nigeria have not been banned, the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 has issued strict guidelines for inbound passengers, especially for persons from UK and South Africa where the new variants have been discovered.

Nnauwa, who is also the secretary general and public relations officer (PRO), African Diaspora Congress (ADC), said COVID-19 changed the way people leave and made the Christmas celebration  experience unpalatable

He said, though, Nigerians and Africans will ache to obliterate the unpleasant events of the year from memory, the devastation and deprivation would remain with them for years to come.

“Every year, come rain, come sunshine, Nigerians travel home to celebrate Christmas and New Year with their families and friends back home,” he said.

“From January of every year, Nigerians in the US begin to save money to travel home. By April, almost all international flights to Nigeria are usually sold out for December travels, due to the rush to purchase tickets.

“This is usually to secure reasonable fares and guarantee seats on home-bound flights, but COVID-19 pandemic has truncated this annual migratory pattern and social lives for many Nigerians in the US.

“Given the huge death toll, Nigerians, like other US residents, have spent the better part of this year locked inside their homes just to stay safe. For the first time, Nigerians had no choice than to spend their Christmas in solitude in the US with no fanfare, with no friends and larger family.

“For many, 2020 Christmas is the worst ever for Nigerian and African diasporans. It is typically lonely and dreadful; the same lonesomeness will mark the upcoming New Year celebration”