Your last-minute Easter gift could be your best investment in Nigeria yet

April 16, 2025 admin

It’s Good Friday morning.

Across Nigeria, the streets are quieter than usual. Markets that usually hum with the chatter of traders and the rhythm of wheelbarrows roll at half pace. The mosques echo the Friday prayer call; the churches prepare for Stations of the Cross. A reflective hush settles over the country.

But beneath that calm, a subtle urgency pulses.

Somewhere in Ilorin, Mr. Olatunji is threading his way through Taiwo Road, scanning for anything that says “Easter.” His wife mentioned her sister is coming in from Abeokuta, and he’d forgotten to get a gift.

In Port Harcourt, Ngozi sees a stall on Garrison Junction selling scented shea candles, wondering if her boss would like one. In Gombe, 15-year-old Haruna is clutching ₦2,000, looking for a handmade bracelet for his elder sister who’s returning from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) year.

All across Nigeria today, people are looking for meaning. A small gesture. A gift. A reminder that Easter is more than just rice and stew—it’s a season of renewal.

But what if, in this search for meaning, we made a different kind of choice?

What if your last-minute gift this Easter… also helped Nigeria?

Hidden Economy of Last-Minute Gifts

Each festive season, Nigerians spend generously. During the December holiday window alone, consumer spending crosses ₦700 billion, according to the National Bureau of Statistics’ (NBS) Household Consumption Report (Q4, 2022). Easter is more subdued, but still substantial—estimates from retail associations and market studies place spending at between ₦300–₦400 billion nationwide.

Unfortunately, much of this spending flows out of the country.

Imported chocolates. Foreign wines. Turkish towels. Fragrances with names we can’t pronounce but price tags we can feel.

These are beautiful gifts, no doubt. But with Nigeria’s total imports hitting ₦29.9 trillion in 2023 (NBS Foreign Trade in Goods Statistics, Q4 2023), and the naira clawing its way out of a tough first quarter, one wonders: what if more of that Easter spending stayed home?

What if today, on this sacred, solemn Friday, we made a small, patriotic shift?

Amina’s Basket

Let me tell you a story.

Amina is a teacher in Jos. Her salary is modest, her faith is strong, and her dreams are local. She has a gift to buy for her mother, and only ₦6,500 in her purse.

She walks into a corner store near Rayfield. The shelves are humble but filled with colour:

A jar of Tigernut spread made in Makurdi.

A bar of rose-scented black soap from Ogbomoso.

A scarf woven in Ilorin, dyed in Osogbo.

A greeting card printed in Zaria.

She packs them into a raffia basket made in Odukpani and ties it with a ribbon.

She walks out smiling. Her money stayed in Nigeria. And five Nigerian businesses earned that day because of her.

Economic Ripple of That Basket

When Amina bought locally, she did more than make Mama happy.

She supported:

One farmer (tigernuts)

One small-scale food processor (Makurdi)

One local packaging company (Jabi)

Two transporters (from the Middle Belt to Jos)

One boutique corner store

Multiply this by a million Aminas?

We create ₦10–₦50 billion in local stimulus today (based on NBS MSME expenditure multipliers and Lagos Chamber of Commerce festive season estimates).
We inject oxygen into the lungs of the MSME economy.
We strengthen the naira—not by hashtags, but by habits.

Good Friday, Great Alternatives: A Local Gift Guide

If you’re stepping out today, here’s how to think local, act global, and gift proudly Nigerian:

Food & Beverage

Zobo concentrates from Kaduna

Coconut candy jars from Calabar

Plantain flour or chin-chin tins from Ondo

Natural fruit wines from Nsukka

Fashion & Accessories

Adire t-shirts from Abeokuta

Leather belts and wallets from Kano

Jewelry made from recycled glass in Bida

Wellness & Beauty

Shea butter gift packs from Oyo

Locally-blended essential oils from Enugu

Black soap bars from Osun

Creative & Educational

Children’s books by Nigerian authors

Art prints by Lagos-based illustrators

E-vouchers for Nigerian-made apps or ed-tech platforms

Experience-Based Gifting

A voucher to visit Lekki Arts & Crafts Market

A family day trip to Gurara Falls or Idanre Hills

A home-cooked meal featuring local dishes and spices

Small Acts, National Impact

You may think your ₦5,000 doesn’t matter. But if 5 million Nigerians each made a local Easter purchase of that amount this weekend, we’d circulate ₦25 billion through local economies.

To put this in perspective, the SMEDAN & NBS 2021 MSME Report notes that Nigeria’s over 39 million MSMEs contribute nearly 50% of GDP and employ 80% of the labour force. They just need market access. Your naira does that.

That’s:

Thousands of jobs supported

Local factories with bulk orders

Farmers with guaranteed buyers

More reasons for traders to restock

On This Good Friday, Choose Intention

Easter is about hope. Good Friday, about reflection. Renewal comes not just through prayer, but through action.

So today, before you step out—or scroll to buy—ask yourself:

Can my gift build a business?

Can my gift keep a fellow Nigerian employed?
Can my gift help heal this land?

If yes, then give it boldly, joyfully.

Because the greatest love is in the smallest acts.