THE period known as the ember months that culminates in the Christmas celebration and other festivities across various communities in Nigeria and the world over, is characterised by fanfare, myths, and hazards. These last months of the year are such a busy period of heightened activities centered on survival.
Stakeholders as religious leaders, government institutions, and even criminal elements, are already enmeshed with strategies on how to explore the period to bolster their desires to achieve desired goals, positively or negatively.
The ultimate targets have always been to achieve a peaceful, fun-filled, and crime-free Yuletide celebration by Christians. Government agencies as the police, Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC among others , and religious leaders have initiated programmes to ensure that citizens and their followers hold a hitch-free celebration.
Besides, individuals, families, and groups are not left out. All activities and meetings are with a focus on the Christmas celebration. However, the dangers and mysteries surrounding the period are due largely to human activities, which affect life positively or negatively, and they are not out of place because at the end of every year, people look back, appraise their activities, and express gratitude to God through fellowship, thanksgiving, and celebrations.
To achieve this, religious leaders have commenced crusades and programmes, while the FRSC and the police have started enlightenment programmes on safety and peace in our society. Consequently, we identify with Nigerians and institutions that have set machinery in motion to ensure that the season is hitch-free.
But citizens must know that there is always life after the ember months’ period each year. All activities must be tailored towards survival, peaceful celebration and coexistence, and continuity. In the past, those who invested all that they had in the Yuletide celebration encountered regrets and misfortunes after the period.
This year, like others, a mixture of anticipation of possible misfortunes from some quarters is glaring, and it calls for caution to survive the period and enjoy life after the celebration.
We commend individuals and groups who have partnered with the police and the FRSC in their preparation to guarantee a safer road and crime-free celebration. While groups like the Bankers Association have partnered with the police, the FRSC has intensified campaigns to educate drivers and other road users on safety concerns.
We believe that, among all, the FRSC has a lot to do in ensuring the safety of lives and property during this period. Already, records available from the FRSC indicate that about 3,433 persons were killed and 22,162 persons injured out of a total number of 6,858 reported road crashes between January 2025 and September 2025.
In Delta State, the FRSC has launched its 2025 Ember Months Campaign themed “Take Responsibility for Your Safety: Stop Distracted Driving”, with the Sector Commander, Joyce Nnennaya Alexander, emphasizing that “The ember months come with increased travel, busy roads and, unfortunately, a rise in road crashes. That is why we must all work together—government, security agencies, transport unions, traditional rulers, and citizens—to make our roads safer for everyone.”
Therefore, individuals, groups, communities, and various stakeholders, including religious bodies, must strategize and tread with caution and follow steps to make merry with the hope of surviving to see the period after the Yuletide celebration.
In other words, motorists must adhere to safety rules. Parents must get hold of their children and monitor all their movements. Travelers should also avoid night movement, especially those going to areas they are not familiar with.
For the security agencies, including community vigilantes, they have an onerous task of monitoring every movement and strange individuals and ensuring that holiday makers celebrate without mishaps or calamity of any kind. On their part, every citizen is required to provide useful information that will forestall criminal activity.
Also, religious leaders should consider time and distance before fixing programmes so as not to jeopardize the safety of their followers. This is the Christmas season; whatever you planned for is what you may get. Be cautious and strategize to survive.
