Some residents of Lagos on Tuesday told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they would continue their enjoyment during the Christian’s Lenten season as it were during ordinary time.
They said this ahead of Ash Wednesday which comes up, tomorrow, when Christians will commence the 40 days of fasting, abstaining from worldly things and giving to the poor.
NAN had sought their reactions on how the season would likely impact on their social lives and they said it would not stop them from their enjoyment and their normal works.
Others, however, said that they would pray, abstain from worldly affairs and be involved in charity during the season as part of the doctrines of their religious beliefs.
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Mrs Eno Bassey popularly known as “Madam Do Good’ who runs a beer parlour in Surulere, a Lagos suburb , said that anyone could choose to drink alcohol during fasting, depending on the person’s capabilities.
“Although, there are different types of liquids you can consume depending on the type of fasting you are observing. Some do observe it for a week and stop, some two weeks, while some do not observe it at all,’’ she said.
She noted that not all Nigerians would be fasting during Lent so the fun would still go on.
Isioma Williams, the former Chairman, Lagos State Guild of Nigerian Dancers (GOND), said that activities would go on if anyone in the entertainment industry has a show.
“The show must go on if it has already been planned to hold as people must work to eat. The elections are going on; people are going to work, so why will the entertainment sector be at a standstill,’’ he said.
He said that those who would be fasting were likely to be Catholics and Anglicans.
“And there are Muslims, Pentecostals and atheists who do not believe in the existence of God and do not fast, will they not enjoy themselves,’’ he said.
Mrs Temitope Adekunle, a food seller at Surulere, said that she is a Catholic but she would cook food and prepare different soups with and without meat during the season.
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Adekunle said this was to take care of her variety of customers.
She said that nothing was going to change saying life would continue whether there is Lent or not.
A comedian, Walter Ologbo popularly known as “Prof Waka Talk’’ said that if he were observing fasting and a job comes, he would do the job.
“People still do weddings in other churches and those fasting will always attend and eat. They will rather break the fast quickly.
Nigeria is hard now and there is no money anywhere and people are looking for where to eat and relax,’’ he said.
Ologbo said that he did not see anything changing, because Nigerians like enjoyment.
Also, Innocent Okere, a DJ with 12 years of experience said that the Lenten season would not stop him from doing his business. He said that some non-Catholics would organise activities during the period and they would invite DJs who profess the Catholic faith to anchor them.
He said that such DJs would not turn down such requests because that was their own means of livelihood.
“The season of Lent will not affect my entertainment business so much because I am not playing for Catholics alone and so are other entertainers,” he said.
Okere, the Chief Executive of Donnie C Entertainment, said that social events would hold during Lent because several people had long fixed them the dates without knowing that such would fall within the Lenten period.
“ We cover various events such as: weddings, birthdays, school funfairs, burials, product launch, and carnivals. Most of them must have been planned without having an idea of Lent, ” he said.
Similarly, Richard Akinlade, popularly called MC Richard, said that there would be lull in business activities during the Lenten period.
“ It has been affecting our sector since time past, not because people will be observing Lent but mostly because most people do not fix their events and programmes for that period.
Also, event planners that are Christians take time to reflect on God’s mercies and pray for God’s grace for sustainability in the profession during the period,” he told NAN.