By Maria Famakinwa

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The first month of the year is seen by many Nigerians as longish, tough and sapping.  Many often forget that after the merriments that characterise Yuletide are over, comes the first month of the new year with its competing demands such as payment of rents, school fees and lots of other pressing needs.

This pushes many, especially civil servants into a  tight corner when salaries are delayed and it becomes difficult to get their needs met. Some citizens who spoke with The Hope explained why people see January as the toughest month.

In the submission of a civil servant, Mr Bamidele Fatusin, people see January as the toughest month because many focus their attention on Christmas and New Year celebrations forgetting that January is coming with its usual demands.

The man, who blamed excessive spending during Christmas on lack of proper planning said: “ Many people become financially handicapped in January because of excessive spending during Christmas. Some were carried away by the mood of Christmas celebration thereby buying things that were not actually needed.

 When it is time to pay for children school fees and the money is not forthcoming as expected, they start complaining, giving excuses that January is tough.

“We should understand that failure to plan for January has its consequences. Every month is the same, it depends on how we plan for it. We should not expect everything to fall through immediately in January after spending a lot in December”, he said.

Sharing a similar view, a businesswoman, Mrs Mary Sunday, opined that people see January as the toughest month because they want to recover all they spent during the festive season in January, which is not possible.

She said: “ In the first month of the year, many needs are calling for attention and because people cannot meet all needs at once, they now see the first month as hard, forgetting that the money spent for Christmas and New Year were not got in December alone. Nigerians should be made to understand that it would take time to get back all the money spent during the festive season and should stop setting unrealistic goals.”

A trader, Mr Joe Obinna, observed that the first month of the year is always tough because there is not enough money in  circulation, making people to experience cash crunch.

His words: “ Do you observe that there was difficulty in accessing money in the bank during the Christmas period? This is to tell you that the problem started before January. It is even worse now because of the first month of the year fever. People will continue to complain in January because they fail to plan for it. For instance, a salary earner who spent all  his December salary on Christmas will no doubt struggle to cope in January before receiving another salary. Many who complained in the first month of the year are those who failed to prioritize their needs.”

A public servant, Mr Ibukun Jayeola, in his contribution said that January is seen as the most difficult month because of the festivity that  precedes  the month. He added: “ People see Christmas season as a time to celebrate and thank their maker for sustaining them to witness “the once in a year” celebration,  due to this, everyone wants to enjoy the season to the fullest, buying clothes, foodstuffs and travelling to celebrate with families, forgetting that January, being the first month of the year, comes with its peculiarity. As the reality now becomes obvious, when school fees and house rents are to be paid, people start running from pillar to post blaming it on the month of January.

“I don’t see January as a difficult month because the month is not different from other months, it’s just people’s perceptions and high expectations that make them complain about January as the most difficult month. People who instead of concentrating on celebrating Christmas, used the period to plan on how to pay their children’ school fees and attend to other important needs, cannot see January as a difficult month. When we plan for January the way we plan for Christmas celebration, we will have no reason to complain in January.”

In the words of a businessman, Mr Lawrence Onyekachi, there’s no difference between January and other months, except for people with superstitious belief.

His words: “I don’t see January as a tough month but a month to plan ahead for the new year. Those who describe the month as being the toughest are those who engage in avoidable debts  during Christmas celebration and now that Christmas is over, they are faced with the burden of how to pay back their debts. Some people also fix burials, weddings for December, which cost them huge money and in  January, they start looking for who will borrow them money to survive. January to me is an opportunity to plan for the rest of the year and steps to achieve my set goals,” he said.

In the contribution of a teacher, Mr Taye Olatunji, January is like other months and the thinking that it’s longer than other months is just an illusion. He added that festive expectations and family demands are the major reasons for overspending in December. “ It takes discipline not to overspend in the season. To avoid battling with January financial problems, people need to be prudent and avoid falling for the demonstration effect of the season.

“January despite its feature, is important because its dryness exposes an average man/firm who fails to plan for the new year and moderates the inflationary pressure from the preceding year.”

Another teacher, Mrs Solape Adebakin, observed that six of the 12 months in a year have 31 days like January, which means that January is not longer than other months.

Her words: “The financial challenges in January is caused by heavy financial engagements in December due to the festivities associated with the last week of December. The solution is for people to prioritize their expenses in order to scale through January.”