Austerity as banks shun ostentatious xmas decoration

When president Buhari assumed office as the president of Federal Republic of Nigeria, he declared that Nigerians should prepare for austere period as his government will be very frugal with spending. This sent a strong shocking signal to all government agencies and corporate organisations.
Buhari, by way of saying he meant what he had said, spent only N70 million during the nation’s Independence Day celebration on October 1st, when his predecessor, Goodluck Jonathan, was reported to had spent billions of naira in the preceding year.
The month of December is reputed to be a month when most organisations churn out gifts and awards to their customers for their continuous patronage and loyalty over the year. It is also that period of the year when homes and offices naturally enjoy creative and aesthetical adornments and decors, signalling the arrival of the joyous season of Christmas. But when one looks around, one will begin to wonder if the banking industry, which always leads the pack in corporate beautification during the Yuletide, is aware that Christmas is few days away.
Walk into any bank today, you will hardly perceive any aura of festivity. People in the business of Interior and Exterior Decorations who always looked forward to the season to secure juicy contracts from the banks and smile back with loads of megabucks made from such contracts have been the hardest hit by the lull. No thanks to the coming in of President Buhari. Not only did he shake the banking industry to its foundation; he ensured that the banks’ books were opened, and tonnes of scandalous activities which had eaten the banks deep were discovered in the process. No banks dare throw money around in the name of elaborate decoration of any banking hall any longer. This new culture of financial abstinence was first observed last year but this year has been worse.