Entertainment Editor, ROTIMI IGE, in this report, analyses the cost of ‘Detty December’, now an annual festival in Nigeria and its implication on the economy.
December has always been a special month across the world. Being the last month of any year, it is often accompanied with a flurry of events, with end of year deadlines approaching, highly anticipated holiday preparations and projections for the new year.
The most important reason, because December marks the end of the calendar year, makes it a time for general reflection and goal setting for the year ahead. For most, it is a time to take stock of the outgoing year and assess or audit one’s achievements, also to set resolutions and plan for the future.
December is also the month for many important holidays. Christmas, Boxing day and New year’s eve all take place in December, bringing people together and creating a sense of community and warmth. It encourages acts of giving and showing gratitude to those around us, making December a time of generosity and kindness.
And so, whether it is spending time with loved ones, exchanging gifts or simply spreading cheer and goodwill to those in our community, the December holiday season has become a special time that helps to bring joy and meaning to the end of the year.
December holds a special place in the hearts of Nigerians. For many households, especially Christians, it’s a season of joy, thanksgiving, and togetherness. Families reunite and communities come alive with the sights and sounds of celebrations.
The slang ‘Detty December, became popular a few years ago and refers to the festive period in Nigeria typically from mid-December through the New Year, characterised by vibrant celebrations, social gatherings, parties, and festivities. In the last three years, Detty December has grown from hosting concerts and parties to become a huge revenue generation timeline, enough to boost any economy in the world. It has made Nigeria and Lagos in particular, a holiday destination for visitors all over the world.
According to a travel and tourism expert, Olufunmi Adesope, over one million people returned to Nigeria to experience Detty December in the last three weeks of the month.
In fact, the World Bank reports that remittances for the Nigerian diaspora during this period account for four percent of Nigeria’s GDP (Wikipedia), and show significant spending power when the expatriates come back home.
For ‘Detty December’, Nigeria’s Afrobeats has played an undeniable role in selling the December holiday experience. Its global dominance has turned Lagos into a hub for concerts and festivals. Also, social media has amplified Nigeria’s appeal, portraying Lagos as a haven for fun-seekers. For foreign currency earners popularly called IJGBs (I just got back), it’s not only the music and culture that draw them in, but also the affordability. From luxurious accommodations to street food that’s as delicious as it is cheap, Nigeria offers a unique blend of indulgence and value.
A statistician and auditor from one of Nigeria’s biggest financial companies, Dele Omole, in a recent chat with Nigerian Tribune, stressed that in Lagos alone in December, over N3.3 trillion was spent during the festivies and celebrations that was widespread across the city. This is evidenced by the various concerts and parties that were organised in Lagos, and the competitive buying spree that was witnessed by many popular Nigerian celebrities.
Exotic cars became popular on Lagos roads
Last December alone, Burna boy, Wizkid, Rema, Ruger among others allegedly splashed over N7 billion on exotic cars. While Burna boy flaunted his Ferrari Purosangue, the City Boy crooner also bought a Tesla Cybertruck for his friend during the Yuletide. Videos of the expensive cars went viral.
His musical colleague and Morayo crooner, Ayodeji Balogun, better known as Wizkid, a few days later, spared no cost on a new McLaren 750s, allegedly worth over N1.5 billion. The music star was seen driving the car to various events around Lagos. Divine Ikubor, aka Rema, reportedly also spent close to N1 billion on a new Bentley months after reportedly spending more than N700 million on a G63 G-Wagon and a Lamborghini Urus.
Many other celebrities also announced exotic purchases running into billions in December. According to six popular car dealership owners who spoke to Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity, Nigerians purchased cars worth over N400 billion in December, with Lagos-based purchases amounting to about N120 billion alone. Exotic cars like Ferarris, Bentleys, bullet-proof G-wagons and Tesla Cyber trucks topped the orders.
Car rental companies also witnessed an unprecedented demand for vehicles such as Bentleys, Prados and other SUVs in December. According to Otunba Adefolarin Adesemowo, MD/CEO of Maple Tours and Mobilityng, the patronage for car rentals has been five times over the normal.
He said: “Most diasporans now want to witness the vibe that Lagos now offers. In fact, despite the high fares, thousands flew into Nigeria in the last two weeks of December. Assuming the average Diasporan spends $5000 (N8,300,000) during Detty December, calculate how much the Nigerian economy benefits overall.
“The IJGBs have fully embraced Nigeria, especially Lagos, as a holiday destination in December now and we must prepare for 2025 because double last year’s attendance is expected. My company was so booked that we had to outsource. My car rental company could not cater to all clients despite the fact that we have a lot of cars. We experienced the highest patronage in any month in the history of the company. I had to quickly purchase a Bentley and other cars to meet special demands.
“I think that the federal and state governments need to wake up to the new reality of Detty December in Nigerian and tap from its economic offerings adequately. The Lagos State governor seems to have understood the season, and his government has plugged themselves into various curated events that make the city tick in December. Other governors need to wake up because Lagos is choked in December. If they can promote quality tourism and nightlife in their states, many will move from Lagos to explore. Everything cannot happen in Lagos.”
Corporate end-of-year parties, weddings and concerts everywhere!
Throughout this significant social calendar, a multitude of diverse events took place, ranging from corporate end-of-year parties, street carnivals, concerts, weddings, nightclub gatherings, and more. Among these, the December concerts stand out prominently as one of the pivotal events, drawing numerous musical artistes and organisations to host performances during this period. Notably, these year-end concerts were not exclusive to renowned musical entities; various businesses, state governments, and personalities also held concerts.
December 2024 witnessed about 260 major concerts across Nigeria, with Lagos accounting for about 60 per cent. While most major banks and corporate entities held end-of-year parties/concerts with A-list musical acts on stage, many Nigerian entertainers also organised personal concerts as a way of celebrating with their fans.
Corporate entities like Flytime entertainment, UBA, Sterling Bank, Oando, Stanbic IBTC, and so many other sponsored concerts that had the creme of entertainers in attendance. The Oando end-of-year-party 2024 event was a historic night for Nigerian music, featuring performances by Burna Boy, Davido, and Wizkid. As these entertainers mostly billing foreign currency, Damola Layade, Principal consultant at Hams Universal Consulting, posited that over $200 million dollars was spent on a cluster of these parties in Lagos alone.
He said, “Detty December has become an economy in Nigeria, especially Lagos. The amount spent to host events last December is mind-boggling. My company curated events running into hundreds of millions. Nigerian entertainers doubled their rates and earned billions in revenue. A standard concert that will host popular music acts like Wizkid, Rema and the likes will cost nothing less than N300 to N500 million depending on the artistes invited, plus other concert requirements. And that is speaking conservatively. Now multiply that amount by the various concerts held daily for weeks across Lagos and Nigeria. In my opinion, over $200 million dollars was spent hosting major concerts in Lagos last December.”
Religious organisations were not left out of December concerts, with popular churches like House of the Rock hosting ‘The Experience Lagos’, which is arguably the biggest gospel music concert in Africa and usually has over 100,000 people in attendance.
Billions spent on fireworks
Fireworks are a common part of Detty December, and this year, fireworks were a vibrant part of the festivities. It was a common sight across Nigeria last December that security outfits did not bother to issue its usual warnings. Speaking to Nigerian Tribune, Chibueze Okey (not real names), an importer of fireworks, said that December 2024 was a month they will never forget.
Chibueze, in his narration, said, “It was like people just decided to celebrate despite the current hardship being experienced in Nigeria. By the last week of November, my warehouse was almost empty. I had to quickly import triple my usual order, as I sensed that we were about to make brisk sales. We sell normal multiple shot banger at N6,500 and bigger boxed ones from N25,000 to N700,000. As we are speaking, I don’t have up to 10 cartons left in my warehouse out of the 6000 cartons I had.”
When asked to put an amount to the number of fireworks bought by Nigerians last December, he summarised thus, “Let us say one million Nigerians bought the N6000 bangers alone, that is about N6 billion naira. And that excludes the big ones sold to state governments, corporate organisations, etc. I am sure that over N10 billion was spent on fireworks last December.
Nollywood takes its slice of earnings
Nollywood was not left out of the Detty December frenzy. Many stakeholders rushed to release their movies and works of art, in order to be part of the December rush. The movie ‘Everybody Loves Jenifa’ was a big part of this success. By the third weekend, it had reportedly made N1.035 billion and added N250 million in just the last weekend of December, making it one of the top-earning Nigerian movies. A cinema movie ticket costs about N6500 on average.
Other movies also did well. The family movie ‘Mufas’ made N93.8 million in its second weekend, bringing its total to N267 million. ‘Alakada: Bad & Boujee’ has made over N250 million.
Overall, a report from Nairametrics said that the Nigerian box office recorded an unprecedented performance in December 2024, with revenues exceeding N2.8 billion and more than 537,000 tickets sold. According to them, these figures represent the highest single-month gross since December 2019.
Hotels, nightclubs fully booked all-month
The hospitality sector also witnessed unprecedented patronage last December, due to the influx of fun-seekers who stayed out late to witness various activities. For this reason, most hotels and short-let apartments were fully booked all month long. A respondent, who spoke to Nigerian Tribune, Kayode Olaotan, vented his frustration about not getting accommodation in Lagos for three days.
He said, “I was stranded for almost four days because I could not get a decent hotel accommodation. Most were fully booked and wouldn’t accept new bookings unless it was for days. I had to stay at a friend’s house until I secured a short-let apartment on the mainland. Most ones on the Island were unavailable. I know better now. I live in London and felt that there was no way I would be stranded in Nigeria. Next year I will book in advance.”
A hotel manager in Lagos who spoke to Nigerian Tribune on condition of anonymity also corroborated Olaotan’s claim. He said, “We were fully booked for most days in December that people were outbidding themselves to secure our rooms. Our cheapest room is N78,000 and the most expensive is N470,000 per night. We have about 86 rooms. All our five branches across Lagos were fully booked. In fact, ‘Detty December’ was a fantastic month for our business.”
For nightclubs, the last two weeks of ‘Detty December’ sent them to banks smiling every single day, and double on weekends. A manager of a popular club on Lagos Island, KayFlex said, “We curated special events and invited popular celebrities to attract a luxurious crowd. On a good night, we make over N100 million.”
This claim could be proved by a receipt posted online, where music star, Wizkid allegedly spent $33,000 dollars in a club, ‘Secrets Palace’ in one night.
Popular club, Quilox, also held a 36-hour party from December 22, 2024, to mark its anniversary. The party reportedly featured 36 DJs and hosted fun-seekers and revelers throughout.
Other states are adopting gradually
Although Lagos is currently the greatest beneficiary of ‘Detty December’, other states in Nigeria were not left far behind. Month-long activities like the Calabar Festival are also well attended by tourists all over the world. Also, Ogun, Oyo, Bayelsa, Kogi, Plateau and a few other states had end-of-year events dedicated for residents. According to Omole, other states contributed about N2 trillion collectively to ‘Detty December’ celebrations. He however advised that governors and their relevant ministries plan better for 2025, in order to boost tourism and the festive season in their states.
Implications for Nigeria’s Economy and Tourism
The celebration of Detty December poses huge economic implications for Nigeria. It boosts local tourism, bringing revenue to the hospitality, entertainment, transportation and virtually all sectors of the local economy, even if short-lived.
To truly harness the potentials offered, critics opined a strategic approach; that the government and private sector partner to improve infrastructure, safety and create a memorable experience for tourists. Also, coordinated and specific marketing campaigns to position Nigeria or states as a must-visit December destination.
‘Detty December’ has become a force that amplifies Nigeria(n)’s spirit, resilience and creativity. From a local celebration to its evolution into a worldwide attraction, it’s a testament to the power of music, culture, and community. With purposeful planning and execution, it possesses the potential to become a cornerstone of national tourism, putting the country on the map as a destination of choice globally.
(Nigerian Tribune)
