By Busayo Onijala
Some residents of Lagos on Wednesday said that showering gifts on lovers should be done frequently rather than waiting till the annual Valentine’s Day.
They said this when the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) sought their reactions on how they were preparing for the 2019 edition of the Valentine’s Day which holds on Thursday, Feb. 14 across the world.
They said that lovers should always show genuine love to one another on every day of their lives until they would be separated by death.
They asked that what lovers would be showering on their loved ones on the rest days of the year.
A sportsman, Noah Banjo, said that the whole idea of Valentine’s Day was an excuse.
“Why wait until one day to show someone you care about that you love him or her.
“There are 365 days in a year, you celebrate with your loved one in a day and after that, everything goes back to normal.
“If I love someone, I will seize every opportunity I have to show her such love. I can even get a gift every month for him or her, take him or her on a dinner date when I can afford it.
“I do not have to wait till the Valentine’s Day proper which I believe is a myth before I show someone that I care for him or her.
“ Valentine’s Day is a sham and an excuse.
“Those who benefit most from the day are gift-item sellers.
“They make it look like if you do not buy something for someone you love, you have failed in life,” he said.
Emeka Nwadinma, an IT expert, said that had since some years back developed a bad memory about Valentine’s Day.
He said that he lost a loved one to death on one of the day in the past.
“I don’t like talking about Valentine’s Day because it brings sad memories back to me.
“My sister died during childbirth that day. I will never forget how it happened.
“It is a day when lovers are supposed to shower love and affection to one another by sharing gift items.
“But to me, everyday should be used to appreciate the amazing people around us.
“Show appreciation to people everyday even with the tiniest token and do it effortlessly,” he said.
A fashion designer, Adeola Adeaga said, “I believe it is a day set out significantly to express love to people, not necessarily someone you are dating or married to.
“It is a day to show love to everyone we come in contact with by sharing gift items as a token,’’ she said.
She said that she did not have much planned for the day but she would be sharing gifts with people around her.
“My agenda for the day is to deliver the bags I had made for the occasion to their owners.’’
Similarly, Bimbo Ikuloburu, a pharmacist said, that the day was set aside for the celebration of love and affection.
“We should celebrate love everyday not just one day but that particular day that had been set aside makes it more special.
“I’m with my family right now, we will celebrate together by going out to have fun,” she said.
Also, Tolu Bolaji, an engineer, said he saw Valentine’s Day as a day set aside to give physical expressions to the intangible feeling of love .
“Love is a universal phenomenon and deserves to be celebrated.
“I never used to be a fan of Valentine’s Day celebration but I changed my mind because love is the greatest gift from mankind to mankind.
“The day should be acknowledged and craved for by all.’’ (NAN)
