Today, Nigerians join the rest of the world in welcoming a new year?2025?after bidding farewell to 2024, a year most Nigerians regard as one of the most difficult and challenging in recent memory. For many, 2024 was a year best forgotten.

The year 2024 saw the implementation of several policies under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu?s administration, with significant impacts on the masses. From the removal of the subsidy on Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) to the devaluation of the naira against the US dollar in 2023, the 12 months of 2024 revealed the full effects of these policies, which many described as putting the cart before the horse.

Nigerians faced?and barely survived?one of the harshest economic conditions in recent history, forcing millions of households into desperate situations. Many families struggled to meet basic needs, with children going to bed hungry due to skyrocketing prices and the rising costs of goods and services.

The cumulative impact of these economic policies was evident in the latest report from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), which revealed that Nigeria?s headline inflation had risen to 34.60 per cent by November 2024. Food inflation, in particular, increased to 39.93 per cent on a year-on-year basis?7.08 percentage points higher than the rate recorded in November 2023 (32.84%).

While battling economic hardship, Nigerians also contended with rampant insecurity in 2024, which left many children orphaned and parents burying their children. Staggering statistics released by the NBS on December 17, 2024, shocked the nation, underscoring the grim reality. At least 614,937 Nigerians were killed within one year due to insecurity?a stark reminder of how cheap life has become, with non-state actors wreaking havoc across the country. This figure dwarfed the death tolls of other conflicts, such as Israel?s war on Gaza, which claimed over 40,000 lives, and the ongoing war in Ukraine, where 57,500 deaths were recorded by December 2024.

These and other challenges defined life for most Nigerians in 2024, making the dawn of the new year a moment of relief, even if cautious.

However, the year 2024 was not all gloom and doom for Nigeria. We witnessed the coming on stream of Dangote, Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, even if these also exposed several deep-rooted issues in the oil and gas sector. With the challenges that greeted these achievements being addressed, the refineries are expected to bring down the price of petroleum products in the country, and hopefully help reduce inflation in the short term.

We at the Daily Trust believe that all hope is not lost, as Nigerians have the capacity and resilience to change the situation at home. We, therefore, call on governments at all levels?federal, state and local?to rise to the challenge of providing Nigerians with the much-needed respite; to deliver on the promised renewed hope. At present, many have lost faith in their country. It is imperative for governments to accelerate their efforts to restore that faith.

To achieve this, we urge leaders to adopt a new attitude toward governance. The practice of asking the masses to endure sacrifices while government officials live in comfort must end with 2024. Leadership must be by example.

In addressing the harsh economic policies, the government must acknowledge that distributing palliatives is not a sustainable solution. For Nigerians who have lost their livelihoods due to these policies, it is demeaning to depend on handouts. Credible solutions and strategies must be developed and implemented at all levels of government. It is time Nigerians at the grassroots experience the impact of local government financial autonomy. Additionally, states must be held accountable for the increased federal allocations they receive due to the removal of petrol subsidy and the devaluation of the naira. The federal government alone cannot solve these problems.

However, the federal government?s role is crucial in providing relief. The president promised a better future after a year of hardship; it is now time to deliver. Nigerians have endured enough suffering?it is time for the government to demonstrate the positive impact of its policies. The government is meant to serve the people, not the other way around.

President Tinubu must understand that 2025 is a crucial year for his administration. By May, Nigerians will intently assess its mid-term scorecard. There will be no defence other than verifiable evidence that the people themselves must feel.

Government officials must thus desist from making misleading claims about the impact of policies. If the policies are truly yielding results, Nigerians themselves should be the ones to attest to their effectiveness.

As it relates to insecurity, Nigerians want deliberate efforts to tackle it. Both kinetic and non-kinetic strategies that have proven effective should be maintained, while inefficiencies in their implementation must be addressed. This approach should extend to every sector.

While the governments play their parts in ensuring that 2025 actually births the promised renewed hope, we, the people, must also play our roles. We must adopt a more positive attitude toward our country and fellow citizens for the benefit of both present and future generations. Together, we can realise the Nigeria of our dreams. (Daily Trust Editorial)

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