As the year 2025 gradually draws the curtain for the final bye bye Nigerians are counting their blessings, gains and losses.
For a greater majority of Nigerians their wish is that it could have been a better year but all the same they thank God for being counted breathing in the land of the living.
While for politicians and few other privileged and connected Nigerians the year has been a blessing and a very wonderful one with all the gains they have made.
Whether it has been a good or bad year what positive minds are thinking now is what will the new year 2026 bring to them.
For many discerning Nigerians the year will kick start with the continued plummeting of the ordinary Nigerians as the year will start with the implementation of the new tax law. Many are already concluding that it will be a harder year as most of their earnings will go to tax, meaning less money in their wallets for them to spend.
Another looming bad omen of the year is still the raging high cost of fuel which is virtually making the cost of transportation, goods and services to be on the rise. Their wish is that fuel should come down to as low as N300 per litre so that prices of commodities will come down.
Their fears for the new year is also located on insecurity and daily abductions, killings going on unabated and they are wondering if they will have a new lease of life in the new year. But it looks as if they are not seeing a flicker of hope with the attitude of federal government in the fight against insecurity.
To crown it all the ‘general overseer’ of them all is that the year 2026 will mark the beginning of the campaign season. What this means in simple language is that if care is not taken virtually all the government activities and governance may be reduced to ground zero. An indication of this was recently revealed by the FCT minister Nyesom Wike when he unabashedly stated that he will kick start his politics in January, 2026!
Sadly too as we enter the new year the 2026 annual budget lately presented to National Assembly towards the end of 2025 by President Tinubu is yet to be debated and passed into law. In fact as we talk impeccable sources has it that the government is still running the 2023, 2024 and 2025 budgets. So we can imagine what will happen in 2026 as any country without a grounded fiscal discipline hardly make any progress and meaningful development.
With just these few highlighted points many Nigerians will already know the direction of the coming year.
But we are appealing to the government to have pity on the suffering Nigerians and make a new year resolution to better the lives of Nigerians.
While implementing the already widely perceived obnoxious New Tax Law the federal government should make it come with a human face that will not deal a devastating blow to the already brutalized and traumatized Nigerians.
The Tinubu led federal government should also confront the issue of insecurity and terrorism frontally by damning the consequences in doing what they are supposed to do. The policy of DRR that is De-radicalization Rehabilitation and Reintegration should be re-evaluated and all forms of negotiations, pampering of the bandits, terrorists, recalcitrant herdsmen should stop forthwith. They should be summarily dealt with and dispatched to great beyond where they will answer for their actions and inactions. In doing this the president and defence sector should partner with America and other friendly countries to flush out the bandits and terrorists from our soil. Improved security in the country will have a multiplier effect as it will make farmers go to farm without fear of being attacked or their sweat destroyed but will rather produce more food for the citizens and consequently drive down the cost of food which is on the high side now.
The federal government should look at the state of the roads and other critical infrastructures across the country and not only pump in money but ensures that they are thoroughly done and delivered on time.
The president personally should reduce his multiple and frequent overseas trips. Each of his trip cost the country so much that could have been used to do something tangible for the country.
The federal government should also take a critical look at the electricity supply in the country. Nigerians have suffered enough in the long years of epileptic power supply. The president cannot be enjoying uninterrupted power supply in Aso Rock by virtue of installing solar system only for the rest millions of Nigerians to be sentenced to agonizing life of perpetual darkness. Enough of this as we expect the new year to come with improved electricity supply.
Closely related to that President Tinubu as the head should try to reduce and cut extravagance in governance cost. All avenues of wastages should be blocked for the country to survive.
We know that it is the constitutional right of every elected president to contest for a second term but we are appealing that this should not be at the expense of over 250 million Nigerians. Their welfare and survival should come first before any other thing. It should not be a do or die affair. After all the great Nelson Mandela did only one term and today he is remembered as one of the greatest icons of our time.
If the federal government fulfills their own side of the bargain, I employ Nigerians to reciprocate by giving the government their support and unalloyed loyalty so that they can have an enabling polity to offer their best to the citizens.
Consequently if both parties do their part with the government doing more the year 2026 will be a very good one that will usher Nigerians to the election year of 2027 with great prosperity and hope.
*Austine Uche-Ejeke, A Public Affairs Analyst, Author of East or West Home Is The Best & Publisher Of Agenda Papers Writes Via eaustineuche@yahoo.com*
About the Author
