For a happy 2026

TODAY, as Nigerians join the rest of the world in celebrating the New Year, a reinvention of the leadership wheel is crucial. For many years, the stark picture of a country abundantly blessed but criminally managed has been difficult to erase. With the kind of population and natural resources that Nigeria has, and with its record as a liberating force across the continent during the heady days of colonialism, it is quite natural to expect it to be the Pride of Africa, showing the way forward in leadership and productivity. It is instructive that Nigerians readily thrive everywhere they go around the world.

Today, as Nigeria begins the 2026 journey, therefore, the political class choosing to re-examine itself, its priorities, and its mission cannot be a strange idea. Rethinking the idea of leadership, such that it becomes a problem-solving mechanism rather than a superstructure erected on the people’s pain, is an attractive option. The current crop of leaders has a lot of positive inspirations to draw from. For instance, what is there to lose in emulating the Obafemi Awolowo government which saw as its mission the need to guarantee the people “Life More Abundant” and set developmental records that would much later be characterised as global developmental goals?

No doubt, the Federal Government led by President Bola Tinubu can point to a string of achievements. For instance, GDP growth is projected at 4.1 percent this year, driven by improved productivity and rising private investment. Inflation decreased from 35 percent at the end of 2024 to around 16 percent in late 2025. In 2025, there was a record-breaking increase in non-oil revenue, with over N20 trillion collected by August 2025. Also notable is the increase of foreign-exchange reserves to $46.7 billion, the highest since 2018, and of crude oil production from 1.68 million barrels per day from barely 1 million in May 2023. The administration disbursed N330 billion to 8 million households under its social investment scheme. Major rail and highway projects are nearing completion, including the Kano-Kastina-Maradi rail project and the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, and his economic reforms received plaudits from international sovereign credit rating agencies. That is just as well, but Nigeria as a country is not out of the woods.

Approximately 139 million people, about 61 percent of the population, lived below the poverty line as of 2025. Policy missteps, external shocks like COVID-19, and high inflation took a toll, particularly in the North-East where over 80 percent of people remain trapped in poverty and despair. Food inflation, a major driver of poverty, tells a sad story: staple food prices rose fivefold between 2020 and 2024. And if because of the stark reality you expect strong social protection, the figures are chastising, not ennobling: Nigeria’s spending on social safety nets is a measly 0.14 percent of GDP, far below the global average of 1.5 percent.

Rather symbolically, December 2025 was unique for its literal darkness: the forces of nature drove away the usual cold, then a collapsed grid caused burning heat. As many Nigerians sought to salvage a bit of comfort for themselves, the din of generators plagued neighbourhoods. That is to be expected. Only 55 percent of households are connected to the national grid: approximately 90 million Nigerians are outside of it. The country’s installed capacity is around 13,000 MW, but generation shortfalls and distribution failures limit supply. Could the situation have been any different with aging transmission networks, inefficiency by distribution companies, gas supply shortages, vandalism and energy theft, low investment and inadequate tariff structures, not to mention policy flip-flops and weak institutions?

The security challenges are known, from banditry and kidnappings in the  North-West, where more than 4,722 people were abducted and 762 killed in 2025; to Boko Haram terrorism in the  North-East, where over 35,000 people have been killed and millions displaced since 2009. Genocidal onslaughts on farmers by killer herders nationwide took place throughout 2025, and other armed groups like Lakurawa and like the so-called Unknown Gunmen in the South-East who regularly stage orgies of violence, scoffing at the authority of the Nigerian State, toyed with the lives of law-abiding citizens. And sadly, while there has been no shortage of rhetoric, state policing, a key solution to insecurity, remains a mirage, and it is no surprise that security challenges have resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis, with over 33 million people facing food insecurity and many displaced. Terrorists seek to make farming an open invitation to death. They slaughter, rape and maim farmers, burning farmlands and entire settlements. And when you combine outdated farming practices and inadequate access to modern technology with poor rural roads, inadequate storage facilities, and inefficient supply chains leading to significant post-harvest losses, the result is frightening. And, what is more, with erratic rainfall patterns, droughts and floods, poor access to finance by smallholder farmers, and frequent policy changes and lack of implementation, food insecurity becomes inevitable.

We call on governments to sit up. They must save Nigerians from despondency and despair. There must be state policing and targeted restructuring of governance and national institutions to deliver efficiency, cut waste, and promote accountability. Happily, there are reports to work with in this regard. In particular, the authorities must save Nigerians from the clutches of terrorists and outlaws. They must work towards a country that works for all in 2026 and beyond.

Happy New Year, Nigerians.

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