2024: A Year of Drama, Despair and Distant Hope

If anyone thought 2024 would usher in immediate relief for Nigerians after the bold economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu, they were in for a rude awakening.

The year played out like a poorly written soap opera, complete with dramatic protests, policy somersaults, and enough plot twists to keep a Netflix series running for seasons.

My thoughts on the year? Let’s just say it was a masterclass in how not to manage change. The twin policies of fuel subsidy removal and naira flotation birthed what I consider the most dramatic protest of the year – young northerners hoisting Russian flags in Kano and Kaduna. The imagery was both comical and concerning. These youths were first charged with treason and then hosted for tea at the Presidential Villa by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

The tax reforms bill has become another battlefield for our age-old north-south divide. To be sure, some northern governors have legitimate concerns about its implementation. However, I think we’re watching another episode of our favourite national drama series: “Everything Must Be Viewed Through Ethnic Lenses.” As I write this, the negotiations continue, and someone must blink first – my money is on President Tinubu making concessions.

Now, let’s talk about security. I believe things have improved, and yes, some notorious bandits have been eliminated. But the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) tells us Nigerians paid over N2 trillion in ransom in 2023. It’s like saying your house is safer because the thieves now leave thank-you notes after their visits.
The minimum wage settlement at N70,000 would have been impressive if inflation hadn’t turned it into pocket change before it even hit workers’ accounts. Some states are paying more, which is commendable, but let’s be honest – we’re still trying to catch up with the cost of living that’s running a marathon while wages are doing a leisurely walk.

Remember all the excitement about the Dangote Refinery finally coming on stream? The drama between the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Dangote was worthy of a Nollywood script. They fought, they made up, they kissed and made up again. The Port Harcourt Refinery joined the party with its own controversy – apparently, it now operates based on market days according to critics .The NNPC’s communication team deserves an Oscar for their creative explanations.

The national grid became so familiar with collapse in 2024 that Nigerians started treating power outages like scheduled programming. The two-week blackout in the entire north wasn’t just a failure of infrastructure – it was a spectacular demonstration of how not to run a power sector. Some began to suspect these collapses were intentional, and honestly, who can blame them? Incompetence this consistency almost looks deliberate.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking episodes of 2024 were the food distribution stampedes that claimed over 70 lives across the country. Think about that – Nigerians dying while trying to get food in 2024. The Jigawa State tanker explosion that claimed nearly 200 lives added to the toll of preventable tragedies.
Internationally, 2024 was the year of political comebacks. Donald Trump returned to the White House as the 47th president of the United States (US), and Ghana’s John Mahama got his second chance. I won’t be surprised if somewhere in Dubai, Atiku Abubakar is updating his 2027 campaign posters. After all, if at first you don’t succeed, try, try, try… and try again.

In sports, we had our moments of glory. Super Eagles Forward Ademola Lookman’s CAF Player of the Year Award, following Victor Osimhen’s win last year, gave us something to celebrate. The Super Falcons’ recognition and Chiamaka Nnadozie’s goalkeeping award showed that at least our women’s football is getting something right.

But then came the Olympics – Oh, the Olympics! Nigeria’s performance was so poor it made our previous disappointments look like achievements. No medals, just the usual post-event lamentations. Want to know what will happen at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics? Just reread the news from 2024 – same script, different city.

As we step into 2025, Nigerians are still waiting for the promised land of economic prosperity. The jury remains out on Tinubu’s performance, depending on which side of the political divide you sit. But one thing is clear – 2024 was a year that tested Nigerians’ legendary resilience to its limits.
Will 2025 be different? Well, hope, as they say, is free. But then again, with the way the naira is going, even hope might soon need a dollar exchange rate.