Nigerians welcome New Year with prayers, hope

Millions of Nigerians have joined others across the globe to usher in a new year with prayers, fireworks, and hopes for a better 2024 despite the turbulence of the previous year.

From Port Harcourt to Lagos, Kaduna to Enugu, Christians trooped into churches for worship and also to spend the last moments of the outgone year with their families, loved ones, and fellow believers.

As the clock hit midnight, shouts of “Happy New Year” echoed across the nation as fireworks adorned the early morning skyline.

After a year marked by turbulence headlined by the removal of fuel subsidy, Nigerians entered into 2024 with high hopes of a turnaround.

President Bola Tinubu, who took over the reins of power earlier in the year, is expected to address Nigerians later in the day. While he has faced criticisms over the rising cost of living owing to the subsidy removal, the former Lagos State governor’s speech is expected to give hope to a nation seeking succour from the harsh impacts of the economic difficulties.

Despite overall inflation exceeding 28 percent in November, governors have called on Nigerians to be expectant in the new year, confident that the country will overcome its many challenges.

Poverty in Africa’s most populous nation rose from 40 percent in 2018 to 46 percent this year, the World Bank said. But many are hopeful the reforms by President Tinubu’s government will turn the tide in the new year.

Before Nigeria embraced 2024, several nations across the globe had stepped into the new year.

China, New Zealand, Australia, and Kiribati were some of the first nations to ring in 2024 as ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza cast a pall over celebrations and heightened tensions across parts of the world.

Jubilant crowds began bidding farewell to the hottest year on record Sunday, closing a turbulent 12 months marked by clever chatbots, climate crises, and wrenching wars in Gaza and Ukraine.

The world’s population — now more than eight billion — will see out the old and usher in the new, with many hoping to shake the weight of high living costs and global tumult.