- Leaders urged to bring peace, health, safety to all
- Better days coming in 2025, Ganduje promises Nigerians
- 2025’ll be remarkable, Abdulrazaq assures Kwara residents
- Okpebholo declares 2025 year of progress, transformation for Edo
Many world leaders, multilateral groups and humanitarian groups are entering 2025 in crisis mode, with war in the Middle East, a grinding conflict between Russia and Ukraine, and some facing domestic political upheaval.
With widespread elections planned, the hope of a ceasefire in Gaza and a resolution to Vladimir Putin’s war, others move into the New Year with optimism.
President Vladimir Putin told Russians in a New Year address that the country would move forward with confidence in 2025, although he offered no specific promises on the economy or the war in Ukraine.
At a time when many ordinary people are worried about rising prices and the central bank’s 21 per cent interest rate is squeezing businesses and homebuyers, Putin reassured Russians that their well-being was his top priority.
He portrayed Russia’s challenges as part of a wider historic mission, evoking past victories including its role in the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
Russia, Putin said, had overcome trials, achieved major goals and strengthened its unity in the first quarter of the 21st century – a period coinciding with his time as its leader.
“And now, on the threshold of the New Year, we are thinking about the future. We are confident that everything will be fine, we will only move forward. We know for sure that the absolute value for us was, is and will be the fate of Russia, the well-being of its citizens,” he said.
Putin’s three-and-a-half-minute seasonal message from the Kremlin was being broadcast at midnight in each of Russia’s 11 time zones, starting with Kamchatka and Chukotka in the Far East.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, said in a post on X: “Even in the darkest days, I’ve seen hope change. There are no guarantees for what’s ahead in 2025.
“But I pledge to stand with all those who are working to forge a more peaceful, equal, stable and healthy future for all people.”
World Health Organisation Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said in a post on X that leaders must bring desperately needed peace to the world, and health and safety to all.
“In 2025, let’s turn the page on conflict, chart a new path to secure a healthy and prosperous future for all,” Dr Tedros said. “Peace is the best medicine,” he added.
The British royal family released a simple message of “Wishing you a happy New Year.”
Leaders of the European Union’s two most important countries, France and Germany, are geared to enter 2025 in crisis management mode, as highlighted in their New Year’s speeches.
In a rare moment of contrition, French President, Emmanuel Macron, on Tuesday said he recognised that his decision to call early parliamentary elections in June had created more political instability in the country.
The speech caps a tumultuous 2024 for Macron, who shocked the nation halfway through the year by calling early elections, a gamble that backfired when voters delivered a hung parliament with a big increase in far-right politicians, diluting his power.
“Lucidity and humility force [me] to recognise that at this stage, this decision has produced more instability than peace, and I fully own up to that. The dissolution caused more divisions in the assembly than solutions for the French people,” he said in a televised address before New Year celebrations.
The political turmoil culminated in the resignation of Prime Minister Michel Barnier on December 13, after tenure of just more than three months, the shortest in the history of France’s Fifth Republic.
“Before, he was a president who governed” and laid out public policies that occupied a significant part of his New Year’s speech, according to an adviser to the Elysee. This year, he will be “more in the role of guarantor.”
Last year, he had promised a year of “French pride” marked by the Paris Summer Olympic Games and the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.
Marine Le Pen, the far-right figurehead who Macron has twice defeated in presidential elections, believes that the centrist will not be able to see out his term until 2027 as he has promised.
In her own New Year’s message, Ms Le Pen had earlier told the French public that she expected “a decisive year in 2025”.
“The happy resolution … will come from the people and therefore by a democratic decision,” she said.
Germany’s Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, who faces an uphill battle to stay in power at a February general election, called on the nation’s 84 million residents to stick together despite the many global crises and wars, the country’s ailing economy and a deadly Christmas market attack that shocked the nation.
“Strength comes from solidarity. And we are a country that sticks together,” Mr Scholz said in his New Year’s address, which will be broadcast on Tuesday night. “We have it in our hands together: we can make 2025 a good year.”
He acknowledged that Germany is still reeling from the Christmas market attack that killed five and injured more than 200 people in the eastern city of Magdeburg, when a Saudi doctor drove his car into a crowd. He was arrested on murder charges.
“We are stunned by this inhuman act. How can an insane assassin cause so much suffering?” And it is not only in Magdeburg that many are asking themselves: ‘Where can we find the strength to carry on after such a catastrophe,” Scholz said
He thanked all those who helped the injured and warned that attacks like the one in Magdeburg and other crises should not lead to division among Germans.
“We are not a country of opposing each other, or of passing each other by. We are a country of togetherness. And we can draw strength from this, especially in difficult times like these. And these are difficult times, we all feel that,” Scholz said.
In the United Kingdom, which is not an EU member, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to look forward to the 80th anniversary commemorations of the end of the Second World War, as he outlines a year of domestic reforms designed to boost the struggling economy.
Chronic housing shortages and immigration are issues of concern in the country, after figures published on Sunday showed that more than 150,000 people have arrived by small boats from European shores since 2018, which Labour blamed on the Conservatives’ “appalling legacy of border security”.
The centre-left Labour party won a general election in July in a landslide victory after 14 years of Conservative rule.
A change of government is likewise afoot in Ghana, where president-elect John Mahama will be sworn in on January 7, leading many there to feel a sense of expectation for 2025.
“The peaceful transition after the election gave me hope that maybe things will improve for people like me,” Kwesi Antwi, 26, an unemployed graduate, told AFP in the capital Accra amid fireworks and music.
Better days coming in 2025, Ganduje promises Nigerians
In Nigeria, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Tuesday said Nigerians will have cause to smile again in 2025.
The former governor of Kano State also assured Nigerians that there are clear signs of better days ahead in the New Year.
Ganduje gave the assurance in a New Year message issued in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment, Oliver Okpala.
According to him, the visionary reforms of President Bola Tinubu have started yielding positive results, which will become more evident in the New Year.
He said, “Let me assure Nigerians that by next year’s Christmas, the economy will have fully stabilised and improved. This season should be one of hope for a better life and the opportunity of a new era, as exemplified by the founding fathers of our country, such as Dr Herbert Macaulay, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Chief Peter Enahoro, Ahmadu Bello, amongst others.
“These individuals were incurable optimists about the future of the nation. It was not because there were no daunting challenges or obstacles during their time, but because they had the can-do spirit and belief that all hurdles were surmountable. This is the same spirit that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu possesses and that has kept him moving forward.
“It is this same energy that we must all embrace as we approach the New Year so that we can partake in the impending harvest in 2025. To maximise the benefits of the New Year, I implore every Nigerian to embrace a life of love, unity, and positive energy.”
2025’ll be remarkable, Abdulrazaq assures Kwara residents
Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has also congratulated the people of the state on the dawn of 2025, wishing everyone a brighter and more prosperous year ahead.
In a New Year’s message posted on his social media handles on Tuesday, the governor thanked Kwarans for their support, which he credited for the strides recorded in the preceding years.
A statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, quoted the governor as saying, “As we bid farewell to 2024, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the good people of Kwara State. Your unwavering support, resilience, and partnership have been the foundation of our collective progress this year.
“2024 was a year of transformation, growth, and shared achievements across our beloved state. Together, we made strides in innovation, development, and community building. Your faith in our vision made it possible.
“As we look ahead, 2025 holds even greater promise. Let us continue to work hand in hand for a prosperous Kwara, where opportunities abound for all. It will be a remarkable year—for you, for me, and for Kwara State. Here’s to a brighter future together,” he prayed.
Okpebholo declares 2025 year of progress, transformation for Edo
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, on Tuesday, declared that 2025 will be a year of progress and transformation for the state.
The governor said this in a statement titled “A Message of Hope and Progress for the New Year.
While noting that 2024 came with its own set of challenges, he stated that it was also a year of remarkable achievements.
He said, “On November 12, 2024, my deputy, Dennis Idahosa and I came on board, and since then, Edo State has been witnessing a steady growth. In 2025, we will do more for our people and continue to make our lives better.
“My dear people of Edo State, as we round off activities for the year 2024 and embrace 2025, I extend to you all my warmest greetings and heartfelt wishes for a prosperous and fulfilling New Year.
“The year 2024 presented us with its own set of challenges, but it was also a year of remarkable achievements.
“As a people, we have shown resilience, determination, and an unwavering spirit. Looking ahead, I am confident that 2025 will be a year of progress and transformation for our great state.”
The governor stated that his administration would continue to prioritise education, agriculture, security, infrastructure, healthcare, job creation, and other critical sectors in Edo State.
He also said that he would continue to strive to create an environment where every citizen will have the opportunity to thrive and reach his or her full potential.
He added, “My administration is committed to working with our people to build a brighter future for Edo State. Together, let us embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in 2025. With your support, a New Edo will rise again.
“I urge you to continue to support my administration. I also urge you to support the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Mr. President means well for our dear country, and I am optimistic that his bold policies will yield positive results in 2025.
“My deputy and I, wish you all a joyous and prosperous New Year, filled with happiness, good health, and success.”
