Nigeria, We hail Thee – 2025 hindsight, 2026 Insights

Dear God,

First of all, thank You for keeping me alive in 2025.
That alone already deserves a standing ovation (especially in Nigeria, where survival is not a lifestyle, it’s a profession). I just want to review 2025 with You. Not to complain. Okay, (maybe to complain a little). But mostly to understand. Because 2025 was… how do I put it politely? Successful, stressful, miraculous, confusing, hilarious, painful, rewarding, and occasionally very suspicious.

On paper, it was a good year…… Thank You.
Progress was made. Deals closed. Growth happened. Lessons were learned, some gently, others with a spiritual slap. I saw favour. I saw grace. I saw open doors. We saw young Nigerians winning global awards, and we saw our people’s creativity explode. But Dad, why is the “difficulty setting” for Nigeria always set to Extra-Legendary?

(No, don’t laugh…. I am serious)

Dad… please, can we talk about the terrain, this country called Nigeria?

Living and doing business in Nigeria sometimes feels like running a marathon where the road keeps rearranging itself mid-race. Policies change overnight. Costs rise without notice.

Why did the grid collapse more times than a toddler’s LEGO tower? Why does the “Law of Sowing” feel like I’m sowing in Lagos, but the harvest is being diverted to a warehouse in another country? Our systems fail consistently, yet business growth expectations remain heavenly high.

Dad, I kid you not…. sometimes when I hear people talk about the potential in Nigeria, I secretly ask myself: “Is there a “Money-Tree” planted somewhere in this country that I don’t know about? Did I miss the location memo?”

(Oh God, why are you laughing?)

I want to have a sincere Heart-to-Heart with you, I just need to understand better, because if there is a country that prays and worships you…. It is this one. So, my first question is simple: Why do You allow things to be this hard?

(You are smiling, you always smile before You answer uncomfortable questions. Oya, I’m listening. Tell me, what did we miss?)

Sighs.

“You missed Nothing. Things are not hard, Strength is tested.  Strength that is never tested becomes arrogance. And wisdom that is never pressured remains theoretical.” …. the tiny-small voice said.

Okay, fair enough. I get that. But still, why do honest efforts sometimes meet resistance, while shortcuts seem to get fast results?

“Because sowing and reaping is a law, not an event. Some people are harvesting seeds they planted long before you noticed them.” …. it answered quietly

Ah. So not everything I see is what it seems. That explains a lot.

But, Dad, in 2025, we sowed time, integrity, patience, excellence, relationships. Sometimes it felt like planting maize in dry ground. No rain. No applause. No instant feedback. “Did You see all that effort?”

(Laughs)

“I saw it. You just underestimated how long roots take before fruits announce themselves. There is no instant feedback in sowing…it is in seasons.”

Hmm. And here I was thinking prayer could fast-track everything. You know, like that verse about owning houses you didn’t build.

(This laughter again…)

“My child, stop praying for harvests you didn’t plant,” It said.
“In 2025, many of you fasted for your Naira to ‘multiply.’ But the Naira does not multiply in church, it multiplies in the marketplace. You cannot use a spiritual tool to solve an economic problem. My promise is to bless the work of your hands. So go and sow. Whatever you sow, you will reap—multiplied.” *

That stung. But it made sense.

It reminded me of a story a preacher once shared:
A farmer angrily accused God of sending famine after a year of intense prayers for breakthrough. The preacher replied, “God sent rain, not famine. But instead of sowing, you allowed weeds to grow, while you prayed. Rain waters whatever is planted.”

(Nods)

Exactly, child, so in 2026, stop asking for “blessings” (You are already blessed with all spiritual blessings), start asking for better seeds, the voice said kindly.

Hmmm. Okay, point taken. Thank you, Lord.

Next question, Dad. Why is life here so brutal? Why must people struggle for everything—water, light, roads, flights? May heaven bless Air Peace, truly.

(Dad, you’re rolling Your eyes. You’ve clearly never gone for an 8 a.m. flight and boarded at 5:30 p.m.)

 

“Life and death are in the power of the tongue, but so are profit and loss, peace and panic, momentum and stagnation.” ….. it said silently

I don’t understand, explain that.

“Stop calling your country brutal, finished, hopeless. I heard the conversations in 2025. ‘Nigeria is dead.’ ‘Business is impossible.’ Do you realize your words are the source code I use to build reality? You are co-creators. When you say ‘Nigeria is hard,’ you place a hard-mode filter over your vision—and miss the opportunities right in front of you.”

Ouch. So those complaints, jokes, careless words… they weren’t jokes?

“No. They were seeds. And seeds don’t understand sarcasm.”

So, we used our own mouths to build the difficulty, right?

(Nods again)

“In 2026, change your script. Instead of ‘The exchange rate is killing us,’ say ‘The exchange rate is forcing us to create value the world must buy in dollars.’ One is a funeral. The other is a strategy.”

Wahoo. The words we use are the mirror to the outcomes we see. Rhema!

Hmmm.

I am getting the message, Lord, however, I have one more question…just one. What about the security concerns. Economic pressure. Currency instability. Trust deficits. And the almighty “Quoruption” that refuses to die. Moments when doing the right thing feels odd, harder, lonelier and downright senseless. So, I ask You, “Why not fix Nigeria already?”

“Nations are not fixed the way people fix machines. Nations are healed, through truth, responsibility, courage, and reform, one heart at a time.”

So, the chaos isn’t random. It’s the people. The land is healed when the people are healed, right?

Yes, the people’s character exposes systems that don’t work, mindsets that need upgrading, and leaders who must choose between comfort and conviction. But the real question to ask is: “Did the difficulty in Nigeria stop you, or did it stretch you?”

I must admit, Lord, it didn’t stop me. But it stretched me.

In all honestly, Lord, 2025 taught me to plan better, speak clearer, partner wiser, and pray deeper. It taught me that resilience is not loud; it’s consistent. That excellence still shines, even in a broken system like ours. That integrity may cost more upfront, but it compounds quietly. And that true friendship is rare and priceless.

There were moments I waited too long. Moments I almost quit. Moments I cried. Moments I ignored rest because there was “just one more thing calling to me.”

But overall? It was a good year.

“Yes, your frustrations were because you forgot one fact: You don’t reap in the same season you sow. And you don’t reap where you didn’t plant.” So, when you wait, ask yourself, “Am I waiting in the right season? And am I expecting a harvest from what I planted?

Hmmm. That explains why some wins didn’t show up yet, (To everything, there is a time and season) and why some losses were actually protection (Every disappointment is a blessing in disguise).

Hmmm. Thank you, Lord. Please thank you.

Lessons Learnt. I now have a blueprint for 2026. I will be kinder with my expectations.
I will sow deliberately. Not everywhere. Not with everyone. I will choose my fields wisely.

I will speak intentionally. I will stop narrating problems I am meant to solve. I will stop rehearsing fears I am meant to conquer, and I will speak to the future I want to see.

I will honour rest. Burnout is not a badge of honour; it’s a sign of poor stewardship. I will respect this wholesome body that is hosting this amazing mind.

Most importantly, I will trust the unseen work. I will consistently sow good seeds and wait patiently for the season of harvest. Roots grow quietly. I won’t dig my seeds up to check progress.

(It’s my time to laugh, Lord. I am grinning from ear to ear)

“Yes, 2026 may not be easier, but I will be better and will handle it better.” And somehow, that is enough.

So, thank You, God, for 2025. For the wins that kept me grateful.
For the challenges that kept me grounded. For the lessons that prepared me quietly for what’s ahead.

Nigeria is a stormy sea, yes. but You didn’t make me a paper boat. You made me a battleship. I will stop looking at the waves and keep my focus on the compass. Because You are with me. Everywhere. More importantly, you are in those quiet moments when I wonder if it’s all worth it and  It is because you are in it.

I enter this new year wiser, lighter, more intentional, and still hopeful for my country. Because if I survived, learned, and grew here… then clearly, I’m being trained for something greater.

So, my people, let’s do 2026 properly. With faith, laughter, discipline, and better seeds. Let’s trust our random direction over others’ pseudo-perfection, (our grass will be greener too if we nurture it well). Let’s speak positivity over our country, correct our errors in kindness and judge it less.
We are not behind. We’re not broken. We are an Empire in progress.

Let’s Dare, Let’s Go and Dominate. See you at the finish-line.

This is your daughter, Lord, I am here, I am ready and I am checking into this year with clarity.