At the beginning of every year, analysts look back at the past 12 months – reflecting on what worked and what didn’t – and look forward to the next 12 months – prognosticating on what might and might not be. In that tradition, this column began last year with an article titled "Beyond sophistry: How Nigerians must assess Tinubu’s performance in 2024” (BusinessDay, January 8, 2024). That piece looked back at 2023 and projected into 2024. Similarly, this intervention reflects on 2024 and takes the long view of 2025.