Usually, the end of each year resonates differently with people across social and economic strata of the society. Mostly, people reflect on the events of the closing year and recommit themselves to what they would love to achieve in the coming year.

Interestingly, in Nigeria, people often gather at religious places, and clerics use such gatherings to reel out what they consider prophecies to herald the new year.

While most of the prophecies reeled out by Nigerian pastors against 2022 were vague and almost impossible to verify, the Redeemed Christian Church (RCCG) head, Pastor Enoch Adeboye’s infant mortality prophecy stands out.

Among other things, he said there would be a drastic reduction in infant mortality in Nigeria.

His words: “Infant mortality rate will drop by at least 50%.”

According to the United Nations International Children Emergency Fund (UNICEF), this has not happened. Rather, Nigeria has had one of the highest infant mortality rates in the world.

UNICEF’s latest report titled “Situation of Women and Children in Nigeria” shows infant mortality rate in Nigeria stands at “69 per 1000 live births”.

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“Latest figures show a maternal mortality rate of 576 per 100,000 live births, the fourth highest on Earth. Each year approximately 262,000 babies die at birth, the world’s second highest national total. Infant mortality currently stands at 69 per 1,000 live births while for under-fives it rises to 128 per 1,000 live births,” the report said.

Based on data provided by UNICEF, the UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation and the World Bank, Nigeria’s infant mortality rate has been in steady decline since 1965. From 190 per 1000 in 1965, it reduced to 72 in 2020. While the decline can be attributed to more access to modern health facilities in the country, there’s no evidence of a margin as wide as the one projected by Adeboye.

The percentage decline from 2020 to 2022 was just about 3 percent.

The octogenarian also added that “in spite of everything happening, this year will be a year of some massive breakthroughs (in science and in finance)”.

While that religious forecast is open-ended, it is refreshing that in the outgoing year, Nigeria launched its first electric car. The launch of this locally-assembled electric car is one among other technological innovations witnessed in the country during the period under review.

He also added, “There will be two monstrous storms (one coming from the Atlantic and one from the Pacific) unless they are weakened, the results will be terrible.”

If the message of “monstrous storms” is anything to go by, then the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which started in February 2022, is the major violent disturbance seen in the Northern Hemisphere.

On the other hand, it is not yet clear what storms would come from the Pacific. But so far, the atmosphere on this side has been less of a monster or storm.

Another prominent prophet known for prophetic messages is Reverend Fr. Ejike Mbaka, and he released new year messages for 2022.

Fr. Mbaka disclosed in Enugu that Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), would have remarkable testimony on his travails in 2022.

“This year will be for Nnamdi Kanu and those held for agitation. God will show them mercy this year,” he said.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja ordered the release of Kanu on October 13, but he is still being detained by the Directorate of State Services (DSS) on the order of the court pending the determination of the government’s appeal before the Supreme Court.