President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that Nigeria has emerged from a difficult period of economic reforms and is now entering an era focused on shared prosperity.
Tinubu made the declaration on Thursday in his 66th Independence Day address to Nigerians, delivered under the theme, “From Reforms to Prosperity.”
The President said the country had “passed through our own Red Sea” following three years of difficult economic reforms, insisting that the government would not reverse course.
According to him, Nigeria’s economic outlook has improved, citing growth of more than four per cent this year, declining inflation, increased foreign reserves, greater stability in the foreign exchange market and a reduction in oil theft.
He also said Nigeria recorded more than $6 billion in non-oil export revenue in 2025, describing it as the highest in the country’s history.
Tinubu acknowledged that the reforms had imposed significant hardships on Nigerians but argued that they were necessary to address longstanding structural weaknesses in the economy.
“Our reforms did not create the weaknesses in our economy. They confronted them,” he said, while warning against calls to return to what he described as inefficient subsidy arrangements.
The President said the government’s priority had now shifted from correcting the economy to delivering “shared and widespread prosperity.”
He said this would involve reducing the cost of producing and transporting goods, expanding mechanised irrigation and dry-season farming, improving access to seeds and fertiliser, increasing agricultural mechanisation and investing in storage and transportation infrastructure.
Tinubu also listed roads, railways and ports as key infrastructure required to connect farms and factories to markets and reduce production and distribution costs.
He said job creation, enterprise development and industrial growth would remain central to the next phase of his administration, with plans to use Nigeria’s gas resources to power industries, revive factories, expand digital connectivity and provide skills, infrastructure and financing for businesses.
The President said the government also remained concerned about millions of Nigerians still struggling with food, education, healthcare and transportation costs.
He said the administration was strengthening direct support for poor households, improving the National Social Register and expanding programmes such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and CREDICORP.
Tinubu also cited continued investment in primary healthcare, basic education and other essential public services, while noting that salaries and pensions had been paid on time since 2023.
He said the government’s objective was not merely to manage poverty but to eventually eliminate it through sustained economic growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities.
“We cannot erase in four years what accumulated over generations. But we can change its course,” he said.
The President called on Nigerians to remain committed to the country despite the difficulties experienced in recent years, saying the sacrifices made during the reform period should ultimately produce a more prosperous nation.
“The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity,” Tinubu declared.
He described the Nigeria he envisaged as a country where prosperity would be broadly shared, children could dream beyond the circumstances of their birth and the nation’s potential would be reflected in the living conditions of its people.
Meanwhile, Katsina State Governor Dikko Umaru Radda has called on Nigerians to renew their faith in the country and work collectively towards building a peaceful, secure and prosperous nation.
In a separate Independence Day message, Radda said Nigeria’s 66-year journey had been marked by both triumphs and trials, but the resilience of its people had remained a major force holding the country together.
“Sixty-six years after independence, our greatest strength remains our ability to rise, rebuild and move forward together,” the governor said.
Radda urged Nigerians to look beyond ethnic, religious and political differences, stressing that every generation had a responsibility to leave the country stronger than it inherited it.
He said nation-building in Katsina would require safer communities, improved education, support for farmers and businesses, better healthcare and government programmes that respond to the needs of ordinary citizens.
“For us in Katsina State, nation-building begins at home,” he said.
The governor also paid tribute to Nigeria’s founding fathers, members of the Armed Forces and security agencies, as well as citizens who had made sacrifices for the country’s peace, unity and development.
He particularly urged young Nigerians not to abandon hope in the country, saying its future would be shaped by the choices, courage and contributions of its citizens.
Radda congratulated President Tinubu and Nigerians at home and in the diaspora on the 66th Independence Anniversary and wished the country continued peace and progress.
