President Bola Tinubu has said his administration cannot erase Nigeria’s decades-long economic challenges in four years, but can change the country’s trajectory and build an economy that lifts millions out of poverty.
Tinubu made the remarks in his Independence Day address on Thursday, as Nigeria marked its 66th anniversary.
The president acknowledged that millions of Nigerians continue to struggle with the cost of food, education, healthcare and transportation, saying the difficulties predated the reforms introduced by his administration.
“We cannot erase in four years what accumulated over generations. But we can change its course,” Tinubu said.
“We can build an economy that steadily lifts people out of poverty while ensuring that those who remain vulnerable are not abandoned along the way.”
He attributed the hardship faced by vulnerable Nigerians to “decades of low productivity, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient opportunity and institutions that too often failed those who needed them most”.
Tinubu Highlights Support for Poor Households
The president said the Federal Government was strengthening direct support for the poorest households and improving the National Social Register to ensure assistance reached those who genuinely needed it.
He also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which he said was helping children from low-income families access higher education despite their parents’ inability to afford tuition fees.
Tinubu cited the Consumer Credit Corporation (CREDICORP) as another initiative providing working Nigerians with access to credit for vehicles, solar systems, digital devices and other essential assets.
He added that his administration would continue working with state and local governments to strengthen primary healthcare, basic education and other essential public services.
‘Our Objective Is Not to Manage Poverty’
Tinubu said social intervention programmes should not be viewed as substitutes for economic prosperity but as a bridge towards achieving it.
“Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently. We will defeat it,” he said.
The president acknowledged that achieving the goal would require time, discipline, sustained economic growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities.
He said the government was focusing on agriculture, industrialisation, job creation and enterprise to reduce the cost of living.
According to him, the administration is expanding mechanised irrigation and dry-season farming, improving access to seeds and fertiliser, investing in storage and transportation, and developing roads, railways and ports to connect farms and factories to markets.
Tinubu also said Nigeria’s gas resources would be used to power industries, while the government would support businesses seeking to revive factories, expand digital connectivity and invest in skills required by employers.
Tinubu Says Economic Reforms Are Showing Results
The president defended the reforms introduced since 2023, describing them as difficult but necessary to address longstanding economic distortions.
He said Nigeria’s economy had grown by more than four per cent in 2026, while inflation had fallen substantially from its peak, foreign reserves had been rebuilt and the foreign exchange market had stabilised.
Tinubu also said oil theft had declined and Nigeria recorded more than $6 billion in non-oil export revenue in 2025, which he described as the country’s highest-ever figure.
He said his administration had moved from what he called the “age of reform” to an “age of prosperity”.
“The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity,” he said.
“An age in which the promise of this great nation must finally become the lived experience of Nigerians from all walks of life.”
Tinubu said the administration’s ultimate objective was to build a Nigeria where prosperity was broadly shared and children could aspire beyond the circumstances of their birth.
“Our destination is in sight. Our foundations are strong. Our direction is clear. So let us go forward. No looking back,” he added.
