Nigeria@66: Nigeria cannot erase generational challenges in four years, promises prosperity — Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu says his administration cannot eliminate challenges that have accumulated in Nigeria over several generations within four years, but can redirect the country’s path and create an economy capable of lifting people out of poverty.

Tinubu made the remarks in his Independence Day address to Nigerians on Thursday, as the country marked its 66th anniversary.

The President acknowledged that millions of Nigerians continue to struggle with the cost of food, education, healthcare and transportation, saying their difficulties existed before the economic 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.”

Tinubu attributed the hardship experienced by vulnerable Nigerians to “decades of low productivity, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient opportunity and institutions that too often failed those who needed them most”.

He said the government was strengthening direct assistance for the poorest households while improving the National Social Register to ensure support reaches those who genuinely need it.

The President also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as a means of helping children from low-income households pursue higher education despite their parents’ financial limitations.

He said CREDICORP was providing working Nigerians with access to consumer credit for vehicles, solar systems, digital devices and other essential assets.

Tinubu added that his administration would continue collaborating with state and local governments to improve primary healthcare, basic education and other essential public services.

‘OUR OBJECTIVE IS NOT TO MANAGE POVERTY’

The President said social intervention programmes should serve as a pathway towards economic prosperity rather than replace it.

“Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently. We will defeat it,” he said.

Tinubu acknowledged that achieving this goal would require time, discipline, sustained economic growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities.

He said the government was prioritising agriculture, industrialisation, employment and enterprise as part of efforts 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, while developing roads, railways and ports to connect farms and factories with markets.

The President also said Nigeria would use its gas resources to power industries, support businesses working to revive factories, expand digital connectivity and develop the skills required by employers.

Tinubu said the reforms introduced since 2023 had been difficult but necessary to address longstanding economic weaknesses.

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. These were claims made by the President in the address.

The President also said oil theft had declined and that Nigeria recorded more than $6 billion in non-oil export revenue in 2025, which he described as the country’s highest ever.

Tinubu said his administration had moved from what he described as the “age of reform” towards 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.”

He said the administration’s ultimate goal was to build a Nigeria where prosperity is widely shared and children can 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.