Nigeria @66: Age of Reform Is Over, Age of Prosperity Begins – Tinubu
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that Nigeria has moved beyond the difficult phase of his administration’s economic reforms, saying the country is now entering an “age of prosperity” anchored on production, job creation and improved living standards.
Tinubu made the declaration in his Independence Day broadcast to Nigerians on Thursday, October 1, 2026, as the nation marked its 66th anniversary of independence.
The President said his administration’s overriding objective during its first three years was to correct what he described as deep-seated economic distortions, adding that the focus must now shift from economic stabilisation to widespread prosperity.
According to him, “The emergency treatment is over. The foundation has been repaired. The central economic task before us has changed.”
He added: “For three years, our overriding purpose was to correct our nation’s course. Now, our purpose is simple: shared and widespread prosperity.”
Tinubu acknowledged the hardship Nigerians had experienced, but argued that the reforms undertaken by his administration were necessary to address longstanding structural weaknesses in the economy.
Using a medical analogy, the President likened the Nigerian economy to a patient suffering from cancer, saying previous administrations had allegedly treated the symptoms rather than confronting the underlying problems.
“For too long, Nigeria’s leaders chose morphine while praying for a miracle that never came,” he said, arguing that his administration chose instead to undertake difficult reforms.
He maintained that the reforms “did not create the weaknesses in our economy,” but were introduced to confront them, stressing that Nigerians should not abandon the process because of the discomfort associated with it.
Tinubu said the economy had recorded more than four per cent growth in 2026, while claiming that inflation had fallen substantially from its peak, foreign reserves had been rebuilt and the foreign exchange market had stabilised.
He also said oil theft had declined and that Nigeria recorded more than $6 billion in non-oil export revenue in 2025, describing it as evidence of growing economic activity outside the petroleum sector.
The President said the next phase of his administration would focus principally on reducing the cost of living, expanding production and creating productive employment.
“Our priority is to bring down the cost of living,” he declared, explaining that government would seek to achieve this by lowering the cost of producing and transporting goods.
He listed mechanised irrigation, dry-season farming, improved access to seeds and fertiliser, agricultural mechanisation, storage facilities and transportation infrastructure among measures being pursued to strengthen food production.
According to him, the government is also investing in roads, railways and ports to connect farms and factories with markets.
Tinubu said Nigeria’s youthful population presented a major opportunity, insisting that government must transform the country’s demographic strength into productive capacity.
“We are therefore placing jobs, enterprise, and industrial growth at the heart of our government’s policies,” he said.
He disclosed that government would deploy gas to power industries, support the revival of factories, expand digital connectivity and invest in skills required by employers.
The President also expressed his desire to see more Nigerians manufacturing goods locally, more Nigerian farms supplying cities and industries, and more Nigerian businesses exporting to international markets.
On poverty and social protection, Tinubu acknowledged that millions of Nigerians still struggle to meet basic needs, including food, school fees, medical bills and transportation costs.
He said such difficulties predated his administration and were the accumulated consequences of low productivity, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient opportunities and institutional weaknesses.
“We cannot erase in four years what accumulated over generations. But we can change its course,” he said.
Tinubu said his administration would strengthen direct support for vulnerable households, improve the National Social Register and expand access to education financing through the Nigerian Education Loan Fund.
He also cited CREDICORP as part of government’s effort to provide working Nigerians with access to consumer credit for essential assets such as vehicles, solar systems and digital devices.
The President further said government would continue to strengthen primary healthcare, basic education and other essential public services, while maintaining that social intervention programmes were not substitutes for economic prosperity.
“Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently. We will defeat it,” he declared.
Tinubu said achieving the objective would require time, discipline, sustained economic growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities.
He described the country as having reached a turning point, declaring that “The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity.”
He urged Nigerians to look forward with renewed confidence, saying the country had “corrected its course” and must now concentrate on building a future of abundance and opportunity.
“Nigeria has corrected its course. We have passed through our own Red Sea. This is not the time to look back,” Tinubu said.
He envisioned a Nigeria where prosperity would be broadly shared and every child would have the opportunity to rise beyond the circumstances of birth.
The President further declared: “Our destination is in sight. Our foundations are strong. Our direction is clear. So let us go forward. No looking back.”
EDITOR
Sam Udekwe is a journalist working in the News and Current Affairs department, Enugu State Broadcasting Service (ESBS) Enugu. He is well trained in all genres of journalistic venture.
Mr Sam read Mass Communication, graduating all with Distinction in National Diploma, Higher National Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma at IMT, Enugu and Madonna University, Okija, Anambra state, as well as M.Sc Mass Communication at National Open University of Nigeria.
He is the immediate past NUJ Chairman, Enugu state.
samowailo@gmail.com
