President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that Nigeria has emerged from the most painful phase of his economic reforms, insisting that the country is now ready to enter an era of prosperity.
Tinubu made the declaration on Thursday in his Independence Day address to Nigerians as the country marked its 66th anniversary.
Using a striking medical analogy, the President compared Nigeria’s economic crisis before his administration came to power to a cancer that had been allowed to spread.
He said previous governments had often treated only the symptoms of the problems instead of confronting their root causes.
According to him, his administration chose the more difficult option of tackling the underlying problems, despite the hardship and “side effects” that followed.
Tinubu said the reforms were necessary to correct years of economic distortions and warned against calls to return to policies that had previously masked the country’s problems.
He declared that the emergency phase of the treatment was now over, with the government’s attention shifting to reducing the cost of living and creating widespread prosperity.
The President said Nigeria’s economy had grown by more than four per cent in 2026, while inflation had fallen from its peak and foreign reserves had been rebuilt.
He also pointed to a more stable foreign exchange market, reduced oil theft and record non-oil export earnings as evidence that the economy was moving in a different direction.
Tinubu said the government would now concentrate on making food cheaper by expanding irrigation, mechanised farming, storage and transportation, while improving roads, railways and ports.
He said the administration also wanted to create more productive jobs by using gas to power industries, reviving factories, expanding digital connectivity and providing businesses with access to infrastructure and finance.
The President acknowledged that millions of Nigerians were still struggling with food, school fees, medical expenses and transportation costs.
He said the government would continue social intervention programmes while working to create an economy capable of lifting people permanently out of poverty.
Tinubu also highlighted education loans, consumer credit and support for poorer households as measures designed to help Nigerians cope while the broader economy improves.
He said the government’s objective was not simply to manage poverty but to defeat it through sustained economic growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities.
The President urged Nigerians not to look back at the difficult reform period, saying the country had now “corrected its course.”
He described the next phase as an “age of prosperity”, saying the ultimate goal was a Nigeria where prosperity would be broadly shared and children could dream beyond the circumstances of their birth.
“The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity,” Tinubu declared.
He ended his address with a simple message to Nigerians: “No looking back.”
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