President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday assured Nigerians that the country’s “worst days are over.”
He declared that his economic reforms are beginning to deliver results and that hope is rising for a more prosperous nation.
Delivering his national broadcast to mark the country’s 65th Independence anniversary, President. Tinubu said his administration had chosen “the path of tomorrow over the comfort of today” since coming into office in May 2023, and that Nigerians are now beginning to see tangible results.
President Tinubu hailed the resilience of Nigerians, saying the country had survived a civil war, military rule and political crises, and is still striving to build “a more perfect union.”
He described the 65th anniversary as a moment for reflection on the sacrifices of the nation’s founding fathers and the progress achieved since Independence in 1960.
The President highlighted achievements in education and healthcare, noting that Nigeria has grown from just two tertiary institutions at Independence to 274 universities, 183 polytechnics and 236 colleges of education by 2024.
President Tinubu defended his economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the unification of foreign exchange rates, which he said ended decades of distortions and rent-seeking.
According to him, these difficult decisions freed resources for investment in infrastructure, education, healthcare and social programmes.
He argued, “In resetting our country for sustainable growth, we ended the corrupt fuel subsidies and multiple foreign exchange rates that created massive incentives for a rentier economy, benefiting only a tiny minority.
“Our administration has redirected the economy towards a more inclusive path, channelling money to fund education, healthcare, national security, agriculture, and critical economic infrastructure.”
The President said his government was investing heavily in security to consolidate economic gains.
“They are winning the war against terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes. We see their victories in their blood and sweat to stamp out Boko Haram terror in the North-East, IPOB/ESN terror in the South-East and banditry and kidnapping,” he said, adding that peace had returned to hundreds of communities and thousands of displaced persons had gone back home.
He also promised to prioritise food security and agricultural production to lower food costs.
“We must build the roads we need, repair the ones that have become decrepit, and construct the schools our children will attend and the hospitals that will care for our people. We have to plan for the generations that will come after us,” President Tinubu said.
Addressing young Nigerians, the President described them as the “greatest assets of this blessed country,” highlighting initiatives such as the Nigeria Education Loan Fund, which has already benefited over 500,000 students, and credit schemes like Credicorp and YouthCred that provide loans for housing, devices and resettlement.
The president concluded his third Independence Day address with a call for productivity and national unity, saying, “Let us be a nation of producers, not just consumers. Let us farm our land and build factories to process our produce.
Punch/Halima Abdulganiyu
