Tinubu To Nigerians At 66: Emergency Treatment Is Over, Now Begins Age Of Prosperity
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that Nigeria has turned the corner from painful economic reforms to a new era of shared prosperity, as the nation marks its 66th Independence Anniversary.
In his Independence Day Address to the Nation titled “FROM REFORM TO PROSPERITY” on Wednesday, October 1, 2026, the President said his administration has successfully repaired the foundation of the economy and is now focused on bringing down the cost of living and creating jobs for millions of Nigerians.
Addressing Nigerians, Tinubu reflected on the journey since 1960, noting that the country has endured war, military rule, economic crises and insecurity, but has survived through the resilience of its people, including farmers, traders, teachers, entrepreneurs and members of the Armed Forces.
He said when his administration assumed office in 2023, Nigeria was like a sick patient diagnosed with cancer, where previous leaders chose to administer morphine to dull the pain rather than excise the disease.
“For too long, Nigeria’s leaders chose morphine while praying for a miracle that never came. They focused on symptoms while allowing the disease to take hold deep within the fabric of our society,” Tinubu said.
“We chose to excise the cancer. The reforms that followed were difficult. The side effects were real. Yet, we must never confuse the medicine with the disease,” the President added.
President Tinubu insisted that the removal of fuel subsidy and other reforms did not create the weaknesses in the economy but confronted them head-on, warning Nigerians not to listen to what he called “influential but regressive voices” calling for a return to subsidies.
Giving a scorecard of his three and a half years in office, the President said the economy has grown by over 4 percent in 2026, inflation has fallen substantially from its peak, foreign reserves have been rebuilt, the foreign exchange market has stabilised, oil theft is down, and non-oil exports hit a record high of over $6 billion in 2025.
“These are not idle claims. International observers, journalists, NGOs and multilateral institutions can see the change. The private sector has long since delivered its verdict, and foreign direct investment continues to rise each year,” he stated.
Tinubu declared that the central task of his government has now changed.
According to him: “The emergency treatment is over. The foundation has been repaired. The central economic task before us has changed. For three years, our overriding purpose was to correct our nation’s course. Now, our purpose is simple: shared and widespread prosperity.”
He explained that prosperity means a Nigeria where farmers can cultivate safely and earn decent returns, factories have reliable power, businesses can obtain credit, food and transportation are affordable, and families can look to the future with confidence.
To achieve this, the President said his government will expand mechanised irrigation and dry-season farming, improve access to seeds and fertiliser, invest in storage, roads, railways and ports, use gas to power new industries, revive factories, expand digital connectivity and invest in skills.
He also acknowledged the hardship faced by vulnerable Nigerians, noting that their struggle is the accumulated consequence of decades of low productivity and weak institutions.
Tinubu listed interventions such as the strengthened National Social Register for poor households, the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), CREDICORP for consumer credit, and improved primary healthcare and basic education, stressing that the objective is not to manage poverty but to defeat it.
“The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity,” Tinubu declared.
He urged Nigerians not to look back, saying: “Nigeria has corrected its course. We have passed through our own Red Sea. This is not the time to look back. Let us go forward together.”
