66th Independence: What I want Nigerians to do – Tinubu - Vanguard News

ABUJA — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called on Nigerians to produce more goods and services, expand agricultural production, build globally competitive businesses and create opportunities for others as the country moves from economic reforms to an era of prosperity.

Tinubu made the call in his Independence Day address to Nigerians on Thursday, saying his administration’s priority was to build an economy driven by production, enterprise, industrial growth and productive employment.

He said he wanted to see more Nigerians manufacturing goods, more farms supplying food to cities and raw materials to factories, and Nigerian businesses taking their products to international markets.

“I want to see more Nigerians making things. I want to see more Nigerian farms feeding our cities and supplying our factories.

“I want to see Nigerian businesses selling Nigerian goods to the whole world. I want young Nigerians building unicorns and creating opportunities for others here at home,” the President said.

Tinubu said Nigeria’s young population represented a major economic opportunity if properly harnessed, stressing that government must ensure that the energy, talent and ambition of young Nigerians translated into productive activity.

“Prosperity requires more than cheaper goods. It requires productive work,” he said.

The President said his administration was therefore placing jobs, enterprise and industrial growth at the centre of its policies.

He said the government would use Nigeria’s gas resources to power new industries, support businesses seeking to revive factories, expand digital connectivity and invest in skills required by employers.

Tinubu also pledged continued support for Nigerian businesses through infrastructure and financing to enable them to expand.

According to him, the government’s broader economic objective is to lower the cost of living by reducing the cost of producing and transporting goods.

He said the administration was expanding mechanised irrigation and dry-season farming, improving access to seeds and fertiliser, increasing mechanisation and investing in storage and transportation.

“We are building and completing the roads, railways and ports that connect farms and factories to markets,” he said.

Tinubu said reducing production costs, cutting post-harvest losses, improving electricity supply to manufacturers and reducing transportation costs would ultimately help bring down the prices of goods.

He said the government was also focused on creating an environment that would encourage fair competition and business growth.

The President said the shift in focus followed what he described as three and a half years of economic reforms aimed at correcting longstanding structural weaknesses.

According to him, Nigeria’s economy has grown by more than four per cent this year, while both the oil and non-oil sectors have contributed to the growth.

He also cited lower oil theft, a substantial decline in inflation from its peak, rebuilt foreign reserves, greater stability in the foreign exchange market and more than $6 billion in non-oil export revenue in 2025 as evidence of improving economic conditions.

Tinubu said the country had reached a turning point, with the “emergency treatment” phase of the economy over and the focus now shifting to “shared and widespread prosperity.”

“When I speak of prosperity, I do not speak merely of a larger economy, abstract numbers or better statistics. I mean something much more personal,” he said.

The President said prosperity should translate into safer and more productive farming, reliable electricity for factories, access to credit for businesses, productive employment for young people, and more affordable food, transportation and education.

He, however, acknowledged that millions of Nigerians were still struggling with food, school fees, medical bills and transportation costs.

Tinubu said the difficulties confronting many Nigerians predated his administration, describing them as the accumulated consequences of decades of low productivity, inadequate infrastructure, limited opportunities and institutional weaknesses.

“We cannot erase in four years what accumulated over generations. But we can change its course,” he said.

The President said his administration would continue strengthening direct support for vulnerable households, improving the National Social Register and expanding programmes such as the Nigerian Education Loan Fund and CREDICORP.

He said the government would also continue working with state and local governments to strengthen primary healthcare, basic education and other essential public services.

Tinubu said these interventions were not substitutes for prosperity but were intended to support Nigerians on the path towards it.

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

The President said achieving the objective would require sustained economic growth, discipline and the creation of millions of productive opportunities across the country.

“The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity,” Tinubu declared.

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