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Interview: We will not remove subsidy on fuel – Buhari

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4 years ago

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Below is the full, unedited text of Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari’s written responses to questions posed by Bloomberg News:

You campaigned for office with a pledge to fight corruption, secure the country and fix the economy. How would you rate your performance in fulfilling those pledges during your eight years in office? Why has insecurity been so hard to tackle? Are you making headway?

We leave Nigeria in a far better place than we found it. Corruption is less hidden for Nigerians feel empowered to report it without fear, while money is returned; terrorists no longer hold any territory in Nigeria, and their leaders are deceased, and vast infrastructure development sets the country on course for sustainable and equitable growth.

Security

In 2015, Boko Haram held territory the size of Belgium within the borders of Nigeria. Today they are close to extinct as a military force. The leader of ISWAP was eliminated by a Nigerian Airforce airstrike in March. The jets acquired from the US and intelligence shared by the British were not provided to previous administrations and stand as a testament to renewed trust re-built between Nigeria and our traditional Western allies under my government.

We urge those same international partners to take additional steps costing them nothing, by proscribing another group – IPOB – as a terrorist organisation. Their leadership enjoys haven in the West, broadcasting hate speech into Nigeria from London, spending millions lobbying members of the US Congress, and freely using international financial networks to arm agitators on the ground. This must stop.

My administration is the only one in Nigeria’s history to implement a solution to decades-long herder-farmer conflicts, exacerbated by desertification and demographic growth. The National Livestock Transformation Plan, putting ranching at its core, is the only way to deplete the competition for resources at the core of the clashes. Governors from some individual states have sought to play politics where ranches have been established, but where they have been disputes have dramatically reduced.

Economy

For years, we have been criticised by the likes of the FT, the Economist, and others for supposedly mistaken attempts to de-globalise and re-localise food production and boost manufacturing. Now with the war in Ukraine breaking global food supply chains “Davos Man” is in retreat as the energy crisis makes countries everywhere think again about energy independence and security.

We have spent our two terms investing heavily in the national road, rail, and transport infrastructure set to unleash growth, connect communities, and lessen inequality. This is structural transformation. It may not show on standard economic metrics now, but the results will be apparent in good time.

Corruption

Starting with our Whistleblowing Policy enacted in my first year in office hundreds of millions in stolen funds have been returned within Nigeria.

Working with our international partners, hundreds of millions of various currencies have been returned from abroad – primarily from the UK, US, and Switzerland – and used as social and welfare funds distributed directly to the poorest during the COVID-19 pandemic and the provision of long-delayed infrastructure-roads, bridges, rail, and power.

As an illustration, Monetary recoveries (January-December) 2021 show that more than N152 billion has been recovered. Dollar recoveries for the year amount to over USD 386 million; GBP, more than 1.1 million; Euro, about 157,000; Saudi Riyals about 1.7 million some more in Digital and other currencies.

Those partners refused to return these monies held for decades to previous Nigerian administrations in the certainty they would simply be re-stolen. They changed their approach with us because they knew my administration could be trusted.

Food inflation has risen by double digits since 2015, despite the government’s efforts to boost agricultural production. Why has your administration battled to counter pricing pressures? What will it take for Nigeria to achieve food security? How concerned are you about food shortages in Nigeria and the broader region, given the drought that it is currently experiencing?

We can only imagine what food inflation would be today had we not initiated organised programmes to boost domestic production. And still, we do not grow enough domestically.

“My government set in motion plans to remove the subsidy late last year. After further consultation with stakeholders, and as events unfolded this year, such a move became increasingly untenable.”

Initiatives such as the Nigeria Anchor Borrower’s programme, helping farmers compete against artificially lowered imports have boosted rice production to 9 million metric tonnes in 2021 from around 5.4 million metric tonnes in 2015. Even in the years of drought, rice production outstripped pre-2015 levels. Imports have fallen to near zero. We are making progress.

Against these advances, international trade remains rigged against food security in Africa. The EU’s policies in particular (see: It’s time for a new economic deal between the EU and Africa) are all rhetoric of open trade – yet their Common Agricultural Policy subsidy programmes and export of those subsidised goods create dependence, undermine Africa’s self-sufficiency, and cause food poverty and starvation.

If only out of enlightened self-interest the West – and particularly Europe – must step up. The moral if not economic case for doing so is unarguable. Do nothing, and more migrants from across the Sahel will attempt dangerous journeys to reachEurope.

Nigeria continues to confront electricity shortages, and your government has faced calls to modernise the grid or make the sector economical for stakeholders up and down the chain. Do you think you have done enough to address the nation’s energy shortfall? What else needs to be done?

First, we need more input. Our legislative framework has been a drag. The landmark PIA (see later answers) will bolster input, raise capital, and bring transparency to the system.

On grid modernisation, there are hundreds of ongoing projects and initiatives attracting funding from investors. Take my Presidential Power Initiative (PPI), a government-to-government initiative between the Governments of Nigeria and Germany, with Siemens AG, to upgrade the electricity grid with a $2 billion investment.

Once signed into law the constitutional amendment bill – recently voted through parliament – will allow state governments to generate and transmit their own electricity, further facilitating investor participation in our market and enabling states and local businesses to transmit excess supply to the grid.

We are also decentralising the national grid through renewable-driven mini-grids. The $550 million Nigeria Electrification Project has deployed more than 20,000 Standalone Solar Systems (SHS), as well as Solar Hybrid mini-grids in over 250 locations.

The IMF and World Bank and many leading economists have urged you for years to remove the fuel subsidy and unify the exchange rate. Why have you not heeded such calls?

Most western countries are today implementing fuel subsidies. Why would we remove ours now? What is good for the goose is good for the gander!

What our western allies are learning the hard way is what looks good on paper and the human consequences are two different things. My government set in motion plans to remove the subsidy late last year. After further consultation with stakeholders, and as events unfolded this year, such a move became increasingly untenable. Boosting internal production for refined products shall also help. Capacity is due to step up markedly later this year and next, as private players and modular refineries (Dangote Refinery, BUA Group Refinery, Waltersmith Refinery) come on board.

The exchange rate is still susceptible to external shocks that can suddenly and severely affect Nigerian citizens. As we step up domestic production – both in fuel (enabled by PIA) and food (agricultural policies) – the inflationary threat shall diminish, and we can move toward unification.

The sharp rise in borrowing since 2015 has left the country now spending almost all of its revenue servicing debt. What will that level of debt servicing costs mean for the country going forward? Do you think you have done enough to try and bring debt under control?

A narrow focus on debt misses the point. What it fills is Nigeria’s longstanding infrastructure deficit by constructing a foundation for sustainable growth – spreading opportunity to ensure no part of the country is left behind, which has led to insecurity in the past.

Our infrastructure developments have been the most ambitious since Nigeria’s independence. Over 800 federal roads are being constructed or undergoing rehabilitation and 650km of rail line have been laid, helping alleviate food inflation pressures, given most food is produced in the north.

Had the infrastructure gap not been filled it would only grow and become more costly to repair what little we have while lacking more infrastructure on which to build growth, negatively impacting progress toward UN Sustainable Development Goals.

“(We) will allow state governments to generate and transmit their own electricity, further facilitating investor participation in our market”

Nigeria has one of the lowest tax-to-revenues ratios in the world. Is there more your administration could have done to boost tax collection?

Though we have the largest economy in Africa, it is true that translating that wealth into revenue generation is challenging.

We raised VAT in 2020, and the IMF wanted us to raise it further, but this is a complex issue that cannot be addressed by tax hikes alone. Around 80% of Nigerians work in the so-called informal economy – a situation exacerbated by the pandemic. It is difficult to tax the informally employed, and no country has yet found an adequate solution.

Still, we are striving to find one, including the roll out of a national ID card which has grown from 7 million in 2015 to between 90-100 million today – including a tax code and, at the same time combined with access to various government services.

In 2016 I launched the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), making Nigeria an easier place to start and grow a business. PEBEC’s policies, as with our national ID card rollout help integrate the informal sector.

We also work closely with ECOWAS to implement initiatives like the Support Programme for Tax Transition in West Africa (PATF), improving the management of domestic taxation and ensuring better coordination of taxation in the ECOWAS and West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) regions.

You serve as oil minister in addition to president. Why has the country’s crude production been slumping, with Nigeria unable to meet its OPEC quota for almost a year despite elevated prices? What are you doing to bolster output?

Four years ago, we unveiled plans for a new gas pipeline connecting Nigeria to Europe. Last week (2nd June) – in record time – the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) entered into an agreement with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) for its construction.

Concurrently on 1st July the NNPC will become a Limited Liability Company and be subject to more robust auditing and commercial disclosure obligations. It will help stimulate investment and boost transparency, where corruption has deterred the former and stymied the latter. My administration is the first to pass this landmark reform our oil and gas sector, after two decades of predecessors’ failure to do so – no doubt due to vested interests.

Criminality and terrorism in oil-producing regions hamper production, and it would help if our western allies designated IPOB as a terrorist group, given their complicity in damage to pipelines and infrastructure.

We have invested in our security forces, including the $1 billion military deal with the U.S. for the acquisition of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft. These efforts are making an impact: wells that had to be closed due to criminality have now re-opened. With these efforts, OPEC has raised our quota for next month.

What is Nigeria doing to take advantage of the gas supply crisis in Europe? How fast do you think Nigeria will be in a position to fill in on some of the European demand?

We need long term partnership not inconsistency and contradiction on green energy policy from the UK and European Union. Investment is hampered by their broad-brush moratorium on overseas gas projects, while at home the same projects are classified as green. It does not help their energy security, it does not help Nigeria’s economy, and it does not help the environment. It is a hypocrisy that must end.

To change, the UK and EU countries should invest in our planned 4000 km pipeline to bring Nigerian gas – the largest reserves in Africa – via Morocco, then onto Europe.

Are you concerned about the debate around the central bank’s independence following the governor showing interest in running for president? How are you going to resolve that?

The CBN governor is appointed by the President. But this appointment is subject to confirmation by the Nigerian Senate. Ultimately, it will be for the CBN’s board of directors to determine whether a CBN governor’s actions have fallen foul of the laws in place to ensure he can most effectively carry out his duties.

But there is a subtext to the accusations. Because the governor follows a model outside of the economic orthodoxy, he is labelled political. But the orthodoxy has proved wrong time and again.
Instead, the governor is following an alternative economic model that puts people at the heart of policy. Nigeria should be free to choose its development model and how to construct our economy, so it functions for Nigerians.

Do you plan to endorse a candidate for president? If so, who?
Yes. I will endorse the APC candidate for president.

You have suggested that members of the Commonwealth, who are due to meet in Rwanda next month, coperate more closely on matters of defence and security. What do you have in mind?

African nations make up the largest contingent of Commonwealth members. There is no reason why one of the world’s foremost arms manufacturers should not sell more widely to this club – a group of allies. If they don’t get them from Britain, they shall necessarily get them from elsewhere. This only creates a mosaic of different systems across Commonwealth members on the continent.
Instead, we should aspire to interoperability, which would have a material impact the ground. Commonwealth members in Africa often find themselves in the same missions. Operating with the same hardware and systems, collaborating troops would be more effective. Such collaboration could also open doors to deeper intelligence sharing.
I also believe the club can be used far more effectively as a voting bloc at intergovernmental bodies to deliver outcomes for the whole of the Commonwealth – and individual members when they ask for backing on matters from the rest of the group on issues of importance to them. The Non-Aligned Movement present common voting positions, and they have far less in common than Commonwealth members. Why would we not try to do this?
We can also do far more to reduce barriers to trade between members. When the UK remained in the EU that was less possible; now with the Commonwealth’s largest economy able to strike trade deals of its own, much has changed. The UK’s move to become the first country to sign a deal with the AfCFTA is an obvious example.
With the 19 Commonwealth African members making up the majority of the African economy, a UK-AfCFTA deal is substantially a UK-Commonwealth deal. It should act as a spur for other leading non-African Commonwealth countries such as Australia and Canada to sign compatible agreements.

Are you concerned that people accused of blasphemy still get stoned to death on the streets in northern Nigeria? What do these long-standing religious divisions mean for Nigeria’s future?
No person has the right to take the law into his or her own hands.
Christianity and Islam, our two Great Faiths and their Great Books have far more in common than they have apart. Nigeria has a long tradition of tolerance that we must draw on, and we must strive to find common ground.
What comes out of this tragedy is to cherish what we share, while at the same time respect our differences.

Source: Bloomberg News

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Anambra Govt Demands Unreserved Apology From Peter Obi Over Debt Claims

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6 hours ago

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September 27, 2026

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Anambra Govt Demands Unreserved Apology From Peter Obi Over Debt Claims
Governor Chukwuma Soludo and Peter Obi

Anambra Govt Demands Unreserved Apology From Peter Obi Over Debt Claims

The Anambra State Government has demanded an “unreserved apology” from former Governor Peter Obi over his claims that he left the state without outstanding debts, unpaid salaries, pensions or other financial liabilities when he handed over power in March 2014.

The demand was contained in a statement issued on Saturday, September 26, 2026, by the state Commissioner for Information and Value Reorientation, Dr Law Mefor, following Obi’s appearance on Arise TV on September 24.

The renewed disagreement centres on the financial position of Anambra at the end of Obi’s eight-year tenure and whether loans, salary arrears, pension obligations and other liabilities attributed to his administration remained outstanding after his departure.

Obi has maintained that he left office without owing salaries, pensions, gratuities or contractors whose projects had been completed, certified and verified. He has also disputed the state government’s characterisation of certain World Bank-related facilities as debts personally incurred by his administration.

However, Mefor, in the latest statement titled “Peter Obi’s Debts and Lies: More Questions Than Answers,” said the former governor’s recent interview did not adequately address documents and records presented by the state government.

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According to the commissioner, the state government’s position is that Obi’s administration contracted eight IDA/World Bank-related facilities which continued to have repayment obligations after he left office.

The government had previously identified facilities including the Malaria Control Booster Project, Third National Fadama Development Project, Health System Development Project II, State Education Programme Investment Project, Community and Social Development Project, Nigeria Erosion and Watershed Management Project and Value Chain Development Project. The state said the outstanding balance on the facilities stood at about N127.4 billion as of June 30, 2026, when converted at the official exchange rate.

Mefor argued that the fact that the facilities were obtained through international development institutions did not mean they were grants, insisting that the state was still responsible for repayment and servicing obligations.

The commissioner also rejected the argument that the value of assets or funds allegedly left behind by Obi could be used to erase the existence of liabilities.

He said a government’s financial position must take account of both assets and liabilities, arguing that the existence of savings or investments did not automatically mean there were no outstanding obligations.

The Anambra government further alleged that liabilities involving workers and pensioners remained after Obi’s administration left office.

Mefor specifically cited workers of the Anambra State Water Corporation, claiming that more than 700 employees had outstanding salary, pension and gratuity issues which subsequently became the subject of legal proceedings.

According to the commissioner, an arbitration process and a later National Industrial Court judgment established liabilities involving the workers, while the current administration entered into an out-of-court settlement in February 2024.

The government said the settlement was valued at N1.56 billion and that about N1.2 billion had so far been paid, with the remaining tranche expected to be settled.

Mefor also referred to pension arrears involving primary school teachers, alleging that 16 months of arrears had been certified during Obi’s administration, but that only five months were paid at the time.

These claims remain part of the dispute between the former governor and the current state administration and have been presented by the government as evidence that financial obligations remained when Obi left office.

Another major point of contention is Obi’s claim that he left more than N2.13 billion in an ecological fund account before handing over power.

The former governor had identified a First Bank account in support of his claim. But the Anambra State Government said it obtained records from the bank which, according to the government, did not support Obi’s description of the account.

Mefor said the account number cited by Obi was actually an Internally Generated Revenue Consolidated Account belonging to the Anambra State Government and not an ecological fund account.

The commissioner further claimed that a First Bank letter dated September 16, 2026, indicated that the account did not have N2.13 billion as its balance on March 17, 2014, nor did it record such an amount as an inflow during the period examined by the bank.

The government consequently challenged Obi to explain where the N2.13 billion he said he left behind was kept if it was not contained in the account he identified.

The ecological fund dispute is significant because Obi had cited the money as part of the financial resources he said were available to his successor after he left office.

The former governor has, however, continued to reject the broader allegation that he left Anambra with outstanding debts, maintaining that his administration settled inherited obligations and left substantial financial resources and investments.

In his September 24 Arise TV appearance, Obi reportedly maintained that his administration did not borrow money or issue bonds on behalf of Anambra State and said he left office without owing salaries, gratuities, pensions or contractors whose work had been completed and verified.

The dispute has also revived an earlier challenge attributed to Obi, in which he said he would withdraw from the 2027 presidential race if anyone could establish that he left salary, pension or other debts behind after leaving office.

The Anambra government said it considered the challenge to have placed the issue of Obi’s financial record firmly in the public domain.

Mefor therefore urged the former governor to acknowledge what the government described as documentary evidence and apologise to the people of Anambra State and Nigerians.

“As a responsible government and committed to ethical governance and politics, we remain ready to provide information that advances public interest,” Mefor said in the statement.

“For H.E. Peter Obi, it is a matter of word, character and integrity.”

The commissioner concluded by calling on Obi to “tender an unreserved apology” and move on from the controversy.

The latest exchange represents another escalation in the long-running disagreement between Obi and the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo over the financial records and legacy of the former governor’s administration.

While the Anambra government has cited debt records, bank documents and court-related liabilities in support of its position, Obi has rejected the allegations. The competing claims mean that the underlying financial records, including the relevant loan agreements, audited accounts, handover documents, bank statements and court records, remain central to independently determining the full financial position of the state as of March 17, 2014.

Anambra Govt Demands Unreserved Apology From Peter Obi Over Debt Claims

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Kano Upgrades Five PHCs to General Hospitals, Begins Assessment

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September 27, 2026

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Kano Upgrades Five PHCs to General Hospitals, Begins Assessment
Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf

Kano Upgrades Five PHCs to General Hospitals, Begins Assessment

The Kano State Government has approved the upgrade of five Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) to General Hospitals as part of efforts to expand access to secondary healthcare services across the state.

The affected facilities are the PHCs in Garun Malam, Kumbotso, Ghari, Garko and Kachako.

The decision is aimed at bringing more comprehensive healthcare services closer to residents, particularly communities that currently rely on existing general and specialist hospitals for secondary medical care.

Following the approval, the Kano State Hospitals Management Board (HMB) has commenced arrangements for the immediate takeover and assessment of the five facilities.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr Mansur Mudi Nagoda, has constituted a team to inspect the facilities and conduct a comprehensive assessment of their existing infrastructure, human resources, medical equipment and other requirements needed for their conversion to General Hospitals.

The team is expected to identify gaps at each facility and determine the additional resources required for the smooth commencement of operations. Its findings and recommendations will be submitted to the state government for further action.

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The government said the upgrade of the five PHCs is expected to improve access to secondary healthcare in the affected local government areas, reduce pressure on existing general and specialist hospitals, strengthen referral pathways and improve healthcare delivery at the grassroots.

The Kano Commissioner for Health, Dr Abubakar Labaran Yusuf, and the HMB Executive Secretary welcomed the approval, describing it as part of ongoing efforts to reposition the state’s healthcare system.

They said the expansion would help residents gain access to timely, affordable and quality healthcare services closer to their communities.

The latest approval comes amid wider investments in Kano healthcare infrastructure. At its 41st meeting on September 24, 2026, the Kano State Executive Council approved ₦2.609 billion for the rehabilitation and upgrading of healthcare facilities across the state.

The approvals included the upgrade of Kibiya and Albasu PHCs to General Hospitals, with ₦521.948 million and ₦679.375 million allocated respectively for the two projects.

Other approved health projects include the renovation of Karaye Emirate Specialist Hospital, rehabilitation of Shekar Barde PHC in Kumbotso and the upgrade of Yakasai Zumunta Clinic and Maternity to provide 24-hour services.

The latest development therefore forms part of a broader effort by the Kano government to expand healthcare infrastructure and increase the availability of secondary medical services across the state.

For residents of Garun Malam, Kumbotso, Ghari, Garko and Kachako, the next stage will involve assessing the facilities and providing the personnel, equipment and infrastructure required for them to operate effectively as General Hospitals.

The state government has not announced a specific completion date for the transition, with the timeline expected to depend on the outcome of the facility assessments and subsequent implementation measures.

Kano Upgrades Five PHCs to General Hospitals, Begins Assessment

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Tinubu to Nigerians: We Are Correcting Past Mistakes, Give Us More Time

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September 27, 2026

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Tinubu to Nigerians: We Are Correcting Past Mistakes, Give Us More Time
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu to Nigerians: We Are Correcting Past Mistakes, Give Us More Time

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appealed to Nigerians to give his administration more time to complete its economic reforms, assuring citizens that the difficult phase of stabilising the economy is giving way to a new focus on growth, production and shared prosperity.

Tinubu made the appeal through the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, who represented him at a special Juma’at prayer at the National Mosque in Abuja as part of activities marking Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.

The President urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the country’s recovery, saying the government was working to correct what it described as longstanding structural and fiscal problems inherited from previous administrations.

Abbas conveyed Tinubu’s message that Nigerians had made significant sacrifices and should continue to give the administration the opportunity to complete its reform programme.

The President said Nigeria was on the right path, adding that there was light at the end of the tunnel and that peace and development were returning to the country.

The appeal comes more than three years after Tinubu introduced some of his administration’s most significant economic measures, including the removal of the petrol subsidy and changes to the foreign-exchange system.

The reforms have also included changes to the tax system, efforts to improve government revenue, measures to attract investment and programmes aimed at expanding domestic production.

The Federal Government has argued that the measures were necessary to address longstanding fiscal and economic distortions, although they have also been accompanied by significant adjustments in the cost of living.

Minister of Information and National Orientation Mohammed Idris said Nigeria was moving from the difficult phase of reform and stabilisation towards growth, production and shared prosperity.

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Idris cited official economic data showing that Nigeria’s real GDP grew by 4.43 per cent in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 4.23 per cent in the corresponding period of 2025.

He also pointed to improvements in foreign reserves, domestic refining capacity, investment and productive activity as indicators the government considers evidence of progress.

The minister further highlighted Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List and its return to the JP Morgan Emerging Markets Bond Index after 11 years.

According to the Federal Government, the next phase of the reform programme is focused on ensuring that improvements in economic indicators translate into tangible benefits for households, including jobs, higher incomes, access to education and credit, lower costs and wider economic opportunities.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume said the government’s task was now to consolidate the gains from the reforms and ensure that ordinary Nigerians benefited from the resulting economic opportunities.

He said the Federal Government was mobilising revenue, improving public finances and implementing programmes covering infrastructure, agriculture, education, healthcare and social protection, while stressing the need to protect vulnerable Nigerians.

The government has also continued to defend the removal of the petrol subsidy, arguing that the policy freed resources that could be redirected towards development and public services.

Tinubu, in his third-anniversary address in May, said the country had faced substantial fiscal pressures, unsustainable fuel subsidies, exchange-rate distortions and declining revenues when his administration took office.

He acknowledged that the reforms had imposed sacrifices on families, workers and businesses but argued that the decisions were necessary to prevent deeper fiscal and economic problems.

The President also cited progress in infrastructure, oil and gas, domestic refining, agriculture, education, housing, healthcare and telecommunications.

According to Tinubu, more than 2,700 kilometres of highways and major roads were under construction, reconstruction or rehabilitation, while rail projects were also being advanced.

He further highlighted increased domestic refining capacity and said the government was working to reduce dependence on imported petroleum products and conserve foreign exchange.

On education, Tinubu said the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) had provided more than 1.5 million students with access to higher education, while the government had also expanded consumer credit and housing initiatives.

The President said the administration’s next priority was to ensure that the benefits of the reforms were felt more directly in the daily lives of Nigerians.

The government has particularly emphasised food production, transportation costs and employment as areas where economic improvements should become more visible.

The Federal Government has also promoted compressed natural gas and electric vehicles as part of its efforts to reduce transportation costs and lessen dependence on petrol.

In agriculture, Minister of Agriculture and Food Security Abubakar Kyari said improved access to farmland in previously affected areas, alongside government support for fertiliser and improved seeds, was contributing to increased production.

However, the government has acknowledged that significant challenges remain.

Idris said the country had not completely resolved its security challenges, although he said the government had increased investment in equipment, intelligence, personnel and inter-agency coordination.

The reform programme also continues to attract public debate because of its impact on household finances, with Nigerians still dealing with the effects of food prices, transportation costs and other living expenses.

The administration’s stated objective is therefore to move beyond macroeconomic stabilisation and ensure that improvements in GDP growth, public finances, investment and production translate into better living standards.

Tinubu’s latest appeal for patience comes as Nigeria prepares to mark 66 years of independence, with the Federal Government using the anniversary to highlight both the country’s challenges and its reform agenda.

The theme of the government’s anniversary programme is “From Reforms to Stability: Consolidating Nigeria’s Renewed Hope for Shared Prosperity.”

The anniversary programme includes the Juma’at service, a church service, an Independence Day public lecture and a nationwide broadcast by President Tinubu on October 1.

As the administration moves into the next phase of its programme, Tinubu is asking Nigerians to remain patient while the government works to translate its stated economic gains into greater prosperity, employment, lower costs and improved opportunities.

The extent to which those reforms produce measurable improvements in the daily lives of Nigerians is expected to remain a central issue as the country moves towards the next phase of the administration’s economic programme.

Tinubu to Nigerians: We Are Correcting Past Mistakes, Give Us More Time

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