Nigeria @66: Tinubu Acknowledges Hardship, Pledges To Lift Nigerians Out Of Poverty

President Bola Tinubu has acknowledged that millions of Nigerians are still struggling to afford basic necessities, including food, school fees, medical bills and transportation, saying his administration would not settle for merely managing poverty.

Tinubu made the remarks on Thursday in his 66th Independence Day address to the nation, shortly after returning to Nigeria from a working vacation in France.

The President said the hardship confronting many households predated his administration, attributing it to decades of low productivity, inadequate infrastructure, limited opportunities and institutions that failed to adequately serve vulnerable Nigerians.

“I am also conscious that millions of our fellow citizens cannot wait for tomorrow. Some Nigerian families still struggle today for the next meal, the next school fee, the next medical bill, or simply enough money to get to work.

“Their circumstances did not begin with the reforms of the last three years. Their struggle is the accumulated consequence of decades of low productivity, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient opportunity and institutions that too often failed those who needed them most,” he said.

Tinubu said although the government could not reverse in four years problems that had accumulated over generations, it could change the country’s trajectory and progressively lift Nigerians out of poverty.

“We cannot erase in four years what accumulated over generations. But we can change its course. We can build an economy that steadily lifts people out of poverty while ensuring that those who remain vulnerable are not abandoned along the way,” he said.

He said the administration was strengthening direct support for the poorest households and improving the National Social Register to ensure assistance reached those who genuinely needed it.

The President also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, saying it was helping children from low-income families pursue higher education despite their parents’ inability to afford the fees.

He cited the Consumer Credit Corporation, CREDICORP, as another initiative aimed at helping working Nigerians acquire essential assets such as vehicles, solar systems and digital devices without having to save for years before making such purchases.

Tinubu added that the Federal Government would continue working with state and local governments to strengthen primary healthcare, basic education and other essential public services on which poorer Nigerians depend.

He also said his administration had paid salaries and pensions on time and in full since 2023 and reformed the national pension programme to benefit retirees and vulnerable Nigerians.

However, Tinubu stressed that such interventions were not designed to permanently replace economic prosperity.

“These programmes are not substitutes for prosperity. They are a bridge to aid our nation’s citizens on their path towards it. Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently. We will defeat it,” he declared.

According to him, achieving that objective would require time, discipline, sustained economic growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities.

“It will take time. It will require discipline. It will require sustained growth year after year and the creation of millions of productive opportunities across our country,” he said.

The President said the next priority of his administration was to ensure that the economic reforms implemented over the past three years translated into tangible improvements in the lives of ordinary Nigerians.

He said prosperity would no longer be measured only by the size of the economy or macroeconomic statistics, but by whether Nigerians could afford basic necessities and find productive opportunities.

“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. I mean a Nigeria in which the farmer can cultivate his land safely, produce more at lower cost, and earn a decent return for his labour.

“A Nigeria in which factories have reliable power, businesses can obtain credit, and young people can find productive work. A Nigeria in which food and transportation are affordable, education is within reach, and hard-working families can look towards the future with confidence”, he stated.

Tinubu said reducing the cost of living would be central to the next phase of his administration, with efforts focused on lowering the cost of producing and transporting goods.

“Our priority is to bring down the cost of living. We will achieve this by lowering the cost of producing and moving the things Nigerians consume,” he said.

He identified increased agricultural production, mechanised irrigation, improved access to seeds and fertiliser, better storage facilities and improved transportation infrastructure as measures being pursued to reduce food prices.

The President said the government was also building and completing roads, railways and ports to improve connections between farms, factories and markets.

“Our logic is simple. When a farmer produces more cheaply, when fewer crops are lost between the farm and the market, when a manufacturer spends less on electricity, when a truck reaches its destination faster, and when the business environment fosters fair competition, all those savings will ultimately find their way into the price of goods in the market,” he said.

Tinubu also linked poverty reduction to job creation, particularly for Nigeria’s growing youth population.

“Nigeria is a young country. Millions of young Nigerians enter adulthood every year with talent, energy and ambition. Our responsibility is to ensure that this great demographic strength becomes an engine of production rather than a source of despair,” he said.

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

“We are therefore placing jobs, enterprise, and industrial growth at the heart of our government’s policies,” Tinubu said.

The President’s remarks come amid his administration’s continued defence of its economic reforms, which it has described as necessary to address structural weaknesses and create the foundation for sustained growth.

In his May 2026 third-anniversary address, Tinubu acknowledged that the reforms had placed “enormous pressure” on families, workers and businesses, while maintaining that the economy had stabilised.

The Federal Government also said in July that improvements in macroeconomic indicators would need to translate into better livelihoods for Nigerians.

In his Independence Day address, Tinubu therefore placed renewed emphasis on the gap between economic recovery at the macro level and the experiences of households, acknowledging that many Nigerians remained unable to wait indefinitely for the benefits of long-term reforms.

He said the ultimate measure of his administration’s success would be an economy capable of steadily lifting people out of poverty and creating opportunities across different social groups.

“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,” he said.

Tinubu ended by urging Nigerians to remain committed to the country’s future, saying the sacrifices made during the reform period should eventually produce tangible rewards.

“The Promised Land before us is a Nigeria of abundance and opportunity; a nation where prosperity is broadly shared, where every child can dream beyond the circumstances of his birth, and where our country’s immense promise is finally reflected in the lives of our people,” he said.

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