Full Text of President Tinubu’s speech on Nigeria’s 64th Independence Anniversary

Fellow Nigerians, as I address
you today, I am deeply aware of the struggles many of you face in these challenging
times. Our administration knows that many of you struggle with rising living
costs and the search for meaningful employment. I want to assure you that your
voices are heard.

 

As your President, I assure you
that we are committed to finding sustainable solutions to alleviate the
suffering of our citizens. Once again, I plead for your patience as the reforms
we are implementing show positive signs, and we are beginning to see light at
the end of the tunnel.

 

Exactly 64 years ago, our
founding fathers chose democracy as a form of government and launched the dream
of a great country that would lead the rest of Africa out of poverty,
ignorance, and underdevelopment, a beacon of hope to the rest of Africa and the
world.

 

Over six decades later, we can
look back, and Nigerians worldwide can see how well we have succeeded in
realising the lofty dreams of our founding fathers.

 

The world is witnessing and
benefiting from the can-do spirit of the Nigerian people, our massive
intellectual capacity, and our enterprise and industry in all vocations, from
arts to science, technology to infrastructure. The dreams that our founding fathers
envisaged are still a work in progress. Every day, we put our hands on the
plough, determined to do a better job of it.

 

While it is tempting to focus on
what has been left undone and where we have stumbled as a nation, we must never
lose sight of how far we have come in forging and holding our country together.

 

Since independence, our nation
has survived many crises and upheavals that led to the dissolution and
disintegration of many other nations worldwide. Six years after independence,
our country descended into a political crisis that led to a bitter and
avoidable civil war. Since returning from the brink of that darkest moment, we
have learned to embrace our diversity and manage our differences better as we
continue to work towards engendering a more perfect union.

 

Despite the many challenges that
buffeted our country, we remain a strong, united, and viable sovereign nation.

 

Dear compatriots, our
independence anniversary gives us another chance to reflect on how far we have
gone in our journey to nation-building and to renew our commitment to building
a better nation that will serve present and future generations of Nigerians.

 

While we celebrate the progress
we have made as a people in the last sixty-four years, we must also recognise
some of our missed opportunities and mistakes of the past. If we are to become
one of the greatest nations on earth, as God has destined us to be, our
mistakes must not be allowed to follow us into the future.

 

My administration took over the
leadership of our country 16 months ago at a critical juncture. The economy
faced many headwinds, and our physical security was highly impaired. We found
ourselves at a dizzying crossroads, where we must choose between two paths:
reform for progress and prosperity or carry on business-as-usual and collapse.
We decided to reform our political economy and defence architecture.

 

On the security front, I am happy
to announce to you, my compatriots, that our administration is winning the war
on terror and banditry. Our target is to eliminate all the threats of Boko
Haram, banditry, kidnapping for ransom, and the scourge of all forms of violent
extremism. Within one year, our government has eliminated Boko Haram and bandit
commanders faster than ever. As of the last count, over 300 Boko Haram and
bandit commanders have been eliminated by our gallant troops in the Northeast,
Northwest, and some other parts of the country.

 

We have restored peace to
hundreds of communities in the North, and thousands of our people have been
able to return home. It is an unfinished business, which our security agencies
are committed to ending as quickly as possible. As soon as we can restore peace
to many communities in the troubled parts of the North, our farmers can return
to their farms. We expect to see a leap in food production and a downward
spiral in food costs. I promise you, we shall not falter on this.

 

Our government has been
responding to the recent natural disasters, particularly the flooding in parts
of the country. After Vice President Kashim Shettima visited Maiduguri, I also
visited to assure our people that this federal government will always stand
with our people in their times of trouble. At the last meeting of the Federal
Executive Council, we approved a Disaster Relief Fund to mobilise private and
public sector funds to help us respond faster to emergencies.

 

Our government has also ordered
integrity tests of all our dams in the country to avert future disasters.

 

The economy is undergoing the
necessary reforms and retooling to serve us better and more sustainably. If we
do not correct the fiscal misalignments that led to the current economic
downturn, our country will face an uncertain future and the peril of
unimaginable consequences.

 

Thanks to the reforms, our
country attracted foreign direct investments worth more than $30 billion in the
last year.

 

Fellow compatriots, our
administration is committed to free enterprise, free entry, and free exit in
investments while maintaining the sanctity and efficacy of our regulatory
processes. This principle guides the divestment transactions in our upstream
petroleum sector, where we are committed to changing the fortune positively. As
such, the ExxonMobil Seplat divestment will receive ministerial approval in a
matter of days, having been concluded by the regulator, NUPRC, in line with the
Petroleum Industry Act, PIA. This was done in the same manner as other
qualified divestments approved in the sector.

 

The move will create vibrancy and
increase oil and gas production, positively impacting our economy.

 

The more disciplined approach
adopted by the Central Bank to monetary policy management has ensured stability
and predictability in our foreign exchange market. We inherited a reserve of
over $33 billion 16 months ago. Since then, we have paid back the inherited
forex backlog of $7 billion. We have cleared the ways and means debt of over
N30 trillion. We have reduced the debt service ratio from 97 per cent to 68 per
cent. Despite all these, we have managed to keep our foreign reserve at $37
billion. We continue to meet all our obligations and pay our bills.

 

We are moving ahead with our
fiscal policy reforms. To stimulate our productive capacity and create more
jobs and prosperity, the Federal Executive Council approved the Economic
Stabilisation Bills, which will now be transmitted to the National Assembly.
These transformative bills will make our business environment more friendly,
stimulate investment and reduce the tax burden on businesses and workers once
they are passed into law.

 

As part of our efforts to
re-engineer our political economy, we are resolute in our determination to
implement the Supreme Court judgment on the financial autonomy of local
governments.

 

The central concern of our people
today is the high cost of living, especially food costs. This concern is shared
by many around the globe as prices and the cost of living continue to rise
worldwide.

 

My fellow Nigerians, be assured
that we are implementing many measures to reduce the cost of living here at
home.

 

I commend the Governors
particularly, in Kebbi, Niger, Jigawa, Kwara, Nasarawa, and the Southwest
Governors that have embraced our agricultural production programme. I urge
other states to join the Federal Government in investing in mechanised farming.
We are playing our part by supplying fertilizer and making tractors and other
farm equipment available. Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved
establishing a local assembly plant for 2000 John Deere tractors, combine harvesters,
disc riders, bottom ploughs and other farm equipment. The plant has a
completion time of six months.

 

Our energy transition programme
is on course. We are expanding the adoption of the Presidential Initiative on
Compressed Natural Gas for mass transit with private sector players. The
Federal Government is ready to assist the thirty-six States and FCT in
acquiring CNG buses for cheaper public transportation.

 

Fellow Nigerians, while we are
working to stabilise the economy and secure the country, we also seek to foster
national unity and build social harmony and cohesion. Our economy can only
thrive when there is peace.

 

As we work to overcome the
challenges of the day, we remain mindful of the next generation as we seek to
galvanize their creative energy towards a better future. We lead today with the
future we wish to bequeath to our children in focus, recognizing that we cannot
design a future that belongs to them without making them its architects.

 

Considering this, I am pleased to
announce the gathering of a National Youth Conference. This conference will be
a platform to address the diverse challenges and opportunities confronting our
young people, who constitute more than 60 per cent of our population. It will
provoke meaningful dialogue and empower our young people to participate
actively in nation-building. By ensuring that their voices are heard in shaping
the policies that impact their lives, we are creating a pathway for a brighter
tomorrow.

 

The 30-day Confab will unite
young people nationwide to collaboratively develop solutions to issues such as
education, employment, innovation, security, and social justice. The modalities
of this Confab and selection of delegates will be designed in close
consultation with our young people through their representatives. Through this
confab, it will be our job as leaders to ensure that their aspirations are at
the heart of the conference’s deliberations. The government will thoroughly
consider and implement the recommendations and outcomes from this forum as we
remain resolute in our mission to build a more inclusive, prosperous, and
united Nigeria.

 

Our government is implementing
several other youth-centric programmes to give our young people an advantage in
the rapidly changing world. We are implementing, amongst others, the 3 million
Technical Talents programme (3MTT) of the Ministry of Communications,
Innovation and Digital Economy, aimed at building Nigeria’s technical talent
backbone.

 

We have also enthusiastically
implemented the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND), which provides cheap
loans to our students to pursue their tertiary educational dreams. In addition,
later this month, we shall launch The Renewed Hope Labour Employment and
Empowerment Programme (LEEP). It is conceived as a comprehensive suite of
interventions at job creation by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment
that is aimed at facilitating the creation of 2.5 million jobs, directly and
indirectly, on an annual incremental basis whilst simultaneously ensuring the
welfare and safety of workers across the country.

 

As is the tradition, the
government will soon announce all the beneficiaries of our national honours for
2024.

 

The Senate President and the
Chief Justice of the Federation have been conferred with the honour of the
Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON). The deputy Senate President
and Speaker of the House of Representatives have the honour of Commander of the
Order of the Federal Republic (CFR), while the deputy speaker of the House has
been awarded Commander of the Order of Niger (CON).

 

Fellow Nigerians, better days are
ahead of us. The challenges of the moment must always make us believe in
ourselves. We are Nigerians—resilient and tenacious. We always prevail and rise
above our circumstances.

 

I urge you to believe in our
nation’s promise. The road ahead may be challenging, but we will forge a path
toward a brighter future with your support. Together, we will cultivate a
Nigeria that reflects the aspirations of all its citizens, a nation that
resonates with pride, dignity, and shared success.

 

As agents of change, we can shape
our destiny and build a brighter future by ourselves, for ourselves and for
future generations.

 

Please join our administration in
this journey towards a brighter future. Let us work together to build a greater
Nigeria where every citizen can access opportunities and every child can grow
up with hope and promise.

 

May God continue to bless our
nation and keep members of our armed forces safe.

 

Happy Independence anniversary,
my fellow Nigerians!

 

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

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