President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said the economic hardship confronting millions of Nigerians predates the reforms introduced by his administration, attributing the difficulties to decades of low productivity, inadequate infrastructure and limited economic opportunities.
Tinubu made the statement in his Independence Day address to Nigerians on Thursday, acknowledging that many families continue to struggle to meet basic needs amid the country’s economic challenges.
The President said Nigerians were still finding it difficult to afford food, school fees, medical bills and transportation, but argued that the problems were not created by the reforms implemented by his administration over the past three years.
“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,” Tinubu said.
“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.”
Tinubu said the government could not reverse in a single four-year term the challenges that had accumulated over several generations, but maintained that it could redirect the country’s economic trajectory.
“We cannot erase in four years what has accumulated over generations. But we can change its course,” he said.
The President said his administration was focused on building an economy capable of lifting more Nigerians out of poverty while providing support for people who remain vulnerable.
“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.
