Tinubu Cites Economic Milestones on Independence Day

President Bola Tinubu used a national broadcast on Nigeria’s 65th Independence Day to praise the founding fathers, highlight long-term gains in education, healthcare and infrastructure, and urge collective action to accelerate road, power, port and social investments. He listed a dozen economic milestones from his 28-month administration, saying Nigeria hit its 2025 non-oil revenue target (over N20 trillion) by August, cut the debt-service-to-revenue ratio from 97% to below 50%, raised foreign reserves to about $42.03 billion, increased tax-to-GDP to 13.5%, removed the petroleum subsidy, and recorded five consecutive quarters of trade surpluses. Tinubu also asserted security improvements, saying agencies are “winning the war” against terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes. He framed the address as a message of hope and a call to action for productivity, innovation and enterprise while continuing fiscal and monetary reforms. Critics urged a low-key celebration and warned that rising poverty, unemployment, poor governance rankings and perceived unfulfilled promises show major development and governance deficits remain.