President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that 2026 will mark the beginning of a “more robust phase” of economic growth for Nigeria, promising that the benefits of recent fiscal reforms will reach more households this year.
In a nationwide New Year address on January 1, the President highlighted a significant turnaround in the country’s macroeconomic indicators, noting that 2025 ended with a stabilized exchange rate and an annual GDP growth expected to exceed 4 percent.
The President cited several “tangible gains” recorded over the past year as evidence that the administration’s “difficult but necessary” reforms are working as inflation dropped to below 15 percent by the end of 2025, with further reductions targeted for 2026.
He said Foreign Reserves now stood at $45.4 billion as of late December, providing a substantial cushion for the Naira against external shocks as the Nigerian Stock Exchange recorded a 48.12 percent gain in 2025, reflecting renewed investor appetite.
President Tinubu said Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) surged from $90 million in Q2 2025 to $720 million in Q3, a move the President attributed to favorable ratings from agencies like Moody’s while the central pillar of the 2026 agenda is the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme.
The initiative aims to bring 10 million Nigerians into productive economic activity by empowering at least 1,000 residents in each of the country’s 8,809 wards.
This “bottom-up” approach will focus on agriculture, mining, and food processing to stimulate local economies.
President Tinubu also reaffirmed his commitment to the 2026 Appropriation Bill, emphasizing fiscal discipline and the modernization of national infrastructure, specifically power, roads, and healthcare to strengthen food security and improve the quality of life.
Addressing the “challenge of multiple taxation,” the President commended states that have aligned with the national tax harmonization agenda. He stated that 2026 would be critical for building a “fair and competitive” fiscal foundation to finance social investments.
On security, the President confirmed that decisive military actions were taken against terrorist strongholds in the Northwest as recently as December 24.
Looking forward, he advocated for a decentralized policing system and the use of regulated forest guards to provide a more responsive defense against banditry and terrorism.
“Nation-building is a shared responsibility,” the President concluded, calling for national unity and patriotism to achieve the year’s ambitious growth targets.
