Nigeria @ 65: The worst is over, we’ve turned a new corner —Tinubu

Remembering the founding fathers, Tinubu recalled the sacrifices and imaginativeness of the country’s founding fathers, Herbert Macaulay, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo, Ahmadu Bello, Margaret Ekpo, Anthony Enahoro, Michael Okpara, Aminu Kano, Funmilayo Ransome-Kuti and others, saying “they believed it was Nigeria’s manifest destiny to pb the full achromatic contention arsenic the largest achromatic federation connected earth.”

We person not strayed excessively far

Reflecting connected Nigeria’s travel since October 1, 1960, Tinubu said: “While we whitethorn not person achieved each the lofty dreams of our forebears, we person not strayed excessively acold from them. In 65 years, we person made tremendous advancement successful economical growth, societal cohesion, and carnal development.

“At independence, Nigeria had 120 secondary schools and 2 tertiary institutions. Today, we person implicit 23,000 secondary schools, 274 universities, 183 polytechnics and 236 colleges of education. We person witnessed a important surge successful healthcare, infrastructure, telecommunications, aviation, and defence.’’

Civil war, subject rule, resilience

The President acknowledged Nigeria’s turbulent past but noted that Nigerians weathered the tempest and kept anticipation alive.

“We fought a bitter civilian war, endured subject dictatorships and governmental crises. But successful all, we weathered each tempest and overcame each situation with courageousness and grit,” helium said.

According to him, for 65 years, Nigeria has endured profound social, economic, and governmental trials.
He said: ‘’We survived a civilian war, subject dictatorships, and recurring governmental crises. In spite of these setbacks, we person recorded advancement successful economical growth, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and societal cohesion.

‘’At Independence, Nigeria had conscionable 120 secondary schools with 130,000 students. Today, determination are implicit 23,000 secondary schools. In 1960, we had lone the University of Ibadan and Yaba College of Technology. As of 2024, Nigeria boasts 274 universities, 183 polytechnics, and 236 colleges of education. Healthcare, telecommunications, aviation, and fiscal services person each expanded remarkably.

Unfinished business

Declaring that similar the founding leaders, helium had committed himself irrevocably to the unfinished concern of nation-building, President Tinubu said helium inherited a near-collapsed economy, distorted by decades of atrocious policies.

‘’However, faced with the prime of doing thing oregon taking pugnacious decisions, we chose reform. We chose time implicit the comfortableness of today,” helium said.

On this score, helium said: “Upon presumption of office, our medication ended the corrupt substance subsidy authorities and abolished aggregate overseas speech rates that enriched a few, portion impoverishing the majority.

‘’Those bold steps redirected resources to education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, and societal concern programmes.’’

According to him, the results of his pugnacious decisions are evident and “we person yet turned the corner. The worst is over, yesterday’s pains are giving mode to today’s relief.”

Listing his achievements, the President said: ‘’Nigeria’s system grew by 4.23% successful Q2 2025, the fastest successful 4 years, surpassing IMF’s projection of 3.4%, portion ostentation declined to 20.12% successful August 2025, the lowest successful 3 years.

‘’N20 trillion was realised from non-oil gross by August 2025, with N3.65 trillion raised successful September alone, 411% higher than May 2023 levels.

‘’On fiscal health, indebtedness service-to-revenue ratio reduced from 97% to beneath 50%; Ways and Means advances cleared.

‘’Foreign reserves roseate to $42.03 cardinal this September, the highest since 2019. Nigeria recorded 5 consecutive quarters of commercialized surplus, reaching ¦ 7.46 trillion successful Q2 2025, with non-oil exports hitting 48%.

‘’Oil accumulation rebounded to 1.68 cardinal barrels per day, portion Nigeria began refining PMS domestically for the archetypal clip successful 4 decades.

‘’All-share scale successful the banal marketplace surged from 55,000 successful May 2023 to 142,000 points by September 2025. Central Bank besides slashed rates for the archetypal clip successful 5 years.’’

Winning warfare against insecurity

On insecurity, helium said: “Our equipped forces and information agencies are moving tirelessly against terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping. Boko Haram/ISWAP successful the North-East, IPOB/ESN successful the South-Ea...