President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said his administration’s priority is to bring down the cost of living and create productive jobs for young Nigerians.
In his 66th Independence Day address, Tinubu said the central economic task has shifted from correcting the nation’s course to shared prosperity.
“Our priority is to bring down the cost of living. We will achieve this by lowering the cost of producing and moving the things Nigerians consume,” he said.
He listed plans to expand mechanised irrigation and dry-season farming, improve access to seeds and fertiliser, invest in storage and transportation, and build roads, railways and ports to connect farms and factories to markets.
“When a farmer produces more cheaply, when fewer crops are lost between farm and market, when manufacturer spends less on electricity, when truck reaches destination faster… all those savings will ultimately find their way into price of goods in the market,” he said.
On jobs, Tinubu said Nigeria’s youth population must become an engine of production, not despair.
He said government will use gas to power new industries, support revival of factories in industrial centres, expand digital connectivity, and invest in skills and finance for businesses.
“I want to see more Nigerians making things… farms feeding our cities… businesses selling Nigerian goods to the whole world. I want young Nigerians building unicorns,” he said.
The President also said government is strengthening support for poorest households through National Social Register, NELFUND for students, CREDICORP for consumer credit, and continued investment in primary healthcare and basic education.
“These programmes are not substitutes for prosperity. They are a bridge… Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently. We will defeat it,” he said.
