Tinubu spoke on Thursday in his Independence Day address to Nigerians as the country marked its 66th anniversary.
The President said the difficulties facing many households were the accumulated consequences of decades of low productivity, inadequate infrastructure, limited opportunities and institutional weaknesses.
“I am also conscious that millions of our fellow citizens cannot wait for tomorrow. 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,” he 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 his administration could not reverse in four years challenges that had accumulated over several generations, but maintained that it could change the country’s trajectory.
“We cannot erase in four years what accumulated over generations. But we can change its course,” he said.
He said the government was strengthening direct support for poorer households and improving the National Social Register to ensure that assistance reached those who genuinely needed it.
The President also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as a means of helping children from low-income families access higher education, while citing CREDICORP as providing consumer credit for working Nigerians to acquire assets such as vehicles, solar systems and digital devices.
He added that the Federal Government, in collaboration with state and local governments, would continue to strengthen primary healthcare, basic education and other essential public services on which poorer Nigerians depend.
Tinubu also claimed that salaries and pensions had been paid on time and in full since 2023, while saying the national pension programme had been reformed to benefit retirees and vulnerable citizens.
The President said the social intervention programmes were not intended to replace economic prosperity but to support Nigerians while the wider economy grows.
“These programmes are not substitutes for prosperity. They are a bridge to aid our nation’s citizens on their path towards it. Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently.
“We will defeat it,” he said.
Tinubu said achieving that goal would require discipline, sustained economic growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities across the country.
He also said his administration was entering a new phase focused on jobs, enterprise and industrial growth after three years of economic reforms.
“The age of reform has done its work. Now begins the age of prosperity,” the President said.
He said the government would use Nigeria’s gas resources to support new industries, help revive factories, expand digital connectivity and invest in skills required by employers.
Tinubu expressed confidence that the reforms had laid the foundation for lasting prosperity, while acknowledging that the road ahead would still require sustained effort.
He said the ultimate objective was to build a Nigeria where prosperity was broadly shared and the country’s potential was reflected in the daily lives of its citizens.
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