The Minister of information
@HMMohammedIdris, speech at the
#NigeriaAt66 World Press Conference in Abuja
I am honoured to join the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, CON, and other distinguished Nigerians as we begin activities marking the 66th Independence Anniversary of our dear country.
Independence Day occupies a special place in our national life. It reminds us of the sacrifices that brought us here, the resilience that has sustained us, and the responsibility every generation carries to strengthen the country it inherited.
Sixty-six years ago, Nigerians of different ethnicities, faiths and regions embraced the conviction that our future would be greater together than apart. That conviction has been tested many times. Yet Nigeria has endured, sustained by the resilience of our people and our shared belief in a common destiny.
This anniversary is therefore not only a remembrance of October 1, 1960. It is an opportunity to take stock of our journey and renew our commitment to building a more prosperous, secure and united country.
Three years ago, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, assumed office amid significant structural and fiscal challenges. His administration chose to confront longstanding distortions rather than postpone them. Those decisions have been difficult, and Nigerians have borne real costs.
Today, however, Nigeria is moving from reform and stabilisation towards growth, production and shared prosperity. GDP growth is strengthening, our external position has improved, domestic refining capacity has expanded, and investment and productive activity are gaining momentum.
The next phase is to translate these gains into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians: more jobs, higher incomes, greater access to education and credit, lower costs and wider economic opportunities.
Across the country, the Renewed Hope Agenda is pursuing these objectives through investments in infrastructure, agriculture, education, consumer credit, digital skills, energy and enterprise. Student loans are widening access to education; consumer credit is expanding economic opportunity; major highways are connecting communities and markets; and reforms in agriculture, livestock, solid minerals, oil and gas are increasingly focused on production and local value addition.
The principle is simple: Nigeria must increasingly produce what it consumes, process what it extracts, and create opportunities from its abundant human and natural resources.
Economic progress, however, cannot endure without security, justice and national cohesion. The administration continues to strengthen our security architecture while insisting that the authority of the state must always be exercised within the law.
As we mark 66 years of independence, we must also recognise that nation-building is a shared responsibility. Government must communicate truthfully and remain accountable. The media must uphold accuracy, fairness, balance and verification. Citizens must have reliable information with which to make their own democratic choices.
There is progress to acknowledge, challenges to overcome, and much work still ahead. Our responsibility is to hand the next generation a Nigeria that is more prosperous, more secure, more united and more confident than the one we inherited.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, having provided this brief overview, it is now my honour and privilege to invite the Chairman of this occasion and host of today’s World Press Conference, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, CON, to deliver the main address commemorating Nigeria’s 66th Independence Anniversary.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Thank you, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.