President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declared that his administration will not merely seek to manage poverty but will work to defeat it through sustained economic growth, productive employment and targeted support for vulnerable Nigerians.
Tinubu made the declaration in his Independence Day address, outlining a range of government interventions aimed at supporting low-income households while creating the conditions for Nigerians to move out of poverty.
The President said millions of Nigerians still face difficulties meeting basic needs, including food, education, healthcare and transportation.
He said government intervention must therefore combine immediate support for vulnerable citizens with longer-term measures capable of creating sustainable economic opportunities.
“That is why we are strengthening direct support for the poorest households and improving the National Social Register so that assistance reaches those who genuinely need it,” Tinubu said.
He also highlighted the Nigerian Education Loan Fund as part of the administration’s strategy for expanding access to higher education.
According to him, the programme is intended to ensure that children from low-income families do not have to abandon the pursuit of higher education because their parents cannot afford the fees.
The President also cited CREDICORP, saying the initiative was providing working Nigerians with access to consumer credit for the acquisition of vehicles, solar systems, digital devices and other essential assets.
He said such interventions would enable Nigerians to acquire important assets without first having to accumulate years of savings.
Tinubu further said his administration was working with state and local governments to strengthen primary healthcare, basic education and other essential public services relied upon by poorer Nigerians.
He said salaries and pensions had been paid on time and in full since 2023, while the national pension programme had been reformed to benefit retirees and vulnerable citizens.
The President, however, stressed that social intervention programmes should not become a substitute for economic prosperity.
“These programmes are not substitutes for prosperity. They are a bridge to aid our nation’s citizens on their path towards it,” he said.
Tinubu said the government’s ultimate objective was to create an economy capable of lifting people out of poverty through productive opportunities.
“Our objective is not to manage poverty more efficiently. We will defeat it,” he declared.
He acknowledged that achieving the goal would take time and require discipline, sustained economic growth and the creation of millions of productive opportunities across the country.
According to him, the administration’s economic reforms had corrected the fundamental direction of the economy and created what he described as a stronger foundation for the next phase.
Tinubu said the next challenge was to translate that foundation into tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.
He described this phase as the beginning of an “age of prosperity”, saying the ultimate goal was a Nigeria where prosperity would be broadly shared and every child could dream beyond the circumstances of birth.
