President Bola Tinubu has said that the year 2026 signals the start of a stronger phase of economic growth for Nigeria.
The President made this known on Thursday in his New Year address to Nigerians.
Fellow Compatriots,
I welcome you into the year 2026 with gratitude to God and renewed confidence in our shared determination to make this year more prosperous for our nation, our people, and everyone who calls Nigeria home.
Throughout 2025, we sustained the drive behind our key reforms. We undertook a fiscal reset and recorded consistent progress across the economy. Despite ongoing global economic challenges, Nigeria achieved measurable and tangible gains, particularly in economic performance.
These outcomes reaffirm our conviction that the tough but necessary reforms we introduced are yielding results and positioning the country for even greater benefits for ordinary Nigerians.
As we step into 2026, our priority is to consolidate these achievements while building a resilient, inclusive, sustainable, and growth-driven economy.
We ended 2025 on a strong footing. In spite of inflation-control measures, the economy recorded solid GDP growth in every quarter, with annual growth projected to exceed four per cent.
Trade surpluses were maintained, exchange rate stability improved, and inflation declined steadily, falling below 15 per cent in line with our target. In 2026, we are committed to further reducing inflation and ensuring that the dividends of reform reach every Nigerian household.
The Nigerian Stock Exchange delivered outstanding performance in 2025, outperforming its peers with a 48.12 per cent gain and extending the bullish trend that began in the second half of 2023.
Backed by prudent monetary policy, Nigeria’s foreign reserves stood at $45.4 billion as of December 29, 2025, providing a strong buffer for the naira against external shocks. We expect this position to improve further in the new year.
Foreign direct investment has also responded positively. In the third quarter of 2025, FDI increased to $720 million from $90 million in the previous quarter, reflecting renewed investor confidence in Nigeria’s economic trajectory—confidence repeatedly acknowledged by global rating agencies such as Moody’s, Fitch, and Standard & Poor’s.
Recently, I presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, where I reiterated that our administration’s reforms are laying a solid foundation for long-term stability and prosperity. With patience, fiscal discipline, and national unity, Nigeria will emerge in 2026 stronger and better positioned for sustained growth.
As inflation and interest rates ease, we anticipate greater fiscal space for investments in infrastructure and human capital development.
We are also addressing the issue of multiple taxation across all levels of government. I commend states that have embraced the national tax harmonisation agenda by adopting aligned tax laws to reduce the burden of excessive taxes, levies, and fees on citizens and basic consumption.
The year 2026 represents a crucial stage in the implementation of our tax reforms, aimed at establishing a fair, competitive, and robust fiscal system. Through harmonisation, we intend to sustainably boost revenue, correct fiscal imbalances, and strengthen our ability to fund infrastructure and social investments that promote shared prosperity.
My fellow Nigerians, reform is never an easy path, but it is a necessary one. We recognise that economic progress must go hand in hand with peace and security.
Our nation continues to face threats from criminal and terrorist elements seeking to undermine our way of life. Working with international partners, including the United States, decisive action was taken against terrorist targets in parts of the Northwest on December 24. Our Armed Forces have since sustained operations against terror networks and criminal enclaves across the Northwest and Northeast.
In 2026, our security and intelligence agencies will intensify collaboration with regional and global partners to eliminate all threats to national security. We remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting lives, property, and Nigeria’s territorial integrity.
I remain convinced that a decentralised policing system, supported by appropriate safeguards and complemented by well-regulated forest guards anchored on accountability, is vital to effectively tackling terrorism, banditry, and related security challenges.
The new year ushers in a more robust phase of economic growth, with visible improvements in the lives of our people. We will fast-track the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, targeting the integration of at least 10 million Nigerians into productive economic activities by empowering no fewer than 1,000 individuals in each of the 8,809 wards nationwide.
Through agriculture, trade, food processing, and mining, we will energise local economies and expand opportunities at the grassroots.
We will also continue investing in modern infrastructure—roads, power, ports, railways, airports, pipelines, healthcare, education, and agriculture—to strengthen food security and improve the quality of life. All ongoing projects will proceed without interruption.
Achieving our goals in 2026 requires collective effort. Nation-building is a shared duty. We must remain united in purpose, uphold patriotism, and serve our country with integrity and dedication.
Let us commit to being better citizens, better neighbours, and responsible custodians of our nation.
Fellow Nigerians, I wish you a peaceful, productive, and prosperous New Year. May God continue to bless and protect our beloved country, keep our troops safe, and defeat all forces threatening our peace, security, and stability.
Happy New Year.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR
President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,
Federal Republic of Nigeria
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