President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday sought to rouse the nation with a message of hope and a roadmap for prosperity, highlighting 2025 as a pivotal year for Nigeria’s economic recovery and societal transformation.
In his New Year address to Nigerians, he celebrated recent economic improvements while outlining a comprehensive plan to tackle lingering challenges, particularly inflation, high food prices, and access to essential goods and services.
Acknowledging the hardships faced in 2024, President Tinubu painted a picture of progress rooted in positive economic indicators.
“As the New Year dawns, it brings many hopes, aspirations, and prospects for better days. By the grace of God, 2025 will be a year of great promise in which we will fulfill our collective desires,” he assured.
He added, “Though 2024 posed numerous challenges to our citizens and households, I am confident that the New Year will bring brighter days. Economic indicators point to a positive and encouraging outlook for our nation.
“Fuel prices have gradually decreased, and we recorded foreign trade surpluses in three consecutive quarters. Foreign reserves have risen, and the naira has strengthened against the US dollar, bringing greater stability.
“The stock market’s record growth has generated trillions of naira in wealth, and the surge in foreign investment reflects renewed confidence in our economy.”
Despite these gains, the president emphasized the need to address the high inflation rate of 34.6%.
“In 2025, we are resolute in our ambition to reduce inflation to 15%, providing relief to our people,” he stated, outlining plans to boost food production and promote local manufacturing of essential drugs and medical supplies.
President Tinubu announced key initiatives aimed at fostering inclusive growth, including the National Credit Guarantee Company, which he said will be launched in the second quarter of 2025.
This institution, he explained, will facilitate access to credit for underserved groups, including women and youths, by expanding risk-sharing instruments in partnership with government and private sector entities.
The president said he would also unveil the National Values Charter in the first quarter of the New Year to foster patriotism, trust, and ethical behavior among citizens.
He also revealed that the Youth Confab, a nationwide conference dedicated to youth inclusivity and empowerment, emphasizing their role as nation builders would take place in the first quarter of the year.
President Tinubu promised to continue to serve diligently and wholeheartedly, vowing to press on with reforms to foster sustainable growth and prosperity.
He said, “On a personal note, thank you for placing your confidence in me as your president. Your trust humbles me, and I promise to continue serving you diligently and wholeheartedly.
“I seek your cooperation and collaboration at all times as we pursue our goal of a one trillion-dollar economy. Let us stay focused and united. We are on the right path to building a great Nigeria that will work for everyone.
“Let us not get distracted by a tiny segment of our population that still sees things through the prisms of politics, ethnicity, region, and religion.”
“Citizens’ moral rectitude and faith in our country are fundamental to the success of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he asserted.
President Tinubu commended state governors for embracing the federal government’s initiatives, such as the adoption of compressed natural gas (CNG) in public transport and the integration of electric vehicles.
He urged state and local governments to collaborate closely with the central government in leveraging opportunities in agriculture, livestock, and tax reforms.
Concluding his address, President Tinubu extended gratitude to Nigerians for their sacrifices and resilience.
“Your sacrifices have not been in vain,” he reassured, emphasizing a shared commitment to achieving the “Nigeria of our dreams.”
Meanwhile, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has charged President Tinubu not to bother giving a New Year address that will not proffer immediate and concrete steps to reduce the price of fuel, address widespread hunger and provide clear-cut measures to guarantee security of lives and property in the country.
In its own message to welcome 2025, the party explained that this position is predicated on the fact that previous addresses by the president in the last 18 months dwelt only on “hopeless rhetoric, unsubstantiated statistics, false promises, conjured performance claims and validation of flawed elections without concrete mechanisms to address insecurity, resuscitate the economy, create jobs, ensure credible elections and guarantee better living standard for Nigerians.”
In the statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, the party said Tinubu must speak to the issues of alleged unbridled corruption, deceit, budget padding, reckless and wasteful spending directed at funding luxury appetite of APC leaders, insensitivity to the pains of citizens and total disregard to the obligation of government which had made life unbearable for Nigerians under his watch.
It also challenged President Tinubu to use the address to give account of the billions of Naira officially reported to have accrued from the removal of subsidy on petroleum products.
“Mr. President should come clean on his public commitment to fight corruption by ordering an investigation and recovery of the over N25 trillion reportedly stolen by APC leaders and officials in government who have turned government agencies to Automated Teller Machines (ATM) to siphon funds for their benefit while other Nigerians wallow in abject poverty, hunger and starvation,” it demanded.
“Equally worrisome is the failure of the APC government to revisit and address the reported cases of alleged state-backed killings in various parts of the country, particularly the 2020 EndSars killings and inhuman denial of the massacre of promising Nigerian youths in that sad and repulsive incident.
“The last 18 months have been the most excruciating period to Nigerians since the Civil War with citizens now resorting to suicide and slavery mission aboard due to the hopeless situation foisted by the anti-people policies of the suppressive, exploitative and insensitive APC government which continues to reject every appeal and suggestion for review of such policies.
“More disheartening is that while Nigerians die of hunger and insecurity, APC leaders and officials in government continue to flaunt their luxury appetite and lifestyle in utter disdain to the feelings of millions of impoverished citizens.”
The party, however, urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the nation but remain law-abiding and approach 2025 with optimism of a new dawn in their determination to defend the nation’s constitutional democracy, adherence to the rule of law, demand for transparency and accountability in government, in firm resistance to suppression and pervasive violations by the APC.
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