2027: We Can’t Go Backward But Consolidate On Reforms, Attain $1 trillion Economy – APC

Ahead of the 2027 general election, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, has declared that Nigeria can not go backwards
but consolidate and improve on the progress already made as a result of the reforms introduced by the President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

Yilwatda reminded Nigerians that they would hear many promises as next year’s polls approaches with some promising to reverse the reforms; bring prosperity without confronting the structural problems which brought the country where it is presently.

He insisted that APC as party has chosen progress, productivity, investment, infrastructure, innovation, Nigerian enterprise, exports, human capital and President Tinubu’s ambition of a $1 trillion economy by 2030 for Nigeria’s common prosperity.

Yilwatda who spoke at the
second edition of the Policy Roundtable of the APC Professionals Forum tagged the Asiwaju Scorecard Series held in Abuja on Tuesday also said the $1 trillion economy is not merely a number, but a national mission that produces more, exports more, attracts more investment, creates more jobs and gives its young people a greater stake in the future.

“Most Nigerians have asked, why the ambitious $1 trillion economy by Mr President? The $1 trillion economy is not merely a number, but a national mission: a Nigeria that produces more, exports more, attracts more investment, creates more jobs and gives its young people a greater stake in the future.

“You cannot build a $1 trillion economy on inadequate infrastructure. That is why the Renewed Hope Agenda places major emphasis on strategic highways, railways, ports, energy infrastructure and digital connectivity. But we must think beyond individual projects,” he said.

Yilwatda who represented President Tinubu at the event noted that when the current administration took off in 2023
Nigeria faced a difficult economic inheritance such as fuel subsidy distortions, multiple exchange-rate windows, weak revenue mobilisation, foreign-exchange shortages among.

He said the president understood that Nigeria could not continue on that trajectory and therefore took difficult decisions, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and the reform of the foreign-exchange market.

“The evidence increasingly shows that the foundation is strengthening. Nigeria’s gross external reserves has risen to about $52.7 billion by August 2026. Consolidated non-oil revenue increased from approximately ₦13.63 trillion in 2023 to ₦16.4 trillion in the first two quarters of 2026, demonstrating the growing contribution of non-oil sources to government revenue.

“Our trade position has also improved dramatically: from a merchandise trade surplus of only about ₦44.8 billion for the whole of 2023 to approximately ₦7.54 trillion in the first quarter of 2026 alone. Real GDP grew by 4.43 percent in Q2 2026, while inflation has fallen significantly from its earlier peak to about 15.4 percent.

“These figures do not mean that our economic challenges have disappeared, but they demonstrate that the direction of travel has changed. And let me emphasise: macroeconomic stability is not the destination; it is the foundation. The ultimate test is when stability translates into cheaper food, more jobs, affordable credit, reliable electricity and greater purchasing power for Nigerians,”Yilwatda added.

The APC national chairman said Nigeria must now take full advantage of its enormous maritime opportunity by developing an integrated five-port maritime and logistics corridor.

“Our strategic ambition should be to develop and connect five major deep-sea ports at Lagos, Ondo, Ibom, Port Harcourt and Calabar, linking them by modern rail and road infrastructure, with the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Super Highway serving as the principal coastal road spine. But the vision does not stop at the coastline.

“The Western Corridor will connect the maritime gateways to the interior through the Lagos–Abuja–Kaduna–Kano rail corridor, complemented by the Sokoto–Badagry Super Highway, thereby opening a direct trade route from the Atlantic coast to the markets of the Northwest and the Sahel,” he stated.

Yilwatda said the country is in the next phase of Renewed Hope which must translate macroeconomic stability into microeconomic prosperity: more food, more jobs, lower inflation, affordable credit, reliable power, more manufacturing, greater exports and stronger purchasing power.

“We must power our industries, develop our digital economy, educate our young people and mobilise the private capital required to transform our productive capacity.

“Above all, we must begin to see Nigeria differently, not merely as a large domestic market, but as a potential maritime, industrial, digital and logistics powerhouse for Africa.

“The foundation has been laid. The opportunity is before us. The work has begun. Now we must take Nigeria from reform to results, from results to growth, from growth to prosperity, and from prosperity to a $1 trillion economy by 2030,” he stated.

In his remarks, chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT), APC Professional Forum, Dr Isa Yuguda urged Nigerians to carefully evaluate political promises, particularly those relating to the return of fuel subsidy ahead of the 2027 election.

According to him, the proposal by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to restore subsidy may appear attractive to citizens seeking immediate relief but it must be examined against our national experience.

The former Bauchi state governor said the old subsidy regime was associated with massive leakages, fraudulent claims, inefficiency and a significant drain on public finances.

“Presenting a return to that system without clearly addressing these problems risks misleading Nigerians for short-term political gain and could reverse the fiscal space now supporting critical national investments.

“Every Nigerian has the democratic right to present alternative policies, but economic choices must be guided by facts, experience, sustainability, and the long-term interest of the country.

“Having chaired the 2009 Fuel Subsidy Task Force and witnessed the weaknesses of that system firsthand, I believe Nigerians deserve an honest conversation about what subsidy truly cost the nation and what can now be achieved when those resources are directed towards education, security, agriculture, infrastructure, and other areas that improve citizens’ lives,” he said.

Yuguda said the policy roundtable is more than a political gathering as it provides a forum for evidence-based assessment, constructive criticism and policy conversation between decision makers, professionals as well as Nigerians.

“The APC Professionals Forum remains committed to serving as a credible think tank that connects expertise, ideas, leadership, and the people for the progress and prosperity of Nigeria.

“We urge all political office holders and policy makers to take advantage of this forum and to tell their story and achievement along with the scorecard of the president and APC led administration,” he added.