New Year’s Message: Tinubu Vows To Empower 1,000 Citizens Per Ward Nationwide

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said his administration will empower at least 1,000 citizens in each of Nigeria’s 8,809 wards in 2026, as part of efforts to deepen inclusive growth and deliver tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerians.

The President disclosed this in his New Year goodwill message to Nigerians on January 1, 2026, where he described the new year as the beginning of a more robust phase of economic growth for the country.

“The new year marks the beginning of a more robust phase of economic growth, with tangible improvements in the lives of our people,” Tinubu said.

He said the empowerment initiative would be implemented through the Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, which aims to bring at least 10 million Nigerians into productive economic activity by empowering at least 1,000 people in each ward across the country.

According to him, the programme will stimulate local economies through agriculture, trade, food processing and mining, while expanding grassroots economic opportunities nationwide.

Tinubu said the initiative builds on economic reforms sustained throughout 2025, during which the government carried out what he described as a fiscal reset and recorded steady economic progress despite global economic headwinds.

“We had a fiscal reset and also recorded steady economic progress,” the President said, adding that the gains recorded “reaffirm our belief that the difficult but necessary reforms we embarked upon are moving us in the right direction with more concrete results on the horizon for the ordinary Nigerian.”

On economic performance, Tinubu said Nigeria recorded robust GDP growth in every quarter of 2025, with annualised growth expected to exceed four per cent.

“We maintained trade surpluses and achieved greater exchange rate stability. Inflation declined steadily and reached below 15 per cent, in line with our target,” he said.

The President said the Nigerian Stock Exchange outperformed its peers in 2025, posting a 48.12 per cent gain, while foreign reserves stood at $45.4bn as of December 29, 2025, providing “a substantial buffer against external shocks for the Naira.”

He added that foreign direct investment rose to $720m in the third quarter of 2025 from $90m in the preceding quarter, reflecting renewed investor confidence in Nigeria’s economic direction, which he said had been “consistently affirmed and applauded” by global credit rating agencies, including Moody’s, Fitch and Standard & Poor’s.

On fiscal policy, Tinubu said he recently presented the 2026 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, stressing that fiscal discipline and tax reforms would be critical to sustaining growth.

“The new year marks a critical phase in implementing our tax reforms, designed to build a fair, competitive, and robust fiscal foundation for Nigeria,” he said.

He said harmonising the tax system would raise revenue sustainably, address fiscal distortions and strengthen the country’s capacity to finance infrastructure and social investments, while commending states that had adopted harmonised tax laws to reduce the burden of multiple taxation.

On infrastructure, the President said the government would continue investing in roads, power, ports, railways, airports, pipelines, healthcare, education and agriculture, stressing that “all ongoing projects will continue without interruption.”

On security, Tinubu said economic progress must be accompanied by peace and stability, noting that decisive actions were taken against terrorist targets in parts of the North-West on December 24, in collaboration with international partners, including the United States.

He said operations had since been sustained against terrorist networks and criminal strongholds across the North-West and North-East.

The President reaffirmed his belief that “a decentralised policing system with appropriate safeguards, complemented by properly regulated forest guards, all anchored on accountability,” was critical to addressing terrorism, banditry and related security challenges.

Calling for unity, Tinubu urged Nigerians to embrace shared responsibility in nation-building.

“Nation-building is a shared responsibility,” he said. “Let us resolve to be better citizens, better neighbours, and better stewards of our nation.”