- President hosts governors for Sallah, 3rd anniversary celebration in Lagos
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday said the removal of fuel subsidy by his administration saved Nigeria from imminent bankruptcy and created the foundation for the gradual recovery of the economy.
The President spoke while hosting state governors who visited Lagos to celebrate Sallah with him and mark the third anniversary of his administration on 29 May 2026.
Governors of Lagos, Nasarawa, Jigawa, Sokoto, Kebbi, Taraba, Niger, Ekiti, Delta, Ondo, Edo, Adamawa, Benue, Enugu, Ogun, and Kogi states attended, along with the deputy governors of Borno and Kano.
Acknowledging that the subsidy removal was “difficult and painful for many Nigerians,” Tinubu said it became necessary to prevent fiscal collapse and restore stability. He said the country had spent enormous resources for years on unsustainable subsidy payments that benefited only a few while starving critical sectors of investment.
“It was challenging at the time, but we survived. We face litigation and accusations. We survived them. Instead of bankruptcy, Nigeria has survived. The economy has recovered. It is growing. Agriculture is booming,” the President said.
Tinubu pointed to ongoing projects like the Sokoto-Badagry corridor, citing potential for dams, irrigation, farmland and electricity. He thanked governors and Nigerians for their patience and for building trust around the administration’s reform agenda.
He said reforms in infrastructure, agriculture, social investment, foreign exchange management and fiscal discipline were restoring investor confidence. “The economy has recovered. Macroeconomic indices are doing very well. Construction is ongoing on roads and infrastructure; the ones abandoned have been rehabilitated. The housing industry is coming on very well,” he added.
Vice President Kashim Shettima commended Tinubu’s “courage to confront the contradictions that have held this country hostage for 50 years,” saying the administration had begun “the difficult work of re-engineering a nation.”
Speaking for the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq said subsidy removal and fiscal reforms increased revenue to states, allowing them to pay salaries, pensions and embark on projects without borrowing. “Today, states are not going to borrow money; they’re not going to issue Bonds. In fact, we’re reducing our debt,” he said, and urged a review of the minimum wage to “a minimum of N100,000.”
Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Imo Governor Hope Uzodinma scored the administration “100 per cent,” saying governors at the subnational level were “frontline beneficiaries” of the reforms that moved Nigeria “from the brink of collapse to a state of stability.”
Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu welcomed his colleagues and urged sustained support for the President.
President Tinubu assured Nigerians his administration would continue implementing people-oriented policies to reduce hardship, create jobs, strengthen food security and ensure inclusive growth.
